Nearly three-dozen protesters stood in the sandy bed of the San Pedro River on Friday and urged federal officials to stop construction of a 30-foot tall border wall across the river.
The San Pedro, one of the last free-flowing rivers in the Southwest, is cherished by local residents, bird watchers and other nature enthusiasts. About six weeks ago, contractors started digging trenches and installing the concrete foundation for a wall of 30-foot tall steel bollards filled with concrete where the river flows north from Mexico.
“We are angry to see our cherished San Pedro River now falling under the knife of this administration,” said Meggen Connolley, a Bisbee resident.
“We stand here today to let everyone know that the people living next to the border do not want this border wall,” she said over the sound of construction workers on the western side of the river.
When the project is completed, swing gates under the wall will be installed to allow water to flow during heavy rains. The project also includes a vehicle bridge to help Border Patrol agents quickly cross .
The wall project was announced in May 2019 and environmental advocates immediately pointed to the potential for the wall to damage the river and the surrounding riparian area. Among their top concerns was that debris would build up against the wall during monsoons and other heavy rains, creating enough pressure to topple the wall. Similar incidents occurred near Lukeville and Nogales in the past decade.
Earlier this month, monsoon rains caused the river to swell to 10 feet deep and flood the construction site. The bollards have not been installed yet, but the flood washed away a dirt road built by the contractor and buried the wall’s concrete foundations in mud. CBP said the damage was not significant. On Friday, the dirt road across the river’s deepest channel had been replaced with wood beams.
Ron Barber, district director for U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, whose district includes the river, reminded the protesters of widespread public opposition to the wall project, including a protest last year that attracted about 1,000 people.
Kirkpatrick considers the wall a “monstrosity” across the “treasure” of the river, Barber said.
Rather than build a wall across the river, the Border Patrol could install electronic surveillance to monitor the river bed for illegal activity, Barber said, noting Border Patrol officials already plan to keep the gates open for three months every year during monsoon season. “It’s not too late for the Border Patrol to change their minds,” Barber said.
Off to the side of the protest, counter-protester Daniel Webster, a Hereford resident, told the Star he trusted the Army Corps of Engineers to design the wall so it won’t damage the river, which he regularly visits with his child and dogs.
He said the protesters were hypocritical for decrying environmental damage to the river due to the wall, rather than focusing on trash left by migrants or other important issues.
“None of these people are talking about the record number of homicides in Mexico. Why? Do their lives not matter?” Webster said.
Connelley told the crowd that children like her daughter will “suffer from the lack of courage and understanding in politicians and the arrogance and selfishness of Trump.”
The wall will not stop drug smuggling, most of which happens at legal ports of entry, she said. Nor will the wall address the international trading laws that “destroyed economies and livelihoods” and forced migrants to flee to the United States.
“We must choose knowledge and compassion over fear mongering and militarism,” Connelley said.
As the crowd broke up, Hereford resident Kimberly Kling led them in song.
“She is wild, she is free, let our sacred river be,” Kling sang.
