Arizona Politicians Skirt Small Town's Fight With Trump Administration Over Border Wire

Published: Thursday, February 7, 2019 - 6:47pm
Updated: Friday, February 8, 2019 - 8:59am

The strongest rebuke of the Pentagon’s concertina wire on Nogales’ border fence came from the city’s representative in Congress, Democrat Raul Grijalva.

"My reaction to the additional concertina wire is that it’s an overreaction, entirely," he said.

Grijalva called the wire’s installation a "work project" for the now more than 4,000 troops assigned to assist Customs and Border Protection on the border.

"The president continues to promote this idea that the border is a foreboding crime ridden (place), hordes coming over the border bringing crime and disease all of which is not true."

But he said, the odds of a legislative order to remove the wire are slim.

Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s office said in a statement she is reviewing the Nogales council’s resolution and will ask the Homeland Security Department whether the wire is necessary.

Neither Sen. Martha McSally nor Gov. Doug Ducey responded to the Fronteras Desk's requests for interviews on the Arizona town’s looming legal battle with the Trump Administration.

McSally addressed the first row of concertina wire when she visited Nogales last month after the mayor asked her to intervene.

"I conveyed those concerns that the mayor conveyed to me, and we’ll continue having conversations about what actually is needed," she said at the time.

Ducey expressed doubt over President Donald Trump's tweet last December that a new surge of migrants was imminent at the Yuma border but hasn't said anything publicly about whether the concertina wire is needed.

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