<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> will pay $2.1 million to the federal government after the state was sued over a makeshift border wall made up of shipping containers to deter illegal immigration into the U.S. 
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> brought <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-governor-doug-ducey-will-take-down-shipping-container-border-wall-one-week-after-biden-lawsuit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legal action</a> against Arizona in December 2022 after then-Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, issued an executive order to begin placing shipping containers along Arizona’s border with Mexico four months earlier. After the DOJ claimed that the makeshift wall had been erected “unlawfully and without authority,” thereby “damaging the United States,” Ducey agreed to remove the barriers. 
Now Arizona <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/border-issues/2023/08/30/arizona-shipping-container-wall-lawsuits-expected-to-wrap-up-soon/70710370007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will pay</a> the U.S. Forest Service for environmental remediation efforts after federal officials said the containers had damaged federal land. The shipping containers had been placed along the border in Cochise and Yuma counties, where crossings have been high. The federal suit against Arizona is expected to be withdrawn after the remediation payment is complete, according to the Arizona Republic. 
“Arizona has had enough,” Ducey said in a <a href="https://archive.ph/4Zevd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> after issuing the executive order to begin placing the containers. “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.”
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Within 11 days of Ducey’s order, 3,820 feet of the previously open border were closed with 130 shipping containers. The initiative expanded with 6,680 feet of containers stacked two high throughout Cochise County by early November. The barriers <a href="https://kjzz.org/content/1856096/final-2m-set-settle-federal-suit-over-arizona-shipping-container-border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> cost around $95 million to install and about $66 million to remove after the Biden administration sued. The containers have <a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/the-shipping-containers-removed-from-arizonas-border-are-up-for-sale" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since been</a> put up for sale by the state government. 
Arizona Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs opposed the construction of the barriers, saying they were ineffective. 
“It’s not land that’s our land to put things on. That’s one problem. The containers aren’t working. There’s many pictures of people climbing over them,” she <a href="https://kjzz.org/content/1831920/gov-elect-hobbs-says-she-will-stop-construction-shipping-container-wall-border">said</a>. “It’s a political stunt. It’s a visual barrier that is not actually providing an effective barrier to entry, and I think a waste of taxpayer dollars.”

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-IMMIGRATION-COURT

Arizona To Pay Biden Admin $2.1 Million After Putting Up Makeshift Border Wall

Arizona

Doug Ducey

Immigration

Joe Biden

Katie Hobbs

Politics

Southern Border

Republican <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> Gov. <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/doug-ducey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Ducey</a> agreed to remove the shipping containers on federal lands currently acting as a wall along the state’s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/southern-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">southern border</a>.
A lawsuit from the Biden administration last week claimed that the makeshift wall had been erected “unlawfully and without authority,” thereby “damaging the United States.” The government of Arizona agreed to cease activity on National Forest System lands for “any purpose relating to installing shipping containers along the international border,” according to a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.azd.1319463/gov.uscourts.azd.1319463.17.0_1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">court document</a> filed on Wednesday. Ducey’s administration will “remove all previously installed shipping containers and associated equipment, materials, vehicles, and other objects” by January 4, according to the document.
Ducey, who is scheduled to depart office next month, issued an executive order in August which allowed 3,820 feet of the previously open border to be closed with 130 shipping containers within 11 days. The initiative expanded to other parts of the border, with 6,680 feet of containers stacked two-high throughout Cochise County by early November.
The lawsuit from the Biden administration came after Ducey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-rejects-biden-administrations-demand-to-remove-shipping-container-border-barrier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to comply with a demand to remove the containers from federal land in Yuma County. Arizona officials <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23132677/reclamationlettertoducey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Biden administration that the state would not remove the containers until a permanent barrier is constructed.
A section of the barrier <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/we-clearly-struck-a-nerve-arizona-border-barrier-found-damaged-knocked-over-foul-play-suspected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">toppled</a> in August; construction crews initially said that the containers were knocked over by the wind, while Ducey staffers attributed the event to foul play.
Ducey spokesman C.J. Karamargin said in a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/12/22/arizona-border-shipping-containers-doug-ducey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> that the barrier was a “stopgap measure” meant to reduce illegal border crossings until the Biden administration offered a permanent solution, details of which are reportedly forthcoming. &#8220;Finally, after the situation on our border has turned into a full-blown crisis, they&#8217;ve decided to act,&#8221; he said in a statement. &#8220;Better late than never. We&#8217;re working with the federal government to ensure they can begin construction of this barrier with the urgency this problem demands.&#8221;
The announcement comes shortly after Chief Justice John Roberts <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-supreme-court-blocks-key-immigration-policy-title-42-from-ending" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blocked</a> the end of Title 42, a provision that gives commanders-in-chief the power to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-governor-predicts-total-chaos-when-title-42-border-rule-ends" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shut down immigration</a> as an emergency action to keep communicable diseases out of the United States. Border cities such as El Paso had braced for an influx of migrants.
As many as 4.9 million migrants have entered the United States under the Biden administration, according to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-press-secretary-on-illegal-immigration-its-not-like-somebody-walks-over-actually-millions-do" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Some 66 individuals from the terror watchlist crossed the border between October 2021 and July 2022; in the previous five years combined, only 30 aliens from the terror watchlist had been apprehended.
Another <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/deportation-of-criminal-illegal-aliens-way-down-under-biden-report-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Center for Immigration Studies found a 71% decline in removals for migrants who had been arrested for a crime under the Biden administration, as well as a substantial decrease in the removal of convicted felons. “Immigration enforcement in the interior of the country has dropped dramatically under President Biden’s policies,” Center for Immigration Studies Director of Policy Studies Jessica Vaughan wrote. “These policies have exempted nearly all but the most serious criminal aliens from arrest and removal and have imposed cumbersome new procedures and paperwork for ICE officers to complete cases.”
Dillon Burroughs contributed to this report.

