(The Center Square) Ariz. Gov. Doug Ducey is taking Joe Biden to court over their spat about securing the nation’s southern border.
The Biden administration ordered Ariz. to remove its temporary border barrier made out of shipping containers, but the state refused. Instead, it filed a lawsuit on Friday, hoping the state would defend its right to defend itself.
“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 news release.
“Ariz. 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 [Ariz.] and its citizens must not be ignored. [Ariz.] 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,” he added.
The governor said the lack of planning and action from the Biden administration shows that border states like [Ariz.] cannot rely on the federal government to provide them with security.
Ariz. filed the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Ariz.
The federal government responded to Arizona’s actions about two months after it occurred. Ariz. took 11 days in Aug. to fill 3,820 feet of gaps in the border wall.
The federal government wants to remove 130 containers, saying it would replace them with “temporary” barriers. Plus, the U.S. Forest Service wanted to prevent the state from completing the work on the border in Cochise County.
“Why replace temporary barriers with more temporary barriers?” Ducey said, according to the release.
“Just another example of the federal government bureaucracy and out-of-control spending. The Border Barrier works and we’re not going to delay the safety of our citizens any longer.”
Yuma, Ariz., which is in the area where the temporary barriers exist, is a hot spot for illegal crossings.
“Now is not the time to hold or spend precious resources on replacing a barrier that already works,” Jonathan Lines, Yuma County Supervisor, said in the press release.
Yuma’s state legislators agreed with Gov. Ducey’s sentiment.
State Sen. Sine Kerr, R-Maricopa, said that the federal government would not stop Ariz. from protecting its people and the border.
“Yuma has experienced a humanitarian and national security crisis for far too long,” Kerr said in the release.
“The Biden administration created this problem, they need to end it and stop this bureaucracy game. [Ariz.] will not be deterred in our mission to protect our citizens.”
State Representative Tim Dunn, R-Yuma, said that the temporary barriers Ariz. has are working, while the federal government isn’t doing enough to protect the border.
“CBP says the containers assisted in gaining operational control,” Dunn said in the release. “Farmers are thankful the barrier has stopped unfettered trespassing into Yuma farm fields.”
And State Representative Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, said that Ariz. is taking care of its people by creating temporary border barriers.
“Illegal crossing through gaps in the border wall is not immigration,” Osborne said in the release. “The border is a revolving door to bring fentanyl and other deadly drugs into our communities and spread across the nation.”
