Environmental advocates question Ducey's container border wall

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Monday, Oct. 24, Governor Doug Ducey announced his administration's intention to continue 'filling gaps' along the U.S.-Mexico border with shipping containers, this time in Cochise County.

Ten days later, the governor took to Twitter to post progress, saying nearly a mile in that area was filled.

Ducey's container wall construction has gathered national attention, prompting pushback from the Cocopah Indian Tribe and federal demands that the containers be removed.

This week, on Wednesday, Nov. 2, the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity announced its intentions to join the federal government in a fight that should determine whether the Ducey administration possesses the authority to continue construction, and whether the containers can continue to stand.

RELATED: Gov. Doug Ducey, federal government battle over shipping containers at the border

The Ducey administration has filed a lawsuit against the federal government—against the Forest Service, Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of Agriculture, specifically—seeking to affirm the autonomy to, as Ducey worded it in a tweet, "protect our state."

But according to the Center for Biological Diversity, there's more at play than security. The border serves as "critical migratory paths for endangered animals" including jaguars and ocelots protected by the Endangered Species Act.

“Ducey’s breaking the law and jeopardizing the spectacular animals that roam the borderlands, just to score political points,” said Robin Silver, a co-founder of the Center.

“We won’t allow him to trash the Sonoran Desert and public lands with thousands of shipping containers that won’t do a thing to prevent people or drugs from crossing the border....Federal attorneys should’ve been in court weeks ago to enforce the law and to protect the environment,” said Silver.

The Center filed a motion at the U.S. District Court in Tucson to get added as defendants in Ducey's lawsuit. In the motion, the Center says it will add “a unique and unrepresented perspective concerning the endangered wildlife, critical habitat, and general environment of the border lands.”

The group shared non-ecological concerns over the border wall too, citing a perceived "larger strategy of ongoing border militarization that damages human rights, civil liberties, native lands, local businesses and international relations."

The Sky Island Alliance, a cross-border non-profit that works to maintain wildlife corridor connectivity, has long objected to the border wall concept, referencing negative impacts a barrier would have on species survival.

The region is considered a biological hot spot by environmental scientists and ecologists, critical for wildlife of all kinds, endangered and not.

Image: Sky Island Alliance

As the wall continues to expand, and as the lawsuit plays out, priorities relating to border security and ecological health will likely take center stage.

"With this lawsuit, we’re pushing back against efforts by federal bureaucrats to reverse the progress we’ve made. The safety and security of Arizona and its citizens must not be ignored. Arizona is going to do the job that Joe Biden refuses to do — secure the border in any way we can," said Ducey. "We’re not backing down.”

Meanwhile, environmental groups and those opposed to the container wall construction will likely continue to question the governor's position.

“Ducey’s lawlessness is matched only by his contempt for the natural world and other humans, especially people of color,” Silver said. “This is a pathetic way for the Arizona governor to spend his final weeks in office.”