Stats will show whether border wall efforts work
State taking action to stem illegal crossings, but is it right call?
On Friday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey took matters into his own hands, using state funding to fill in gaps along the border wall near Yuma.
The first round of construction started Friday, at which point the governor noted, “Arizona doesn’t wait around like the federal government. We’re taking action now.”
“Arizona has had enough. We can’t wait any longer. The Biden administration’s lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty. For the last two years, Arizona has made every attempt to work with Washington to address the crisis on our border. Time and time again we’ve stepped in to clean up their mess. Arizonans can’t wait any longer for the federal government to deliver on their delayed promises.”
The first site selected for the project is located near Gadsden by County 18th Street, which is a 1,000-foot gap, according to the governor’s office.
State-owned 9-by-40-feet shipping containers, each weighing 8,800 pounds, will be double-stacked, welded shut and topped with four feet of razor wire to form a physical barrier standing 22 feet tall, the governor’s office noted.
The plan comes at a cost of $6 million, which comes from the Arizona Border Security Fund. Despite the rainy weekend, by Sunday, Ducey posted on Facebook, “the first border wall gap near Yuma is CLOSED.”
The post noted that four feet of razor wire was “going in NOW!”
According to KAWC, the segment near Morelos Dam will be sealed in the next phase.
We’ve long lobbied for action at the border. Yuma County has been inundated with people coming across illegally, overwhelming our Border Patrol agents as well as our public safety and nonprofit agencies, and help from the federal government has been slow in coming and long overdue.
The border is clearly a federal issue, not a state one, but Ducey made clear he isn’t waiting for federal action any longer. He’s taking a stand, and providing a solution, which can be removed should the federal government step forward.
The question is, is Ducey making the right decision, or is he overstepping his authority?
One of the best indicators as far as whether or not Ducey’s plan is a success will be whether or not illegal crossings drop at the locations with Ducey’s improvised wall – and ascertaining that will take some time.
In the meantime readers, we’re curious. Do you think Ducey made the right call in building his own border wall? Let us know. Share your thoughts with at Letter to the Editor at letters@yumasun.com.