Corps delays study

Checkpoint site not a certainty

The Army Corps of Engineers is apparently studying private properties along Interstate 19 in the Tubac area as part of the plan to build a newer, larger Border Patrol checkpoint.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., said she was initially alarmed to hear of the proposal, but was pleased when she heard “The Army Corps of Engineers had made a mistake” and halted the work.

There’s a temporary, or tactical, checkpoint at I-19’s Agua Linda exit.

The temporary checkpoint is almost a permanent one, since it hasn’t been relocated in at least two years.

Some area residents say any checkpoint will force illegal immigrants or smugglers to try to walk around them, sometimes winding up in people’s yards or walking down local roads and streets.

The Border Patrol originally sought a more sophisticated checkpoint, with equipment large enough to X-ray huge cargo trucks. Currently when the trucks are suspected of hauling drugs or other contraband they’re sent back to a full-scale inspection at Nogales.

This part of Arizona is known as the Border Patrol’s Tucson sector. It is the Border Patrol’s only sector in the United States without a permanent checkpoint. The sector is one of the busiest in the United States.

After a series of meetings with residents and government representatives the Border Patrol decided to scale back the size of a new, permanent checkpoint.

In a statement Rep. Giffords said:

“A decision on the placement of a permanent checkpoint on I-19 has not been reached.

“An interim checkpoint will be built and studied prior to public discussions regarding a permanent structure.”

Giffords and nine other Representatives and Senators asked the GAO, the Government Accountancy Office, to study the effectiveness of checkpoints near the border.

That study, she said, will provide essential information “in making sure we are smart about securing our borders.”

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9741