Yes.
A stretch of border barrier constructed in 2022 under then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey was later removed following pushback from the federal government. The barrier, assembled using shipping containers and barbed wire, spanned unfenced sections of the state’s shared border with Mexico.
The barrier ran through lands belonging to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Reclamation, which are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Ducey asked a judge to affirm the state’s right to construct the barrier, a position federal officials rebuffed.
The Biden Administration later filed its own suit calling for the removal of the containers and remediation for any damages to federal lands. Ducey ultimately agreed to remove the containers and pay $2.1 million in damages, stating that he had always seen the barrier as a temporary solution.
This brief responds to conversations such as this one.
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- Office of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Governor Ducey Announces Border Wall Gaps Near Yuma Are Now Filled
- Office of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Complaint regarding border
- U.S. District Court District of Arizona, United States V. Ducey
- U.S. Department of Justice, Two Shipping Container Cases Between Arizona and Federal Officials Dismissed
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
