An "invitation to crash our border": AZ official warns of consequences for container wall removal
Yuma official worries about consequences of removing the container border wall
Deconstruction of the container wall at the southern border in Arizona has begun, video footage captured Monday morning showed.
"Removing those containers allows people to walk straight across," Yuma County Supervisor Jonathan Lines told Fox News before the removal began. "This adds to our already full plate."
WATCH: YUMA OFFICIAL WORRIES CARTELS WILL ‘CRASH OUR BORDER’ WITHOUT THE CONTAINER WALL
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Then-Gov. Doug Ducey had the container wall constructed near Yuma over the summer to curb the migration surge. He agreed to have it removed after facing legal challenges from the Biden administration.
"My biggest fear is that the cartels and individuals from around the world see it as an invitation to crash our border," Lines said. He also worries "that the human smuggling and the narcotic smuggling would escalate and destabilize this area to a point where it is dangerous for the citizens of Yuma."
BIDEN'S FAILED BORDER POLICIES FORCED ARIZONA TO BUILD CONTAINER WALL, YUMA OFFICIAL SAYS
Aerial view of shipping containers being installed to fill gaps in the unfinished wall along the United States-Mexico border. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
A local ABC affiliate captured footage of the removal Monday morning.
Ducey's administration began plugging gaps in the border wall with shipping containers in August — a necessary measure to mitigate President Biden's failed policies, Lines previously told Fox News. A legal battle with the federal government ensued, ending with the Republican governor agreeing in December to remove the barrier by Jan. 4.
Lines reflected on what Yuma was like before the container wall was constructed.
"We had drugs coming across that area and we had the human trafficking," he told Fox News. "And then we had large numbers of people camping out."
Nearly 1 million migrants crossed through Arizona's southern border since Biden took office, according to Customs and Border Protection. The Yuma sector faced a 171% increase in migrant crossings between 2021 and 2022.
Arizona began removing the shipping containers used to plug gaps in the border wall. (REBECCA NOBLE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Without the container wall, Lines believes local farmers "would be forced to hire security again."
In a previous interview, the Yuma official said families had hired armed security guards after migrants repeatedly came into their homes. Additionally, thousands of migrants crossing through farmland have damaged crops in the agriculture-heavy city, according to Lines.
"We absolutely must keep people out of our agricultural production areas for food security," Lines told Fox News.
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