Outgoing Arizona Gov. Ducey piles shipping containers at Mexican border as he prepares to leave office


Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey will soon be leaving office, but he is making his mark by having stacks of shipping containers placed along his state's border with Mexico, The Associated Press reported Sunday.
The move was described by AP as "a bold show of border enforcement" by the outgoing governor. The containers, doubly stacked and topped with razor wire, are part of Ducey's efforts to highlight issues at the country's southern border. "Arizona is going to do the job that Joe Biden refuses to do — secure the border in any way we can," Ducey said.
However, environmental agencies have expressed concerns that the containers could halt the flow of natural water in the area and cause lasting damage. These concerns were echoed by the federal government, which has called the placement of the containers illegal and has ordered it to stop, despite Ducey's insistence that he has jurisdiction over the land.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ducey responded to the government's order by filing a lawsuit, alleging that he has the right as governor to take action. As the controversy heats up, even some conservative outlets have reported negatively on the issue, with Fox News reporting that Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway has expressed frustration at Ducey's agenda.
Ineligible to run for another term, Ducey will leave office in January. His replacement, Democratic Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs, said she was "looking at all the options" regarding the containers and hadn't decided on a course of action yet, AP reports.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
Trump twists House GOP arms on megabill
speed read The bill will provide a $350 billion boost to military and anti-immigration spending and 'cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and green energy programs'
-
Trump DOJ said to pay $5M to family of Jan. 6 rioter
speed read The US will pay a hefty sum to the family of Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot on January 6
-
Trump DOJ charging House Democrat in ICE fracas
speed read Rep. LaMonica McIver is being charged with assault over a clash outside an immigration detention facility in Newark
-
The horse racing industry is caught up in the migrant debate
Under the Radar At least 78% of the workers on race tracks are reportedly immigrants