Agreeing to an aggressive border-obliteration deadline, Arizona will yank all the containers away by Jan. 4, and without damaging natural resources as it does.

The announcement comes as the Supreme Court evaluates the legality of the Trump-era Title 42, which lets agents block asylum claims at the border, purportedly to limit the spread of contagious diseases amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally set to expire Dec 21 under a court order, any eventual removal of the policy is expected to spark a major influx of migrants.  

Earlier this month, the U.S Interior and Agriculture departments filed suit to stop the construction of the makeshift wall, seeking "a declaration that Arizona's use and occupancy of lands owned by the United States without the required permits or other authorization constitutes unlawful trespasses."

The container wall is at the southern fringe of U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation lands and easements. The wall was also challenged by environmentalists. Started in August, the project had filled about a third of the length of border that was planned. 

In its filing, the government said the "hundreds of double-stacked, multi-ton shipping containers...damage federal lands, threaten public safety, and impede the ability of federal agencies and officials, including law enforcement personnel, to perform their official duties."