There is an old saying with which you are probably familiar: if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself. Which is largely true, unless you are trying to solve a problem that has in part been created and largely exacerbated by the federal government. In that case, you are more than likely out of luck if you take matters into your own hands.
While Title 42 is set to expire on December 21 (only six more shopping days left!), border states such as Arizona have long been scrambling to stem the tide of illegal immigrants entering the country, and residents along the border have tried to mitigate the effects that waves of immigrants have had on their property and their lives.
In August, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey decided that his state had had more than enough. With the Biden administration either ignoring or mischaracterizing the problem, Ducey started an effort to fill in the empty spaces on the border with shipping crates. According to Fox News, the initial effort consisted of a 60-foot wall with each section made up of two crates, one stacked on top of another, welded shut, and topped with four feet of razor wire.
On Wednesday, just days before Title 42 runs out, the administration sued Arizona over the DIY border wall. The federal government claims that the section of the wall “damage[s] federal lands, threaten[s] public safety, and impede[s] the ability of federal agencies and officials, including law enforcement personnel, to perform their official duties.” Activists have also complained about the potential effects on the environment and that the walls would stop illegal immigrants. Well, that is, after all, a basic function of a wall. But let’s not cloud the discussion with logic.
The Bureau of Reclamation has claimed that the wall is too close to the Morelos Dam and trespasses on the Cocopah Indian Tribe’s West Reservation. Then there is also the assertion that the wall is keeping the Border Patrol from filling in the gaps. The federal government also wants the effort stopped and the state to assist in removing the wall. Arizona has continued to maintain that the federal agencies lack coordination and that the state cannot rely on the agencies to keep its borders secure. The state even filed a lawsuit in October asserting its right to defend itself.
The federal lawsuit states in part:
Not only has Arizona refused to halt its trespasses and remove the shipping containers from federal lands, but it has indicated that it will continue to trespass on federal lands and install additional shipping containers. As a result, the United States brings this action to obtain appropriate relief for Arizona’s unlawful continuing trespasses and invasions of the United States’ paramount sovereign property rights and interests under the U.S. Constitution.
Never mind Arizona’s rights.
The Ducey administration responded by calling the assertions inaccurate, noting that the wall was only a temporary measure and that the state was ready to cooperate with the feds when the time came to build a permanent structure. As Fox pointed out, once Katie Hobbs takes office, the barrier will come down, anyway, and the issue of future construction will be a moot point, anyway.
This is typical of the federal government and a hallmark of the Biden administration: “We don’t see a problem and we will get around to solving the problem that we don’t see when we’re ready. You can’t solve the problem that we don’t see because only we can solve the non-existent problem. Also, MAGA Republicans, because we haven’t yelled about them in a while.” Okay, so I added that last sentence purely for effect. But I’m probably not far off.
Most people on one level or another understand that Democrats want to fill the nation with undocumented voters. But besides that, the bureaucracy is too big to fail at this point. After all, who knows how many federal jobs need to be propped up by this boondoggle? There are environmental impact statements to be filed, studies to be conducted, papers to be pushed, meetings to be held, emails to be sent, and contracts to be awarded. The government has to keep people hanging in there until retirement one way or another. And there is no problem the government won’t try to solve without years of wasted effort and money.
Even if, in its heart of hearts, the government wanted to fill in the gaps in the wall, it would still take years to get off the dime. After all, if this project is completed in an expedient and cost-effective manner, the bureaucrats might have to move on to the next thing in their inboxes. And then the thing after that, and the thing after that. Before you know it, you’re actually getting work done. And we can’t have that, can we?
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