All border wall contractors in Arizona are complying with President Bidenβs order to pause construction, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Biden ordered a pause in wall construction that would take effect as soon as possible and no later than seven days after his Jan. 20 order. Officials are conducting a 60-day review of wall projects to determine whether the projects should be terminated.
The day after Bidenβs order, the Army Corps of Engineers directed contractors to stop installing new physical barriers. Contractors could only do work that was needed to prepare each site for the suspension of work.
Southern Arizona residents and environmental advocates started tracking whether contractors were complying with the order.
Three days after Bidenβs order, Melissa Owen, who lives near a wall project in Sasabe, said she saw contractors βactively carving through the mountains.β
As of Thursday, Jan. 28, however, she said there was βvirtually no activityβ at wall construction sites, where roughly 40 miles of wall was being built between Sasabe and Nogales.Β In a remote area south of Arivaca, a dozen pieces of heavy equipment sat idle Friday in a large dirt lot where the wall ends.Β
The day after Bidenβs order, Myles Traphagen, borderlands project coordinator for the Wildlands Network, marked the eastern-most point of construction on a roughly 4-mile wall project east of Nogales.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says βonly construction activity that is necessary to safely prepare each site for a suspension of work has been occurringβ at border wall sites.
On Thursday, he went back to check and saw no signs construction had advanced beyond the point he marked.
Most of the heavy equipment was no longer at the site and only a few security guards remained, Traphagen said.
On Wednesday, seven days after Bidenβs order, the Corps said in a statement: βAll border barrier projects executed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are in compliance with the Presidentβs proclamation. Only construction activity that is necessary to safely prepare each site for a suspension of work has been occurring.β
The wall is made of 30-foot-tall steel bollards filled with concrete. The bollards are 6 inches wide and separated from each other by 4 inches of space, which allows Border Patrol agents to see activity on the Mexico side of the border. The wall is topped with anti-climbing plates, and the foundation extends 6 to 10 feet underground to thwart tunneling.
The Corps awarded $4.8 billion in Defense Department funds to build 222 miles of wall in Arizona. Another 23 miles of wall projects in Arizona were funded by other means, including congressional appropriations.
Less than 20 miles of bollards were still under construction as of Jan. 15. The installations of sensors, lights, cameras and roads were not expected to be completely installed for any project in Arizona until summer 2021 at the earliest.
The Corps declined to give estimates of how much the pause in construction is costing taxpayers or how much money might be saved if the contracts in Arizona were canceled.
The Trump administration obtained about $15 billion for wall construction, including about $10 billion from the Defense Department and about $5 billion from Congress.
The Washington Post reported in December that Corps officials estimated $2.6 billion would be saved by canceling all wall contracts along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Photos: βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest in downtown Tucson
"No Emergency, No Wall" protest
Updated
Ruthann Grumbling, 20, leads a chant during a nationwide βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest at the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building, 405 W. Congress Street, on February 18, 2019, in response to Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border.
"No Emergency, No Wall" protest
Updated
Nancy Procter holds up her homemade Donald Trump figure during a nationwide βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest at the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building, 405 W. Congress Street, on February 18, 2019, in response to President Trump declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border.
"No Emergency, No Wall" protest
Updated
Over 100 activists stand along the sidewalk during a nationwide βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest at the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building, 405 W. Congress Street, on February 18, 2019, in response to Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border.
"No Emergency, No Wall" protest
Updated
Kathleen Mayer puts the finishing touches on her sign before joining a nationwide βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest at the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building, 405 W. Congress Street, on February 18, 2019, in response to Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border.
"No Emergency, No Wall" protest
Updated
Michael Lavery, right, joins in on a chant during a nationwide βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest at the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building, 405 W. Congress Street, on February 18, 2019, in response to Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border.
"No Emergency, No Wall" protest
Updated
Nicole Lightner, 20, left, and David Dominguez, 22, put the finishing touches on a sign before joining a nationwide βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest at the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building, 405 W. Congress Street, on February 18, 2019, in response to Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border.
"No Emergency, No Wall" protest
Updated
Activists stand along the sidewalk during a nationwide βNo Emergency, No Wallβ protest at the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building, 405 W. Congress Street, on February 18, 2019, in response to Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in order to get funding for a wall along the U.S./Mexico border.
