By Corinne Murdock |
The Biden administration ordered Governor Doug Ducey to remove the shipping containers filling in border wall gaps, but it doesn’t look like either of them are budging.
In the Department of the Interior (DOI) letter, Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Regional Director Jacklynn Gould claimed that Ducey’s action was a trespass against the country and was harming federal lands and resources. Gould said that the containers were in the way of the federal government’s efforts to close the border gaps.
“The unauthorized placement of those containers constitutes a violation of federal law and is a trespass against the United States,” stated Gould. “That trespass is harming federal lands and resources and impeding Reclamation’s ability to perform its mission.”
Even if Ducey moved all of the 122 shipping containers tomorrow, the federal government wouldn’t begin border wall construction immediately. Prior to any wall building, the Biden administration would have to conduct an environmental stewardship review. Such a process usually takes well over a year.
As of press time, September border crossings weren’t publicized. If border encounters under Biden continue at the present average rate of over 183,000 illegal encounters a month, there will be over 8.6 million border encounters by the end of his term. That’s over 5,900 illegal immigrants a day.
Ducey began closing border wall gaps in mid-August. It took the state 11 days to complete five gaps spanning over 3,800 feet, costing $6 million total. The Biden administration spent an estimated $3 million every day to not complete the border wall contracted by former President Donald Trump — an estimated $2 billion total.
Ducey said that the Biden administration’s lack of urgency to address the border crisis signaled a “dereliction of duty.”
On Tuesday, Ducey spokesman C.J. Karamargin told The Washington Examiner that Ducey would consider its response to the USBR letter. Karamargin said that they had doubts about the authenticity of the Biden administration’s concern for the shipping containers since it took over two months for them to issue a response.
“We question their legal analysis and we are looking at our options,” stated Karamargin. “It took the feds since August to write a letter? If this is any indication of their sense of urgency, then perhaps that explains the problem we’re having.”
Last month, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a number of false claims concerning the border, including her insistence that illegal immigrants weren’t simply walking across the border. Jean-Pierre insisted that the Biden administration could do more to secure the border if Republicans “would stop their obstruction.” Democrats control the White House and Congress.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
