Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s (R) attempt to complete the border wall has been met with a lawsuit from the U.S. Government, claiming the efforts trespass on federal property.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed the complaint on Wednesday (December 14), three weeks before Ducey will step down as Governor for Democratic Governor-elect Katie Hobbs to assume the role — Hobbs opposes construction on the wall.
Ducey’s current construction on the border wall uses double-stacked shipping containers as an alternative to a formerly constructed wall to fill in gaps.
Earlier in the week, Ducey revealed the state would be willing to help the U.S. government remove the shipping containers — which he described as a temporary measure — from along the border but wanted to know when the federal government would be stepping up to fill in the gaps in the border wall.
He noted that it had been a year since the government announced it would be constructing a permanent wall to fill in the gaps.
In a letter Ducey released on Tuesday (December 13), the outgoing Governor explained that the U.S. Government “owes it to Arizonans and all Americans to release a timeline” of the border construction project.
During former President Donald Trump’s Presidency, securing the U.S.-Mexico border was a key component. It has remained a significant issue for Republicans, especially as they face post-Title 42 migration.
The DOJ, however, hadn’t addressed Ducey’s concerns in their filing. Instead, the Department requests the court order Ducey to stop erecting containers and remove containers along the San Rafael Valley, a remote valley in southeastern Cochise County.
