Thread: ARIZONA BORDER FENCE PROJECT : DONATIONS ACCEPTED

ARIZONA FENCE PROJECT : DONATIONS ACCEPTED

Arizona Lawmakers Say They Will Build Border Fence

Published November 24, 2011 Associated Press

PHOENIX – Arizona is taking on immigration once again, with lawmakers collecting donations from the public to put a fence along every inch of the state's border with Mexico. It is an unprecedented effort by a state that is the busiest U.S. gateway for both illegal immigrants and marijuana.

The idea came from state Senator Steve Smith, a Republican who says people from across the nation have donated about $255,000 to the project since the state in July launched a website that urges visitors to "show the world the resolve and the can-do spirit of the American people."

Smith acknowledges he has a long way to go. The $255,000 will barely cover a half mile of fencing. Smith estimates that the total supplies alone will cost $34 million, or about $426,000 a mile.

The fence is Arizona's latest attempt to force a debate on whether the U.S. government is doing enough to stop illegal immigration. A judge suspended key provisions of the state's contentious immigration bill, and Gov. Jan Brewer is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to get them reinstated. Brewer also signed the fencing bill.

Critics of the private fence plan say the idea is a misguided approach that will prove to be ineffective and hugely expensive. They point to the billions of dollars spent by the federal government to build fencing that hasn't stopped illegal immigration.

Smugglers often circumvent the barriers by cutting or driving through them, climbing over them, launching drugs with catapults over them, or digging tunnels under them. In the last week alone, two drug tunnels were found in Nogales in southeastern Arizona.

But Smith and other supporters don't care.

They say the federal government has done little to secure the border and that additional fencing will close gaps exploited by smugglers and illegal immigrants. Even if the fence isn't completed, Smith and others believe the project will send a message to Washington.

They have found support for the idea from some U.S. Border Patrol agents.

"I take my hat off to them," says George McCubbin, apresident of the National Border Patrol Council, the agency's union. "I don't believe it's the state's responsibility, but by them attempting this, they will continue to have this problem brought out, and hopefully someone will take notice of it."

Although he praises the effort, McCubbin thinks building more border fencing is "a waste of time."

"A fence slows down traffic. It doesn't stop it," he says. "You need to put your money in effective resources that you know will work."

He believes the U.S. government needs to crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, increase penalties against those caught in the country illegally, cut off social services for others 1and put more agents at the border.

The project's first priority is to build fences at busy border-crossing points. Other plans include constructing fences along the 80 miles of border where none currently exist.

Fencing currently covers about 650 miles, or one-third, of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.

Nearly half is in Arizona, with the rest equally divided among California, New Mexico and Texas.

Existing border fencing varies in quality from simple barbed wire or vehicle barriers to carefully engineered, 18- to 30-foot-high fences.

On top of $2.5 billion spent by the federal government to build the fence, a government report projects it will cost another $6.5 billion over the next 20 years to maintain.

Despite the relatively low amount of money raised so far, Smith says work will begin sometime next year.

"Something will be in the ground by 2012," he says.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/24/ar ... z1eeSe9SSK

(The Arizona Republic, Michael Chow, File/Associated Press) - FILE - This Oct. 30, 2011 file photo shows the border fence stretching west of Nogales, Ariz. into the Coronado National Forest. An Arizona lawmaker, Republican state Sen. Steve Smith, who is leading an effort to build additional fences near the state’s border with Mexico through donations said he expects to begin construction on more barriers some time next year.

Arizona border-fence donations: $39K in first 17 hours

Arizona launched a fundraising website Wednesday as the first step in a newly authorized project to use private donations and inmate labor to build fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The website, buildtheborderfence.com, received 884 online donations totaling $39,085 within its first 17 hours, said Arizona Senate spokesman Mike Philipsen.

Initial online donations ranged from the minimum of $5 to "dozens in the $250 to $500 range," Philipsen said. Contributions also can be mailed.

Sen. Steve Smith, a first-term Maricopa Republican who sponsored the legislation authorizing the fence project, said Tuesday that his initial goal is to raise $50 million.

"It's not my end goal," he said. "If we can raise $50 million, we're off to a fabulous start."

Smith, Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce, state Attorney General Tom Horne, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and other supporters gathered Wednesday evening in Smith's Casa Grande district to kick off the fundraising campaign.

Smith said he was optimistic about the fundraising potential because people have donated nearly $3.8 million to a fund to defend the state's 2010 immigration enforcement law known as SB1010.

That effort raised money for "an intangible service -- you're paying for a lawyer," Smith said. "This, you can taste and smell what you're getting -- you're paying for a secure border."

What the money will actually buy has yet to be determined. A border security advisory committee consisting of legislators, state agency directors and county sheriffs will make recommendations to the Legislature on how and where to spend the money.

Fencing currently covers about 650 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, or about one-third of the 2,000-mile boundary. It ranges in quality from simple barbed wire or vehicle barriers to carefully engineered, 18- to 30-foot high fences near cities.

Smugglers often circumvent the barriers by cutting or driving through them, climbing over them, or digging often-elaborate tunnels under them.

Wednesday's website launch was keyed to the date most new laws passed during the state Legislature's 2011 regular session go into effect.

While Arizona lawmakers rejected several immigration enforcement measures this year that were opposed by business groups, the border fence measure didn't get as much attention.

Democratic lawmakers say that the fence project is a misguided and piecemeal approach to border and immigration issues that should be tackled more comprehensively. More recently, the Sierra Club said strengthened border barriers can damage the environment by causing flooding and blocking wildlife.

An immigrant-rights activist, Jaime Farrant of the Border Action Network, said the fence project could end up costing the state money if donations fall short and supporters press ahead anyway.

"We're just concerned this is playing politics with the border instead of trying to address border security seriously," Farrant said.

Smith and other Republicans argue that the federal government hasn't done enough to secure the border from crossings by illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and terrorists.

The new law authorizes use of inmate labor to help build the fence, which would go on private or government land. The federal government will be asked to allow construction of fencing on its easements along the border, but Smith said he also has specific state-owned and private land in mind.

The fundraising website's initial home page shows a location on the border where fencing currently consists of a series of vertical posts to bar vehicle crossings. In the foreground, ranch-style barbed-wire fencing intended to restrain livestock has a big gap.

The site also includes a state official's declaration that donations may qualify as state and federal income tax deductions. But it says donors should consult their tax advisers about that.

Smith said he expects the site's content will be updated as soon as Thursday. The advisory committee will get regular updates on how much money is raised, and a running tally may be added to the site, he said.

"We're going to be extraordinarily open and transparent to the penny of what we have," Smith said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... z1eeTRn08M

https://www.buildtheborderfence.com/azb ... ndex.xhtml

http://www.arizonahighways.com/