Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Arizona City Officials Decry New Razor Wire on Border Fence
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 6, 2019

Share

NOGALES, Ariz. — Officials in a small Arizona border city are decrying the installation of new razor wire that now covers the entirety of a tall border wall through downtown.

Nogales, a city of about 20,000 people, is a fraction of the size of the Mexican city, but its economy is largely reliant on Mexican shoppers and cross-border trade. Illegal crossings in that area have dropped steeply in the past several years.
The city council in Nogales, which sits on the border with Nogales, Mexico, is set to consider a proclamation Wednesday night condemning the use of concertina wire.
The vote comes after reports that U.S. military troops installed more horizontal layers of the wire along the downtown border fence over the weekend, and a day after President Donald Trump highlighted border security in his State of the Union address.
Photos published by the Nogales International show six rows of concertina wire stacked along the approximately two-story.
Nogales, a city of about 20,000 people, is a fraction of the size of the Mexican city, but its economy is largely reliant on Mexican shoppers and cross-border trade. Illegal crossings in that area have dropped steeply in the past several years.
Mayor Arturo Garino told the paper that he asked U.S. Sen. Martha McSally to help the city have the wire removed during a visit to the border last month.
“That wire is lethal, and I really don’t know what they’re thinking by putting it all the way down to the ground,” he said Monday.

City Leaders Critical of Military Exercises at Border

Neither Garino nor a spokeswoman for McSally returned messages from The Associated Press. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Defense also did not respond to inquiries about why additional wire was installed over the weekend.

In a tweet, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat, called the additional wire a stunt by the Trump administration, which he said is “trying to create the perception of rampant lawlessness and crime.”
City leaders were critical of military exercises at the border during the holiday season, saying they believed it scared shoppers during one of the busiest times of the year.
The proclamation the city council is scheduled to vote on says concertina wire is typically something found in battlefields, and that placing it along the entirety of the border fence is “not only irresponsible but inhuman.”
In a tweet, U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, a Democrat, called the additional wire a stunt by the Trump administration, which he said is “trying to create the perception of rampant lawlessness and crime.”
Trump ordered troops deployed to the border last year, and the Pentagon said Sunday it was sending an additional 3,750 to install 150 miles of concertina wire. There are now about 4,350 active-duty troops on the border.
Information released by the federal government shows the number of arrests by the Border Patrol is the lowest since the early 1970s, while the number of agents has more than doubled.
In the last fiscal year, about 19,000 Border Patrol agents made 310,000 arrests.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

DON'T MISS

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

DON'T MISS

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

DON'T MISS

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

DON'T MISS

How Trump’s Vow to Revoke Chinese Student Visas Could Hurt California

DON'T MISS

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

DON'T MISS

2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Panthers-Oilers Final Rematch, Who Is Favored and What to Watch For

DON'T MISS

Fire Contained After Visalia House Blaze Prompts Evacuations and Road Closures

DON'T MISS

Brunson, Towns Carry Knicks to Victory That Cuts Pacers’ Series Lead to 3-2

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding

UP NEXT

Justice Department Reaches Deal to Allow Boeing to Avoid Prosecution Over 737 Max Crashes

UP NEXT

Low-Income Compton Students Get $225M State-of-the-Art High School Campus

UP NEXT

Everyone Now Has an Opinion on Jake Tapper

UP NEXT

Braves Star Ronald Acuña Jr. to Return Friday From Left Knee Injury

UP NEXT

Dave Shapiro, Groundbreaking Music Executive, Dies in San Diego Plane Crash at 42

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

32 minutes ago

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

36 minutes ago

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

41 minutes ago

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

47 minutes ago

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

1 hour ago

Fresno Unified Communications Boss on Leave After AI-Generated FTA Dossier Debacle

1 hour ago

Visalia Teen Takes Second Place in Dramatic Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

2 hours ago

Newsom Tussles With Local Officials Over Homelessness

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Two Women Suspected in Targeted Shootings

3 hours ago

Taylor Swift Has Regained Control of Her Music, Buys Back First 6 Albums

3 hours ago

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting on City Bus

The Fresno Police Department has released a critical incident video following an officer-involved shooting April 10. The incident involved a...

3 minutes ago

3 minutes ago

Fresno Police Release Video of Officer-Involved Shooting on City Bus

4 minutes ago

Hamas Says It Is Still Reviewing a US Proposal for a Gaza Ceasefire

24 minutes ago

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

32 minutes ago

Oreo Maker Mondelez Sues Aldi, Alleging Grocery Chain Copies Its Packaging to Confuse Customers

36 minutes ago

FAA Demands an Accident Investigation Into SpaceX’s Latest Out-of-Control Starship Flight

41 minutes ago

In Marseille, a Shadow Becomes Art in Banksy’s Latest Street Mural

47 minutes ago

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

1 hour ago

Ray Appleton Set to Resume His KMJ Show. E Curtis Johnson Retires

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend