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U.S. NEWS Saturday 24 auguSt 2019

Work on more border wall starts in Arizona, New Mexico

By CEDAR ATTANASIO and Jordahl hoped the courts
ASTRID GALVAN would step in to protect Or-
Associated Press gan Pipe Cactus National
SANTA TERESA, N.M. (AP) — Monument.
Work crews in Arizona and The vast park is known for
New Mexico forged ahead its oddly shaped cactuses
Friday with construction that resemble organ pipes
of taller border fencing and for its many saguaros.
funded through a national Signs all over the park warn
emergency declaration by visitors that they might en-
President Donald Trump. counter smuggling activity.
The work on his hallmark Until five years ago, large
campaign promise involves swaths of the park were
mostly replacement fenc- closed to the public due to
ing along a 46-mile stretch dangerous conditions and
of desert west of Santa Te- following the 2002 shooting
resa, New Mexico, and on death of Kris Eggle, a park
2 miles of Organ Pipe Cac- ranger who died while pur-
tus National Monument in suing suspected drug car-
Arizona. tel members.
At the New Mexico site, Groundbreaking occurred
about 20 workers placed Thursday along the por-
rebar frames for concrete tion of existing fencing that
footers along the path of Workers break ground on new border wall construction about 20 miles west of Santa Teresa, New stretches west from Lukev-
the wall. Mexico, Aug. 23, 2019. ille Port of Entry, Border Pa-
A 50-foot crane towered Associated Press trol spokesman Jesus Va-
over the site, standing out the U.S. Supreme Court down in Mexico. — and its construction— savilbaso said.
on the treeless brushland cleared the way for the use Tens of thousands of peo- would be detrimental to Many Arizona residents use
and cracked washes that of about $2.5 billion. ple have come to the U.S. wildlife habitat and would the crossing on their way to
stretch for miles in every di- A border wall was a key- over the past year. Most block the migration of ani- Rocky Point, a beach desti-
rection. stone of the president’s are Central American fami- mals such as bighorn sheep nation in Mexico.
Workers broke ground be- 2016 election campaign, lies with children who turn and wolves. Construction is expected to
tween Columbus and San- but Congress has resisted themselves in to agents Two cases are pending in take about 45 days.
ta Teresa — small towns funding all of it. This year instead of trying to dodge U.S. courts. The government then plans
near ports of entry along it allocated $1.4 billion, them. “It’s astonishing and sad to to tackle two other projects
the border between New but the president wanted Environmentalists have see Trump’s border wall be- in Arizona, including nearly
Mexico and the state of much more. sued over some of the con- ing built through the most 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) of
Chihuahua, Mexico. The administration has struction contracts for the spectacular Sonoran des- fencing in other parts of the
In Arizona, crews were in- awarded $2.8 billion in con- fencing, saying the gov- ert ecosystem on the plan- national monument and
stalling 30-foot (9-meter) tracts for barriers covering ernment unlawfully waived et,” Laiken Jordahl, border- areas of Cabeza Prieta Na-
steel fencing to replace 247 miles (390 kilometers), dozens of laws so it could lands campaigner with the tional Wildlife Refuge and
older barriers next to a with all but 17 miles (27 ki- build on protected lands. Center for Biological Diver- San Pedro Riparian Nation-
border crossing known as lometers) of that to replace Conservationists say a wall sity, said Thursday. al Conservation Area.q
Lukeville Port of Entry. existing barriers instead of
Both projects are being expanding coverage.
funded with money initially Various forms of barriers al-
allocated to the Defense ready exist along 654 miles
Department that was redi- (1,046 kilometers) — about
rected by Trump’s execu- a third — of the border.
tive order. The construction comes as
Use of the money was previ- immigrant apprehensions
ously frozen by lower courts have fallen sharply over the
while a lawsuit proceed- past two months due to the
ed. Last month, however, summer heat and a clamp