The shipping containers removed from Arizona's border are up for sale
PHOENIX - Arizona is looking to sell off thousands of shipping containers months after they were dismantled at the U.S.-Mexico border.
More than 2,000 containers are up for sale until Sept. 30 for government and nonprofit entities. The public will have a chance to buy one if there is leftover inventory in October.
The Arizona Dept. of Administration says the 20- and 40-foot containers range in price from $500 to $2,000. They have some wear and tear, but are otherwise "very functional," officials said.
Learn more about the sale here.
Crews began erecting the double-stacked containers back in August 2022 in order to fill in gaps in the wall near Yuma and in Cochise County.
The makeshift barriers were meant to be a temporary measure until the Biden administration took action to start permanent construction at border, according to former governor Doug Ducey.
The issue wound up in federal court after Ducey sued, asking that Arizona be recognized as having the sole or shared jurisdiction for the strip of federal land the containers were placed on. He also argued Arizona had the right to protect its residents from illegal immigration he termed a humanitarian crisis.
Construction of the container wall slowed and eventually came to a stop in December due to the efforts of the U.S. government, environmental activists and the transfer of power to Democratic governor Katie Hobbs.
The office of Gov. Katie Hobbs issued a statement on the matter, saying, "Governor Hobbs has said from the start that these shipping containers are an expensive political stunt that did nothing to address the real issues at the border."
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In Yuma, all 130 of the containers covering about 3,800 feet were removed in January.
About a third of some 3,000 containers were erected there, raising concerns about possible harm to local wildlife and natural water systems before protesters halted the work in early December. Environmentalists said the work in the Coronado National Forest imperiled endangered or threatened species like the western yellow-billed cuckoo and the Mexican spotted owl.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.