Arizona officials revealed on Friday that the state has begun constructing a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border without federal government assistance, the Washington Examiner reported.
Top advisers of GOP Gov. Doug Ducey announced that they did not inform the Biden administration of their abrupt decision to initiate construction outside Yuma on Friday morning.
"This is an easy solution that Washington, D.C., just continues to fail to act on," Arizona Homeland Security head Tim Roemer stated. "We're done waiting for them ... The governor is done waiting for the Biden administration to act, and we're going to."
Current construction will focus on gaps in the existing wall built under former President Donald Trump's administration, with the first project of around $6 million set to be completed by next week, according to state authorities.
Ducey's Cabinet said it would use tall cargo ship containers, positioned vertically and placed in spaces where wall is absent and illegal border crossing are common.
The governor's recent executive order confirmed the project, directing the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs to immediately go ahead with filling the gaps, according to a news release.
"Arizona has had enough," Ducey stated. "We can't wait any longer. The Biden administration's lack of urgency on border security is a dereliction of duty ... Arizonans can't wait any longer for the federal government to deliver on their delayed promises.
"It's our responsibility to protect our citizens and law enforcement from this unprecedented crisis," he continued. "With the resources and manpower in the right places, our Border Patrol and law enforcement will be better equipped to do their jobs well and prevent cartels from exploiting our communities."
The 9-by-40-foot-wide containers are 22 feet high and weigh approximately 8,800 pounds, slightly smaller than the existing 30-feet high border wall. They will be placed by a team of around 25 — including equipment operators, supervisors, and a safety manager.
Ducey's controversial decision comes as border crossings have reached new record highs under the Biden administration. In May, Customs and Border Protection reported that it stopped more than 239,000 illegal crossings, with numbers since only slightly less.
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