ARIZONA has agreed to remove a wall made of shipping containers at the Mexican border following demands from federal authorities threatened a law suit if it were not removed, reported BBC News.
The state's outgoing Republican governor, who had the barrier installed halt migrants crossing into the United States.
The wall is made out of more than 900 containers and cost at least US$80 million. arizona shares a 600 kilometre border with Mexico. Fences have been built along large stretches of it since 2017, when Donald Trump was president.
Republican Governor Doug Ducey began building the barrier in the federal Coronado National Forest earlier this year in response a surge in illegal immigrants crossing into the US in the past year.
US Government sued Mr Ducey claiming the seven kilometres of wall was trespassing on federal land because the proper authorisation hadn't been sought.
In an agreement reached with the federal government, Mr Ducey's administration said it would 'remove all previously installed shipping containers and associated equipment, materials, vehicles, and other objects' by early January.
The Centre for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that operates locally, had also filed two lawsuits against the wall.
It claimed that the container fence divides an important conservation area that is home to vulnerable species, blocking access to waterways and migration routes.
Russ McSpadden, a member of the group, told Agence France-Presse that the cameras he used to track local wildlife had never captured migrant traffic and that he believed the wire fence there previously was an adequate deterrent.
'It's an incredibly wild valley,' he said. 'There's no real urban population anywhere nearby. It's a very difficult part of the border for migrants to cross.'
President Joe Biden has faced increasing criticism over his administration's handling of border issues, with hundreds of thousands of people detained in recent months while attempting to cross the border.
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The state's outgoing Republican governor, who had the barrier installed halt migrants crossing into the United States.
The wall is made out of more than 900 containers and cost at least US$80 million. arizona shares a 600 kilometre border with Mexico. Fences have been built along large stretches of it since 2017, when Donald Trump was president.
Republican Governor Doug Ducey began building the barrier in the federal Coronado National Forest earlier this year in response a surge in illegal immigrants crossing into the US in the past year.
US Government sued Mr Ducey claiming the seven kilometres of wall was trespassing on federal land because the proper authorisation hadn't been sought.
In an agreement reached with the federal government, Mr Ducey's administration said it would 'remove all previously installed shipping containers and associated equipment, materials, vehicles, and other objects' by early January.
The Centre for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that operates locally, had also filed two lawsuits against the wall.
It claimed that the container fence divides an important conservation area that is home to vulnerable species, blocking access to waterways and migration routes.
Russ McSpadden, a member of the group, told Agence France-Presse that the cameras he used to track local wildlife had never captured migrant traffic and that he believed the wire fence there previously was an adequate deterrent.
'It's an incredibly wild valley,' he said. 'There's no real urban population anywhere nearby. It's a very difficult part of the border for migrants to cross.'
President Joe Biden has faced increasing criticism over his administration's handling of border issues, with hundreds of thousands of people detained in recent months while attempting to cross the border.
SeaNews Turkey