(NewsNation) — Only a few days into its construction, and concerns have already emerged about the safety of shipping containers placed along gaps in the southern border wall near Yuma, Arizona.
NewsNation witnessed multiple migrants squeezing through the spaces even as containers were being put into place. In a project that began Friday, Arizona has filled at least a 1,000-foot gap of the border wall near Yuma.
The containers are roughly 40 feet long and more than 8,000 pounds each. Some have toppled over in the direction of Mexico or are being stacked on top of each other. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey believes people may have caused the shipping containers to take a tumble Sunday. Others pointed to intense winds the area experienced that day.
The governor’s office observed that nothing else was tipped over except the containers and noticed holes in the bottom of the containers. They say it looks like machinery may have been used in the moving process.
“This tells us that we hit a nerve. Someone doesn’t like what we are doing or some organization wants to keep that gap open,” Ducey told Border Report journalist Ali Bradley.
The state did not receive federal permission to place the shipping containers along the border.
Yuma County, Arizona, District 2 Supervisor Jonathan Lines says the shipping containers are not a permanent solution.
Echoing the governor’s concerns, Lines wants to send the message that people are no longer welcome to just walk across the border.
“The federal government has committed to coming in and finishing the wall challenges. They’ve been saying that since March. We’ve continued to see an uptick in the crossings, despite the heat. We also continue to see an uptick in crossings of narcotics and human smuggling, as well as the trafficking of individuals purposefully. So anything that we can do to cut short those numbers and act as a deterrent, sends that message that we are closing up those gaps,” Lines explained.
While Lines says the shipping containers won’t solve all problems, he thinks it will serve as a distraction or deterrent from people working with the cartels.
The governor’s office tells NewsNation they are not pursuing an investigation into the tipped over containers, but instead focusing on filling additional gaps along the border.
According to reports, at least 1.8 million migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border have been arrested since October of last year. Officials expect the number of arrests this fiscal year to surpass 2 million.
