Biden Administration Rushes to Remove Border Wall Materials Before Trump’s Inauguration

A convoy of flatbed trucks winding its way north along Arizona’s Interstate 19 is raising eyebrows—and tensions—on both sides of the political aisle. On these trucks are massive sections of steel bollard border wall materials, once earmarked to strengthen America’s southern boundary. Now, with just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Biden administration appears determined to rid the border of these unused materials, auctioning them off to the highest bidder.

According to video footage obtained exclusively by The Daily Wire, the operation is brisk and methodical. Flatbeds loaded with tall, rust-brown bollards roll out from areas near Nogales, Tucson, and Three Points. Their destination: Pinal Airpark in Marana, Arizona, where these segments are dropped into a sprawling government auction site. There, the imposing metal beams—immediately recognizable as the signature components of the Trump-era border wall—sit in neat rows, awaiting online bids starting at just five dollars apiece.

A Race Against the Calendar

The timing is no coincidence. With Trump set to take office again, his administration has made it no secret that resuming construction of the border wall is high on its priority list. The materials being hauled away represent a trove of ready-to-use resources—steel sections that could be slotted back into place along America’s porous southern edge. But if the Biden team succeeds in clearing them out by Christmas, any effort to restart construction could be hobbled from day one.

“They’re taking it from three stations,” said an Arizona-based border patrol agent who requested anonymity to speak openly. “Nogales, Tucson, and Three Points. The goal is to move all of it off the border before Christmas.” Every day that passes sees more trucks and more sections of the would-be barrier disappearing into the distance. The agent estimates that up to half a mile of unused wall segments are being moved on a daily basis.

This accelerated timetable suggests a strategic maneuver designed to frustrate Trump’s expected border agenda. By the time he’s sworn in, the readily available materials that once lined these staging grounds could be scattered across the country, sold off in parcels through an auction platform known for liquidating surplus military and government equipment. Instead of picking up where it left off, the incoming administration might be forced to re-purchase or rebuild from scratch—an expensive, time-consuming setback.

A Quiet Disposal Operation

GovPlanet, an online surplus marketplace, lists regular auctions of these steel bollard sections. The listings describe the panels as “32.91' X 7.91' Steel Bollard Wall Sections w/Grout” and set shockingly low starting bids. As of early December, some auctions had already concluded, with more scheduled for December 11 and December 18. On-site videos reveal a staggering inventory of unused border wall material—piles that run on for what appears to be acres.

One local contractor, DP Trucking LLC, has been hired to shuttle the materials away from the border. When contacted by The Daily Wire, the trucking company’s owner, Harold Lambeth, confirmed that his outfit is indeed transporting unused border wall sections north to the auction site but offered no further details. Government agencies remain tight-lipped, each referring inquiries up the chain: Customs and Border Protection pointed reporters to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which pointed them to the Defense Logistics Agency, which then deferred questions to the Office of the Secretary of Defense. There, silence. Official on-the-record explanations are scarce.

Political Implications and Policy Maneuvering

For critics, this late-hour disposal effort exemplifies a partisan game of cat-and-mouse, with the border acting as the board. When Trump returns to power, he has signaled he will prioritize finishing what he started. The wall, halted under Biden, has long been a lightning rod in the immigration debate—symbolizing security and sovereignty for some, and xenophobia or ineffectiveness for others. Now, with materials heading north, any quick wins Trump might have claimed from existing resources may prove elusive.

Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ), whose district includes the Pinal Airpark area where materials are being sold, expressed dismay at the hustle to clear out the border supplies. “They’re purposefully hamstringing an incoming president,” Crane told The Daily Wire, adding that this last-minute scramble appears designed to prevent Trump from easily advancing his border security agenda. While there’s no direct acknowledgement of wrongdoing, this orchestrated relocation of wall sections feels unmistakably like an act of strategic obstruction.

The border patrol agent who spoke under anonymity has seen political footballs tossed over these desert landscapes before. To him, this is nothing new. Administrations change, policies flip, and the people actually working along the border adjust—sometimes daily—to the shifting sands of national politics. “When Trump comes back, and he wants to start the border wall all over again, the whole entire funding fight is going to happen again,” the agent said. “That’s their play. He’s going to have to fight for this—again.”

A Future Shaped by the Past

From a broader policy perspective, these actions highlight the fragility of large-scale infrastructure projects that hinge on political will. Given the deeply entrenched debate around the border wall, any physical infrastructure represents more than steel and concrete. It’s a totem of America’s long-standing struggle to manage who crosses its borders and how. Removing these materials doesn’t just complicate construction logistics; it also signals a message about the impermanence of executive actions and the ease with which a subsequent administration can undo its predecessor’s blueprint.

As the auction dates approach and more flatbeds haul away the once-heralded steel bollards, Americans are left to watch a slow-motion vanishing act. The wall pieces that once drew headlines and generated heated political debates are being scattered to the wind. Whether they end up in the hands of private buyers, repurposed for new projects, or simply rusting in a different corner of government storage, their sudden journey northward ensures that day one of the Trump presidency will look very different from the day he left office.

The real question now isn’t just about what happens to those steel panels, but what it means for the country’s approach to border enforcement going forward. For the millions of Americans who supported a stronger southern barrier, the news that these critical materials are being liquidated may come as a shock. For those who opposed the wall from the start, it may feel like a last-minute victory lap before the next political round begins.

In either case, the scene unfolding along Interstate 19—trucks rolling through dust and desert scrub, stacked high with materials that once promised to reshape the border—leaves behind a lingering uncertainty: As one president exits and another enters, what will the United States’ southern boundary look like tomorrow?