Collage Maker-22-Dec-2022-02.11-PM

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Will Take Down Shipping Container ‘Border Wall’ One Week After Biden Lawsuit

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Will Take Down Shipping Container 'Border Wall'

Biden Administration

Illegal Immigration

The Justice Department (DOJ) is suing Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and his administration over the use of shipping containers to build a wall along the state&#8217;s southern border with Mexico.
The DOJ filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on Wednesday, claiming that the project trespasses on federal property.
“Arizona has unlawfully and without authority failed to remove the shipping containers from lands owned by the United States or over which the United States holds easements, thereby damaging the United States,” the <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23460464/united-states-v-ducey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lawsuit</a> argues.
The legal move comes after Ducey issued an executive order in August directing the state&#8217;s Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to begin a Yuma County project. The 3,820 feet of the previously open border was closed with 130 shipping containers in just 11 days.
The project then expanded to other parts of the border, with 6,680 feet of containers stacked two-high throughout Cochise County by early November. That section is estimated to take more than 2,700 shipping containers to fill the 10-mile gap along the southern border.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Cochise County Border Barrier update 💪
6,680 feet 334 shipping containers 2 weeks
And we’re not slowing down yet! <a href="https://t.co/vzxGj1xsGN">pic.twitter.com/vzxGj1xsGN</a>
&mdash; Doug Ducey (@DougDucey) <a href="https://twitter.com/DougDucey/status/1589730486607568897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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In October, the state filed its own lawsuit to affirm its right to continue using the shipping containers to help curb unlawful crossings.
“Our border communities are overwhelmed by illegal activity as a result of the Biden administration’s failure to secure the southern border,” Ducey said in a <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/10/governor-ducey-arizona-border-barrier-mission-will-not-be-deterred" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>.
“Arizona is taking action to protest on behalf of our citizens. With this lawsuit, we’re pushing back against efforts by federal bureaucrats to reverse the progress we’ve made. The safety and security of Arizona and its citizens must not be ignored. Arizona is going to do the job that Joe Biden refuses to do — secure the border in any way we can. We’re not backing down,&#8221; he added.
The lawsuit came after Ducey <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-rejects-biden-administrations-demand-to-remove-shipping-container-border-barrier" target="_blank" rel="noopener">refused</a> to comply with a demand by the Biden administration to remove containers in the Yuma County area. Arizona officials <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23132677/reclamationlettertoducey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> the Biden administration that the state would not remove the containers until a permanent barrier is constructed.
The Biden administration has warned that Ducey&#8217;s containers have interfered with land near both the Morelos Dam and land belonging to the Cocopah Indian Tribe’s West Reservation. It has also argued the barriers interfere with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection&#8217;s future project to fill holes in the existing wall.
In addition, environmental activists have recently targeted Ducey&#8217;s shipping container project. The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/13/arizona-border-wall-shipping-containers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> efforts by climate activists to halt the container border wall, including using their bodies to stand in the way of machinery and sitting on containers in protest.
Ducey leaves office in January, with Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs set to take over. She is expected to stop any further container wall work along the border.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not land that&#8217;s our land to put things on. That&#8217;s one problem. The containers aren&#8217;t working. There&#8217;s many pictures of people climbing over them,&#8221; Hobbs <a href="https://kjzz.org/content/1831920/gov-elect-hobbs-says-she-will-stop-construction-shipping-container-wall-border" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;It&#8217;s a political stunt. It&#8217;s a visual barrier that is not actually providing an effective barrier to entry, and I think a waste of taxpayer dollars.&#8221;

border wall containers

Biden Admin Sues Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey Over Shipping Container Border Wall

