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FACT BRIEF

Are gates along the Arizona border being left open?

By Carmela Guaglianone
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YES

Gates along Arizona’s southern border are left open during the state’s monsoon season to prevent flood waters from damaging the border wall and to mitigate environmental harm. The gates are monitored using surveillance technology and not considered to be “unsupervised” by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

Unregulated flooding could undermine the stability of the border structure or block access roads to the border, making it more challenging for emergency personnel and border patrol officials to respond to any border activity. 

The Tucson segment of the Arizona border is designed with adjustable panels along river floodplains that are lifted to allow floodwaters to pass through during late summer storms.

Newer areas of the border wall, constructed under the Trump Administration, do not have built-in flood panels. Along this segment, regular gates are left open to minimize flood damage. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Conversation with Press Officer John Mennell
US Department of Homeland Security Final Environmental Stewardship Plan for the Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of Tactical Infrastructure U.S. Border Patrol, Tucson Sector
US Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs and Border Protection FOIA Request Record “BW6 FOIA CBP”
AP News Monsoon flooding damages border wall gates in east Arizona
FactCheck.org Posts Misrepresent Use of Floodgates at Southern Border
Reuters Opening of Arizona border floodgates predates Biden administration
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.