Shipping Containers Once Used for Arizona Wall Up for Auction

by Cameron Arcand

For those looking for a shipping container for their next project, the state of Arizona is auctioning some off.

The containers will be available for individuals and businesses to purchase beginning Oct. 16 through the Arizona Department of Administration’s online surplus auction platform. The auction will open at 10 a.m. on Oct. 16, but it will close on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

The containers were used as a temporary barricade at the Yuma sector of the border last year, which were placed by former Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration to fill gaps. In December, the administration reached a deal with the U.S. in court to get them taken down as long as the agreement was held that the federal government would replace them.

According to the ADOA website, those interested should create an account on the platform now since accounts take a week to activate. The bidding starts at $2,000 per container. However, the five containers will be split into three auctions, one with three containers and two auctions with one container.

Earlier this year, the Hobbs administration announced that the containers would go on sale, but they were at first only available to government entities and nonprofit groups.

Buyers who win the auctions will be responsible for transporting the containers to their desired location. Currently, the containers are at the Arizona Prison Complex in Tucson, according to the ADOA website.

The federal government dropped the lawsuit against Arizona in September, as the dispute had been resolved.

“We worked to ensure that U.S. property rights and agency missions were respected especially since the placement of the shipping containers by the State of Arizona abutted on our international border with Mexico,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in a news release last month, The Center Square reported at the time.

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Cameron Arcand is a staff reporter for The Center Square covering Arizona. A contributor since 2022, Arcand previously worked for Salem Media Group and The Western Journal.
Photo “Shipping Container Border Wall” by Doug Ducey.