Border Crisis

Border Wall

Courts

Executive

Arizona gubernatorial candidate <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/arizona-election-commission-backs-kari-lake-shoots-down-democrat-katie-hobbs-town-hall-debate-proposal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kari Lake</a> (R) quickly fired back after her opponent, AZ Secretary of State <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/democrat-katie-hobbs-says-she-wont-debate-republican-kari-lake-for-az-governor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Katie Hobbs</a>, insinuated that she or her &#8220;allies&#8221; had at least inspired a recent break-in at her campaign office.
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/arizona-secretary-of-state-wants-to-be-governor-shes-showed-up-to-work-19-days-in-the-last-6-months/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hobbs</a> released a statement following the <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/10/26/burglary-katie-hobbs-phoenix-campaign-office-arizona-governor/10611004002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burglary</a> — which allegedly took place at her campaign headquarters in Phoenix and was reported to local authorities on Tuesday afternoon — saying that she and her team were cooperating with law enforcement in order to get to the bottom of the incident. She then suggested that Lake&#8217;s rhetoric had ratcheted up the temperature and may have pushed her allies in a violent direction.
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Statement from our campaign on tonight&#39;s news: <a href="https://t.co/OLqPMa5pYt">pic.twitter.com/OLqPMa5pYt</a>
&mdash; Katie Hobbs (@katiehobbs) <a href="https://twitter.com/katiehobbs/status/1585437182894157825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Secretary Hobbs and her staff have faced hundreds of death threats and threats of violence over the course of this campaign. Throughout this race, we have been clear that the safety of our staff and of the Secretary is our number one priority,&#8221; the campaign statement began, before pivoting to attack Lake.
<p class="paragraph inline-placeholder" data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_7AC5F2F1-658E-CEEF-FEB0-18C6AAFF7C65@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-analytics-observe="off">&#8220;Let’s be clear: for nearly two years (Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee) Kari Lake and her allies have been spreading dangerous misinformation and inciting threats against anyone they see fit. The threats against Arizonans attempting to exercise their constitutional rights and their attacks on elected officials are the direct result of a concerted campaign of lies and intimidation,&#8221; it continued.
<p data-uri="archive.cms.cnn.com/_components/paragraph/instances/paragraph_7AC5F2F1-658E-CEEF-FEB0-18C6AAFF7C65@published" data-editable="text" data-component-name="paragraph" data-analytics-observe="off">Lake responded to the thinly-veiled accusation, telling CNN that it was &#8220;absurd&#8221; and suggesting that the break-in may not have even happened as Hobbs&#8217; campaign claimed. &#8220;Are you really buying that?&#8221; she asked, adding, &#8220;Because this sounds like a Jussie Smollett part 2.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/katiehobbs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katiehobbs</a> blames rhetoric from Lake campaign. <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KariLake</a>: “I can’t believe that she would blame my amazing people or blame me&#8230; I don’t even know where her campaign office is. I’m assuming it’s in a basement somewhere because that’s where she’s been campaigning”
&mdash; Kyung Lah (@KyungLahCNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyungLahCNN/status/1585491783508795395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Lake also <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/26/politics/headquarters-katie-hobbs-broken-into-arizona/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pushed back</a> on Hobbs&#8217; insinuation that a member of her team or the tone of her rhetoric might be responsible for the burglary, telling CNN&#8217;s Kyung Lah, &#8220;I can’t believe that she would blame my amazing people or blame me &#8230; I don’t even know where her campaign office is. I’m assuming it’s in a basement somewhere because that’s where she’s been campaigning.&#8221;
According to the most recent reporting, someone has been arrested in connection with the burglary, but authorities have not yet provided any additional details to the press.
Hobbs has since declined to comment:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
AFTER accusing my team of coordinating a Watergate style break-in of her office, Katie Hobbs has now flip-flopped and DOES NOT want to talk about the crime 
This comes AFTER arrest was made and NO political motivation confirmed. <a href="https://t.co/lb7YAwl3eN">pic.twitter.com/lb7YAwl3eN</a>
&mdash; Kari Lake (@KariLake) <a href="https://twitter.com/KariLake/status/1585698219933065216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump Holds Campaign Rally In Support Of Arizona GOP Candidates

Kari Lake Fires Back After Katie Hobbs Blames Her And ‘Allies’ For Campaign Office Break-In

