Amid restart of border wall construction in Texas, some Arizonans express their worries
PHOENIX - Arizonans living near the state's portion of the U.S. - Mexico Border are expressing their concerns, following news that construction of a section of the border wall will resume, in Texas.
On Oct. 4, the Biden administration announced it waived 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow border wall construction, marking the administration’s first use of a sweeping executive power employed often during the Trump presidency.
According to government data, about 245,000 illegal entries have been recorded so far this fiscal year in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, which contains 21 counties.
"There is presently an acute and immediate need to construct physical barriers and roads in the vicinity of the border of the United States in order to prevent unlawful entries into the United States in the project areas," Alejandro Mayorkas, the DHS secretary, stated in the notice.
The decision is a 180 from President Biden’s initial proclamation in 2021 to end border wall construction.
Read More: Biden administration waives 26 federal laws to allow border wall construction in South Texas
Some Arizona residents worried
Border communities fear impact of wall construction
In the aftermath of an announcement by the White House that construction of a border wall is set to resume in South Texas, people loving along the Arizona - Mexico Border are voicing concerns over whether the move will shift migrant traffic west, towards the Arizona section of the border. FOX 10's Stephanie Bennett reports.
As news spread that a portion of the border wall will be built, residents in Southern Arizona say they are concerned the move will create a shift in migrant traffic that could ultimately send more people through the Grand Canyon State.
In Yuma, Mayor Douglas Nicholls said he agrees with finishing the wall in Texas.
"The wall in Texas should be done, just because it's an effective barrier and a force multiplier for Border Patrol," said Mayor Nicholls. "There’s no real expectation that it 100% stops people from coming."
Over the years, Mayor Nicholls has seen a lot of change along the part of the border adjacent to his city. He said while migrant crossings are down recently, that could change after the resumption of border wall construction.
"We always have to remember that the flow is really determined by the cartels," said Mayor Nicholls. ‘Right now, Yuma is actually pretty low compared to where we have been for the last two years. We are about 200 people a day, where we were over a thousand a day, so why that is again? It’s just a [cartel] business decision. So, how that is going to impact every port on every section of the border, it would be difficult to tell, but anytime you make it more difficult to cross, it will have an impact on other locations."
Federation for American Immigration Reform President Dan Stein said while the resumption of border wall construction is a start, the Biden Administration needs to address a bigger issue: an immigration process that, according to Stein, is broken.
"The more people you let in, the more the backlogs get created, the more the political pressure builds, and the higher the numbers. The only way you stop it is by saying you can come in, but no one else can apply, and put down the hammer," said Stein. "The Biden Administration dug their heels, in they said we are not going to build one more inch of border wall, and now, they’re going to build 200,000 feet, so people should really be confused. The administration believes that it is politically underwater on immigration."