Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey is accused of "illegal dumping" amid his efforts to create a U.S.-Mexico barrier along the state using shipping containers lined with razor wire to plug gaps in the wall.

Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway said he will take action on construction crews if they cross into his jurisdiction. The group is operating just a few miles from the county.

Hathaway said that the shipping containers are placed on federal land and on national forest land.

He added that it is not state land nor private land and that the federal government has deemed the activity illegal.

The Republican governor started placing the shipping containers between openings in the southern border wall earlier this year. Construction crews double-stacked the metal crates to around 22 feet high and covered them with concertina wire.

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration ordered Ducey to stop his efforts. However, he said that Arizona would not budge unless the White House does something to fill the gaps with a different blockade.

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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey's U.S.-Mexico Barrier

Ducey started with the U.S.-Mexico barrier of shipping containers in Yuma, which is the southwest area of the state that borders California and Mexico.

The Republican governor released an executive order in August to install old shipping containers near Yuma. Workers installed 130 of the containers 11 days later.

He filed a lawsuit in October, claiming that the federal land along the border belongs to the state and not the U.S. government. The disputed land is known as the Roosevelt Reservation.

He further claimed that Arizona has the constitutional right to protect itself against what he called an "invasion."

Ducey also cited "countless migrants," which leads to "a mix of a drug, crime, and humanitarian issues."

However, U.S. attorneys refuted the claims.

Dinah Bear, who is an attorney and former general counsel for the council on environmental quality, described the lawsuit as "shockingly bad" and "frivolous."

U.S.-Mexico Barrier in Arizona

In October, the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announcing that they will not remove the containers until the current administration fills in the gaps.

The Bureau demanded the state remove the shipping containers near the Morelos Dam and others stacked on tribal lands.

They noted that they intend to close the gaps near the dam and plan to close two other gaps so that shipping containers should be removed.

Ducey tweeted at the time that Arizonans cannot and will not "wait for federal bureaucrats to do their job" and to ensure the safety of the border.

States near the border have been taking the matter into their own hands to solve the influx of migrants trying to enter the United States.

In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has decided to bus migrants to Democrat-led cities in an attempt to raise awareness and demand action from the federal government.

Texas has already sent buses full of migrants to Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago.

READ MORE: Texas, Arizona Keep Sending Buses of Migrants to Washington; DC Mayor Devotes $10 Million to Help

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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