Thread: Minutemen to start building Arizona border fence May 27

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=4881670

TUCSON, Ariz. A civilian watch group says it's not anticipating a response to its demand that President Bush put U-S troops on the Mexican border.

So it's planning to start building a short border security fence on private land May 27th.

Last month, Minuteman Civil Defense Corps leader Chris Simcox set a May 25th deadline for the White House to act.

But Minuteman spokeswoman Connie Hair says they're not expecting any action -- even as far as moving training to the border.

The group initially plans to put up two parallel 15-foot high steel-mesh fences, anywhere from 50 to 150 feet long.

The fences will be built on a southern Arizona ranch, with an unpaved road in between.

Customs and Border Protection spokesman in Washington Todd Fraser says the Border Patrol has no position on such fencing -- as long as it's on private property.

'bout friggin time.

+1 on that

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01315.html

Minutemen Aim to Build Ariz. Border Fences

By ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN
The Associated Press
Tuesday, May 9, 2006; 9:48 PM


TUCSON, Ariz. -- A civilian border-patrol group said Tuesday that it plans to build two short security fences on a ranch in southern Arizona, the busiest illegal entry point on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Chris Simcox, a leader in the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said last month that the group would break ground on the fence unless the White House deployed U.S. troops to the border by May 25 and endorsed more secure fencing.

"We are not anticipating that the White House will make any effort in the next 2 1/2 weeks as far as putting troops on the border," Minuteman spokeswoman Connie Hair said.

The group initially plans to erect two parallel 15-foot steel-mesh fences, which will be from 50 to 150 feet long. An unpaved road will run between the fences.

Hair declined to reveal the location of the fences out of concern the project could be a target for harassment or retaliation.

Todd Fraser, a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman in Washington, said the agency has no position on such fencing.

"If private citizens want to construct something on their property ... who is the Border Patrol to say they can't do it?" Fraser said.

Plans call for the fence to be constructed using an Israeli design.

On the south side facing Mexico, a 6-foot deep trench will keep vehicles from crashing through the fencing. Behind that, coiled and razor-edged barbed wire will be placed in front of a 15-foot steel mesh fence angled outward at the top to make climbing more difficult. The second fence will be built on the other side of the road.

Video cameras will be mounted between the fences and monitored from home computers.

Other Minuteman groups have also undertaken fencing projects.

About 200 Minuteman volunteers began building a 6-foot barbed wire fence last month along a quarter-mile of rugged terrain about 50 miles east of San Diego. It connected to an existing 12-foot high government-built fence.