ASTRID GALVAN
Associated Press
AJO, Ariz. (AP) — Some people here call it Sesame Street. Others call it Legoland.
Residents in the small former mining town of Ajo are describing the boxy-shaped, brightly colored houses built by the government for customs and border agents who work in and around the town.
A new report by the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection overspent by about $4.6 million on new houses and mobile homes. Investigators say the government spent nearly $700,000 per house in a city where the average home costs less than $90,000.
Ajo residents say there were plenty of good homes to choose from and the government didn’t need to spend millions on new ones way above the market rate.
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