The Center for Biological Diversity says construction has officially broken ground on a new border wall segment in the San Rafael Valley.
The San Rafael Valley is a stretch of borderland dotted with towering mountain peaks called sky islands — where vastly different ecosystems exist in a single range.
The Trump administration announced plans to wall off roughly 27 miles of the valley earlier this year and has since awarded the company Fisher Sand and Gravel with a government contract of up to $339 million to build that wall.
Images collected by the Center for Biological Diversity staff show piles of dirt being moved by huge construction vehicles and a 30-foot steel bollard segment that’s been painted black. The group says construction will cut off critical corridors for cross-border species like the black bear, ocelot and jaguar.
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The New World screwworm parasite has been in Mexico for more than a year and a half. Now that it’s crossed the border, the United States could turn south for direction. -
As some Arizonans prepare to bring their dogs south of the border during the summer travel season, U.S. Customs and Border Protection is reminding travelers to prepare.
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Court records show that Jorge Luis Castro-Mercado has pleaded not guilty to a dozen counts such as conspiracy, possession and importation of methamphetamine and fentanyl. -
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is in touch with Arizona ranchers to protect against the deadly parasite. -
Cattle from Mexico have been barred from the United States for most the past year to prevent the parasite from entering. Ranchers in Sonora say this method was a mistake.