Kari Lake Fires Back After Katie Hobbs Blames Her For Campaign Office Break-In

2022 Midterms

Crime

Election

Kari Lake

A sitting member of the Washington D.C. City Council blamed Texas and Arizona Thursday for an influx of immigrants stressing Washington’s social services.
D.C. councilwoman Brianne Nadeau pointed the finger at the two border states, both run by Republican governors, claiming they turned Washington “into a border town.”
“The governors of Texas and Arizona have created this crisis, and the federal government has not stepped up to assist the District of Columbia. So we along with our regional partners will do what we’ve always done. We’ll rise to the occasion,” Nadeau said.
Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-texas-to-start-busing-illegal-immigrants-to-washington-d-c-as-biden-scraps-trump-era-border-policy">launched</a> a program in April to bus migrants to Washington, D.C., after months of calls to President Joe Biden to strengthen border security and curb a record influx of illegal migrants crossing over the U.S. southern border. The bussing program is under Abbott’s Operations Lone Star, a Texas plan to strengthen border security as much as possible.
Governor Doug Ducey (R-AZ) <a href="https://www.azfamily.com/2022/08/10/buses-sending-asylum-seekers-arizona-washington-dc-cost-80k-per-trip/">followed</a> Abbott in May, announcing Arizona’s own bussing program. Together, the two states are expected to spend tens of millions of dollars bussing illegal migrants who volunteer for the trip to deep-blue cities.
“In many ways, the governors of Texas and Arizona have turned us into a border town. We don’t know how long this will take to resolve. We don’t know how long they will continue bussing,” Nadeau said. “And so the right thing to do here is to be prepared to ensure we can greet every bus, we can get people off on the right foot, we can get them to where they want to go, and that will ultimately help them in their immigration process.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
DC City Council member: “The governors of Texas and Arizona have created this crisis&#8230;[They] have turned us into a border town.”<a href="https://t.co/GGKSHXF25o">pic.twitter.com/GGKSHXF25o</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1567916664490004484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Texas and Arizona have sent dozens of busses containing thousands of migrants to Washington, D.C, New York City, and Chicago. Local leaders in the Democrat-run cities have complained about the strain that the migrants are placing on local social programs. The Republican governors have said that that strain is a fraction of that placed on actual border cities in their states.
The Republican governors have picked Washington, D.C., New York City, and Chicago because they are known as “sanctuary cities” that openly refuse to work with federal immigration authorities to deport many illegal migrants.
“President Biden&#8217;s inaction at our southern border continues putting the lives of Texans—and Americans—at risk and is overwhelming our communities,&#8221; Abbott <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/operation-lone-star-brings-national-attention-to-growing-border-crisis">said</a> in a statement last week announcing the expansion of the bussing program to Chicago. “Mayor Lightfoot loves to tout the responsibility of her city to welcome all regardless of legal status, and I look forward to seeing this responsibility in action as these migrants receive resources from a sanctuary city with the capacity to serve them.&#8221;
Biden’s administration has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/us/politics/asylum-biden-administration.html">allowed</a> one million migrants seeking asylum into the United States to await court hearings since the president’s term began last year. That number is in addition to hundreds of thousands of other migrants that have crossed into the U.S. illegally and were never apprehended.

Brianne Nadeau

D.C. Councilwoman Blames AZ, TX For Biden Immigration Crisis: ‘Turned Us Into A Border Town’

Greg Abbott

Texas

Washington D.C.

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> officials are crying foul play after part of the state&#8217;s temporary <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border barrier</a> mysteriously fell over.
Part of the barrier, which is made of shipping containers stacked on top of each other and welded together, was shown lying on its side away from the rest of the barrier, according to photos taken by Univision Noticias Arizona correspondent <a href="https://twitter.com/ClauRamosNews/status/1559162288178733057?s=20&amp;t=q9vLwm7eycYVa_ltjVOjsg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Claudia Ramos</a>.
Construction crews onsite initially said the containers were knocked over by the wind, but a spokesperson for Governor Doug Ducey (R) said Wednesday that while southern Arizona frequently sees high winds, it is unlikely that they were strong enough to knock over the barrier.
“The idea that it was a weather-related event seems unlikely,&#8221; Ducey&#8217;s communications director, C.J. Karamargin, told the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/arizona-makeshift-border-wall-topples-foul-play-suspected" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Examiner</a> Wednesday. &#8220;These things weigh 8,800 pounds. There were two of them together — 8,800 pounds is basically the weight of a Ford F-450. We have a lot of strong winds in Arizona. You don&#8217;t see a lot of Ford F-450s flying around when we have strong winds.”
Border Patrol agents found the barrier toppled over around midnight on Monday, the Washington Examiner reported. The barriers on one end of the wall had not yet been bolted down and welded to support structures when work crews left the site Sunday evening. Construction crews told <a href="https://twitter.com/ClauRamosNews/status/1559701891713339392" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ramos</a> that the containers had been knocked over by severe weather on Sunday. But photos from the damaged barrier, shared with the Examiner, showed that the container had been severely scratched and dented, and there was at least one large puncture at the bottom of the container. The damage &#8220;shows some sort of equipment was used to move them because it dented and put a hole in one of the sides of the container,” Karamargin told the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/08/18/makeshift-arizona-border-wall-falls-over-doug-ducey-suspects-foul-play/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Post</a>. “That doesn’t happen with wind.”
Construction crews were initially barred from responding to the site and securing the barrier by Border Patrol agents, who cited &#8220;heavy activity&#8221; in the area. But crews were allowed to return at around 6 a.m. local time, reinstalling the barrier by 7 a.m., the Examiner reported.
Karamargin told the Examiner that the effort to knock over the barrier was proof that it was necessary and worthwhile. “Some people attempted to dismiss this as a pointless effort because this is not the main route through which people enter the United States,” he said. “If this didn&#8217;t matter, if this barrier that we are erecting was irrelevant, or somehow misplaced, then why would someone make the effort to topple over nearly 18,000 pounds of shipping container? It just doesn&#8217;t make sense on its face. It doesn&#8217;t make sense. Our goal, of course, is to make Arizona communities safer. We clearly struck a nerve.”
The shipping containers were one piece of an improvised border barrier constructed by the state of Arizona while it waits for the Biden administration to install a permanent wall, after the administration reversed course and announced it would fill several border wall gaps in Arizona.
The structure, which stands about 22 feet high and fills a 1,000-foot gap in the border wall, is comprised of about 60 9&#215;40 foot shipping containers, double-stacked and welded together, and topped with razor wire. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/doug-ducey-touts-arizonas-new-border-barrier-says-enormous-gap-in-wall-is-closed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ducey</a> announced the construction last Friday, and it was completed over the weekend.

