Arizona bill eases private border wall

PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature would let property owners along the U.S.-Mexico border build a wall without seeking a city or county construction permit under a measure that advanced Wednesday.

Republicans on the House Federal Relations Committee approved the measure in a 4-3 party-line vote, saying state and local officials shouldn’t be able to throw up barriers if they’re philosophically opposed to building a border wall, a signature promise of President Donald Trump.

“We all know President Trump can’t do everything on his own,” said Rep. Warren Petersen, a Republican and the House majority leader who sponsored the legislation. “There’s private companies, private property owners who are willing to help build the wall on their property.”

Tom Tancredo, a former Colorado Republican congressman and high-profile anti-illegal immigration advocate, pointed to a nonprofit organization that encountered red tape from local officials when it built a border wall on private land near the New Mexico-Texas state line. Tancredo is an advisory board member for the group, We Build the Wall.

Art Del Cueto, vice president of the union representing Border Patrol agents, also urged lawmakers to advance the bill.

Most of Arizona’s borderlands are publicly owned and would not be subject to the streamlined permitting process. But Democrats questioned whether it was worth eliminating local control over construction projects to advance a barrier they say is ineffective at stopping drug traffickers.

There’s no indication that state or local regulations have prevented Arizona landowners from building a wall on their own property, said Rep. Reginald Bolding, a Democrat.