Thread: How's Smith's border fence fundraising going?

How's Smith's border fence fundraising going?

Updated: Saturday, 05 May 2012, 9:43 PM MST
Published : Saturday, 05 May 2012, 5:53 PM MST

PHOENIX - Last summer, an Arizona senator launched what some thought was a crazy idea in the border battle. Steve Smith wants to raise money through a website to build a fence on the Arizona border with Mexico.

If good fences make good neighbors, then Arizona's relationship with Mexico might be considered lacking.

The 370-mile fence that runs along the Arizona-Mexico border is solid in some places, sketchy in others and non-existent in others.

Smith, a Republican representing Maricopa, believes a fence will stem some of Arizona's illegal immigration problems.

“California, San Diego put in their fence. It worked. Yuma put in their fence -- 97 percent of crossing stopped. It worked. Everything just kept moving east. Now we have the Tucson sector eastern half of Arizona. It’s a nightmare -- the No. 1 cross-through area in the country,” Smith said.

Smith launched a website last July to raise funds to build a fence on the Arizona border -- hoping to raise $50 million.

After all, the fence has been a hot topic. Even high-powered politicians used the fence in their campaigns.

It started out well, but nine months later, it and a companion mail campaign have netted the project about $300,000.

Still, Smith plans to start building very shortly south of Tucson.

“Primarily targeting the Tucson sector, the Douglas or Nogales area is the most heavily-trafficked and least secure area now,” Smith said.

On valley streets FOX discovered mixed reaction to moving forward with the Arizona border fence project.

And we asked Smith -- what kind of fence will it be?

“Fifteen-foot high steel wire mesh -- a lot of what you see up there now -- just 4-foot deep concrete-beaded – it’s certainly not a white picket fence,” Smith said.

The federal government estimates it takes $15 million to build one mile of fence on the U.S. border with Mexico.

The senator says his team can and will do it much cheaper -- despite the doubters.

How's Smith's border fence fundraising going?

Yuma Border Patrol Sector (Source DHS/CBP)
Fiscal Year------2005-------2006-------2007------2008------2009------2010-----2011
Yuma-----------138,492---118,549----37,992----8,363-----6,951-----7,116----5,833

Tucson Border Patrol Sector (Source DHS/CBP)
Fiscal Year------2005-------2006-------2007------2008------2009------2010-----2011
Tucson --------439,053----392,074--378,239--317,696--241,673--212,202--123,285