An Aerial View Of The International Border Wall With Portions Still Under Construction

‘We Clearly Struck A Nerve’: Arizona Border Barrier Found Damaged, Knocked Over; Foul Play Suspected

'We Clearly Struck A Nerve': Arizona Official Suspects Foul Play After Border Barrier Found Damaged, Knocked Over

Arizona Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/doug-ducey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Ducey</a> touted the completion of the state’s new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border barrier</a> over the weekend.
In a Twitter post Monday, Ducey showed off <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona&#8217;s</a> temporary barrier, with before and after pictures of a nearly quarter-mile long gap in the southern border near Yuma. The before picture shows empty ground with construction vehicles in the background; the after picture shows the barrier, a series of double-stacked shipping containers topped with razor wire, being built. The project was announced shortly after construction had begun on Friday, and it was completed over the weekend.
&#8220;The thousand-foot gap in the border wall near Yuma is closed,&#8221; Ducey <a href="https://twitter.com/DougDucey/status/1559258445919821824?s=20&amp;t=Z7467kTMd_OaSWyHHHkRQQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>.
According to local news outlet KAWC, the Yuma construction was the first in a series of gaps that will be closed by the state. The next gap the state is targeting is one near the Morelos Dam outside Yuma, the outlet reported Monday.
“It is definitely helpful,” Yuma mayor Doug Nicholls said in an interview with local radio station <a href="https://ktar.com/story/5197309/yuma-mayor-gov-duceys-executive-order-to-fill-wall-gaps-definitely-helps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KTAR</a> Friday. “It’s interim, but there’s 700 or 800 people coming through the border every day.” Nicholls admitted, however, that the barrier would not halt the flow of illegal immigrants totally. &#8220;[W]e have over 50 gaps in the wall,” he said. He also noted that there was a period of four days recently where Border Patrol agents simply could not handle the flow of illegal immigrants coming across the border.
The gaps Arizona is currently filling are the same ones the Biden administration announced it was going to close in late July.
“In the last two weeks we got funding for filling the gaps, but it needs federal approval,” Nicholls said. But approvals to build a permanent wall will take a long time, so Nicholls said the temporary barriers are worth it. “Because of the time between now and then, it could take them 16 weeks or so to fill it,” he told KTAR. “That’s a lot of people coming through, I think it’s worth it to spend now and slow the flow.”
Arizona Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer said that the state is confident its decisions will hold up to legal scrutiny. “We have consulted with our legal team, and we feel confident in the decisions we’ve made that we’re moving forward with today,” Roemer told local news outlet <a href="https://www.kawc.org/news/2022-08-15/arizona-director-of-homeland-security-and-local-leaders-shed-light-on-duceys-border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KAWC</a>. Roemer also blasted the federal government for not moving to close the gaps faster. “Even the federal government has said these gaps must be filled, they’re just not doing it,” he said. “Their failure to act is what’s driving our sense of urgency right now. So, it would be very hypocritical for them to take action against us when they’re saying it needs to be done.”
The border barrier was built to close a nearly 1,000 foot-long gap in the wall near the Yuma sector of the southern border, as The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/arizona-bucks-biden-admin-begins-filling-in-huge-border-wall-gap-on-its-own" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> Friday.
The barrier was constructed out of 60 9&#215;40-foot shipping containers, each one weighing about 8,800 pounds, double stacked, welded together, and topped with razor wire. The full structure stands about 22 feet high, shorter than the 30 foot-tall sections of bollard fencing installed by the Trump administration in the same area. The decision to start construction on the wall was made earlier last week, and state officials had not yet informed federal authorities at the time.

border wall

Doug Ducey Touts Arizona’s New Border Barrier, Says Enormous Gap In Wall Is ‘Closed’

Doug Ducey Touts Arizona's New Border Barrier, Says Enormous Gap In Wall Is 'Closed'

The state of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona</a> is taking action to fill in unfinished gaps in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/border-wall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">border wall</a>.
Arizona Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/doug-ducey" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Doug Ducey</a> (R) signed an Executive Order Friday afternoon authorizing the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to begin emergency construction to fill in a 1,000-foot-long gap in the border wall in the Yuma sector. The spur-of-the-moment order was abruptly announced after construction had already begun, and the governor&#8217;s office said construction would be concluded over the weekend. The order comes just days after the Biden administration lifted the &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dhs-ready-to-end-trump-era-remain-in-mexico-border-policy">Remain in Mexico</a>&#8221; policy earlier this week.
“Arizona has had enough,” Ducey said in a <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/08/governor-ducey-issues-executive-order-fill-gaps-border-wall">statement</a>. “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.”
“Our border communities are being used as the entryway to the United States, overwhelming law enforcement, hospitals, nonprofits and residents,” Ducey added. “It’s our responsibility to protect our citizens and law enforcement from this unprecedented crisis. With the resources and manpower in the right places, our Border Patrol and law enforcement will be better equipped to do their jobs well and prevent cartels from exploiting our communities. That’s exactly what our barrier mission will do.”
To construct the barrier, the state purchased 60 8,800 pound, 9&#215;40 foot shipping containers. The containers will be linked together, then welded shut and topped with concertina razor wire. The barrier will be about 22 feet high, shorter than the 30-foot panels of border wall installed by the Trump administration. The project is expected to cost about $6 million, which will be taken from the $335 million &#8220;Arizona Border Security Fund.&#8221;
The state first made the announcement in a press call Friday morning, just six minutes after construction had started, the <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/fairness-justice/arizona-reveals-new-border-wall-with-mexico-were-done-waiting">Washington Examiner</a> reported. The state had not yet informed the Department of Homeland Security or the White House of the decision at the time. The state itself had only made the decision this week, the Examiner noted.
&#8220;At this point, we are filling that gap and we&#8217;ll figure out the consequences,&#8221; Ducey&#8217;s general counsel, Anni Foster, told reporters, via the Examiner. &#8220;But bottom line is, is that the federal government has a duty to protect the states. They failed to do that. We have made every effort to work with them and try to resolve this problem, but the governor can no longer wait for the federal government to take action when we have a community like Yuma, who is being sheltered at 150% of capacity.&#8221;
C.J. Karamargin, Ducey&#8217;s communications director, said that the state had been waiting on action since the Biden administration announced in December that it was taking action to fill in the gaps in the wall. The Biden administration made a similar announcement in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-reverses-course-will-close-gaps-in-areas-of-border-wall-as-crisis-hits-d-c-elections-loom">July</a>. &#8220;December came and went. January, February, March. Here we are in mid-August,&#8221; Karamargin said. “We&#8217;ve been waiting a very long time for the federal government to act on measures they said they were going to do and we haven&#8217;t seen any tangible evidence that they&#8217;re following through. So we will be doing it ourselves.&#8221;
“Our hope is that they’ll be paying attention to the news today,&#8221; he added.
Arizona&#8217;s actions follow similar actions by the state of Texas to build its own border barrier. In October of last year, Governor Greg Abbott (R) announced that Texas was placing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/governor-abbott-reveals-clever-way-texas-is-using-shipping-containers-to-stop-illegal-immigration">shipping containers</a> at several points along the border to create a barrier.

Migrant Border Crossings At The Southern Border Continue Despite Title 42 Ruling

Arizona Bucks Biden Admin, Begins Filling In Huge Border Wall Gap On Its Own

Nearly two dozen Republican governors slammed a massive spending bill that Democrats are trying to ram through the U.S. Senate in a statement Thursday, saying that the bill will worsen inflation.
The statement comes as Senate Democrats rush to make last minute changes to a massive $740 billion spending bill that they will try to pass before the August recess by using the reconciliation process because the bill lacks bipartisan support.
&#8220;The Democrats’ solution to 40-year high inflation is passing another reckless tax and spending spree to the tune of $740 billion, affecting Americans in every tax bracket,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;While denying recession, Democrats want to raise taxes on businesses and manufacturers, which will force higher costs onto consumers, worsen inflation, and aggravate shortages.&#8221;
&#8220;With sky high prices at the pump, the last thing Americans need is for Democrats to punish energy producers, which will ultimately hurt working families struggling to pay for gas, goods, food, and utilities,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;Our citizens cannot afford Joe Biden’s broken promises on taxes and Democrats’ inflationary spending that will only exacerbate the economic crisis they created.”
Governors Henry McMaster (R-SC) and Brian Kemp (R-GA) led the 22 Republican governors in issuing the joint statement.
The other Republican governors who signed onto the statement included Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Doug Ducey (R-AZ), Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), Brad Little (R-ID), Kim Reynolds (R-IA), Tate Reeves (R-MS), Mike Parson (R-MO), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Kristi Noem (R-SD), Bill Lee (R-TN), Greg Abbott (R-TX), Mark Gordon (R-WY), Chris Sununu (R-NH), Kevin Stitt (R-OK), Doug Burgum (R-ND), Kay Ivey (R-AL), Spencer Cox (R-UT), Glenn Youngkin (R-VA), and Eric Holcomb (R-IN).
The statement from the governors comes after the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rogan-slams-democrats-for-trying-to-claim-economy-is-not-in-a-recession-what-a-bunch-of-weasels">released</a> data last week showing that the U.S. economy shrank for the second straight quarter, satisfying the traditional requirement of a recession.
The Biden administration has downplayed the poor economic news by claiming that the economy is transitioning out of a fast-paced, post-pandemic recovery to a more stable environment. The White House’s claims come as Americans continue to be battered by inflation, which measured over 9% in June.
Tim Pearce contributed to this report.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Holds Election Night Watch Party In Columbia

22 Republican Governors Blast Democrats’ Spending Bill, Warn About Impact On Inflation

Asa Hutchinson

Bill Lee

Brian Kemp

Glenn Youngkin

Greg Gianforte

Kristi Noem

Ron DeSantis

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden-administration">Biden administration</a> sued <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona">Arizona</a> on Tuesday over a state law requiring voters to show proof of citizenship before casting a ballot in a presidential election.
Arizona Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/doug-ducey">Doug Ducey</a> signed into law in March a bill mandating that voters show documentary proof of citizenship in order to vote by mail or vote in a federal election. The Department of Justice challenged the law in court, arguing that the mandate is redundant and unconstitutional.
“House Bill 2492’s onerous documentary proof of citizenship requirement for certain federal elections constitutes a textbook violation of the National Voter Registration Act,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-against-state-arizona-over-restrictive-voter-registration">statement</a>.
“Arizona has passed a law that turns the clock back on progress by imposing unlawful and unnecessary requirements that would block eligible voters from the registration rolls for certain federal elections,” Clarke added.
The DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is leading the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1517491/download">lawsuit</a>. The lawsuit argues that the Arizona law violates the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which requires that voters before participating in a federal election fill out a federal form. While the form does not require documented proof of citizenship, it does ask under penalty of perjury whether or not one is a citizen.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich responded to the lawsuit in a <a href="https://twitter.com/GeneralBrnovich/status/1544415107014205440">post</a> on Twitter: “It’s another round of Brnovich v. Biden as his DOJ continues its attempts to undermine our election integrity laws. I will see you in court. Again.”
Ducey signed House Bill 2492 into law on March 30, <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/03/governor-ducey-signs-legislation-furthering-arizonas-position-leader-election">describing</a> the bill as a “balanced approach that honors Arizona’s history of making voting accessible without sacrificing security in our elections.” The law is set to go into effect in January 2023.
“Federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections. Arizona law prohibits non-citizens from voting for all state and local offices, and requires proof of citizenship,” Ducey said in a letter. “H.B. 2492 provides clarity to Arizona law on how officials process federal form voter registration applications that lack evidence of citizenship.”
According to Ducey’s office, 11,600 federal-only voters cast a ballot in the 2020 election without having to show documented proof of citizenship, as is required for state elections.
Arizona has required documented proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections before, though the previous law was struck down by the Supreme Court. In 2004, Arizona residents voted in favor of Proposition 200, which required all Arizona voters to provide proof of citizenship before casting a ballot in any election.
The Supreme Court in struck down the law in a 7-2 <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-71_7l48.pdf">decision</a>. The court’s opinion, written by the late Justice Antonin Scalia, held that the ballot measure violated the NVRA and barred Arizona “from requiring a Federal Form applicant to submit information beyond that required by the form itself.”
Justice Clarence Thomas dissented from the opinion, writing that the majority’s interpretation of the law conflicted with states’ constitutional authority “to determine the qualifications of voters in federal elections, which necessarily includes the related power to determine whether those qualifications are satisfied.”
“To avoid substantial constitutional problems” created by the majority’s interpretation of the NVRA, Thomas wrote, “I would construe the law as only requiring Arizona to accept and use the form as part of its voter registration process, leaving the State free to request whatever additional information it.”

Biden Administration Sues Arizona Over Proof Of Citizenship Requirement For Federal Elections

Department of Justice

Elections

Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey signed a bill into law Thursday afternoon that sends hundreds of millions of dollars to build a border wall on his state&#8217;s border with Mexico, which comes amid the crisis that critics say has been unleashed by Democrat President Joe Biden&#8217;s policies.
The legislation directs $335 million in state cash &#8220;to construct and maintain a border fence, purchase or install border security technologies, and to pay associated administrative costs,&#8221; the governor&#8217;s office said.
&#8220;The state budget’s border funding contains $209 million in funding for border-related enforcement,&#8221; the Associated Press reported. &#8220;That includes a new jail in Cochise County and payments for local prosecutors and transportation. It also has $45 million for emergency operations and ‘fusion’ centers and $54 million in cash for local sheriff’s offices.&#8221;
Ducey blamed Biden for &#8220;the worst border crisis in over 20 years,” in <a href="https://azgovernor.gov/governor/news/2022/06/governor-ducey-signs-most-meaningful-border-security-legislation-state-history">remarks</a> that he made Thursday.
&#8220;I’ve been outspoken about the impact this crisis has on Arizonans, our communities and migrants,&#8221; Ducey said in a letter. &#8220;We’ve taken numerous steps to help resolve the chaos, including deploying the Arizona National Guard, signing legislation to address human smuggling and transporting migrants on a voluntary basis to Washington, D.C. Ultimately, however, securing our border is the responsibility of the federal government… With this investment, we are giving our law enforcement professionals another critical resource they need to successfully do their jobs. We are standing up for the rule of law, and we are cementing Arizona’s commitment to securing our state and our entire nation.&#8221;
This is a developing news story; refresh the page for updates.

Governor Abbott Holds Press Conference On Border Security

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Signs Law That Sends Big Time Cash To Build Border Wall

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Signs Law Sending Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars To Border Wall And Security

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/arizona">Arizona</a> lawmakers passed a groundbreaking bill last week allowing the State&#8217;s 1.1 million students — from kindergarten to high school graduation — access to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/school-choice">school of their choice</a>.
Under the new bill, HB2853, every family in the Grand Canyon state would be eligible for the State&#8217;s 2011 Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program — initially designed for disabled, military, or failing students. The program grants families $6,500 in tuition annually per child for private or home schools or learning pods — which have grown increasingly popular nationwide over the last few years due to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19">COVID</a> shutdowns, mandates, and woke ideology. 
&#8220;This legislation is the most robust expansion of educational freedom in the nation,&#8221; Matt Beienburg, director of education policy of Goldwater Institute, a staunch defender of America&#8217;s founding principles and constitutional liberties, <a href="https://freebeacon.com/campus/arizona-opens-up-school-choice-to-all-children/">told</a> the Washington Free Beacon. &#8220;It guarantees every Arizona student, whether they are coming from public school, private school, or homeschooling, the opportunity to join the ESA program and receive their share of state funding to pursue any educational opportunity that best needs their needs.&#8221;
Goldwater, who pioneered the ESA program more than a decade ago, reports the program went from serving 100 students to more than 10,000. The institute says many families make yearly financial sacrifices shouldering expenses of private school tuition or homeschool supplies. Yet, those same families have access to enroll their children into public schools — which cost taxpayers over $10,000 per year regardless of their income.
Earlier this year, Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/doug-ducey">Doug Ducey</a> (R) challenged lawmakers in his State of the State address to &#8220;think big&#8221; for Arizona families regarding their children&#8217;s education.
&#8220;This session, let&#8217;s expand school choice any way we can,&#8221; Ducey said. &#8220;Send me the bills, and I&#8217;ll sign them.&#8221;
On Wednesday, he <a href="https://twitter.com/DougDucey/status/1542294330869567490">tweeted</a>, &#8220;In Arizona, we trust parents to make the best decisions for their children&#8217;s education.&#8221;
Corey DeAngelis, a senior fellow at school choice advocacy group American Federation for Children, in an interview on Sunday with Fox News called the bill &#8220;the biggest victory when it comes to school choice in U.S. history.”
&#8220;Arizona is now the gold standard for school choice, and they&#8217;ve now cemented themselves as the number one state for education freedom and supporting parental rights and education,&#8221; DeAngelis said. &#8220;This is the way every state should do, and they should follow Governor Ducey&#8217;s lead.&#8221;
DeAngelis added Republicans across the nation claim they are the party of parents, but Arizona Republicans &#8220;proved it.&#8221;
Like the recent controversy of the U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/supreme-court">Supreme Court</a> overturning <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/roe-v-wade">Roe v. Wade</a>, which gave abortion rights back to the states, the school choice experiment will serve as another model for other states to watch how the original design of the Constitution works without federal oversight.
Arizona teachers unions argue that putting money back into the parents’ pockets could defund the public school system.
Arizona Education Association, the largest teacher union in the state with more than 20,000 members, said it opposes private school vouchers and tuition tax credits because &#8220;they divert money from our public schools into private religious schools without any accountability.&#8221;
&#8220;We urge Arizona state senators to support our public school educators and students by voting no on expanding private school vouchers,&#8221; AEA said in a <a href="https://www.arizonaea.org/about-aea/media-center/press-releases/aea-voices-heard-capitol">statement</a>.
But DeAngelis says the school choice program would do the opposite, calling the move a &#8220;win-win&#8221; situation.
&#8220;[It&#8217;s] the state portion of the total funding,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The schools are funded state, locally, and federally, so the public schools get to keep some of the money, and they&#8217;ll actually end up with higher per-pupil revenues and expenditures.&#8221;
Arizona&#8217;s bill passed the same week the Supreme Court extended school-choice eligibility nationwide, which bars states from discriminating against religious institutions with school-voucher programs.
Governor Ducey has yet to sign the legislation, but is expected to pen his signature in the coming days.

School bus on highway at sunset in nature

Arizona To Become The Nation’s ‘Gold Standard For School Choice,’ Passing Universal Bill For One Million Students  

Arizona Passing School Choice Bill For One Million Students

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