We Build The Wall

            A few months ago I was frustrated with the Democrat stalling on building a barrier with Mexico. I wondered if private Americans could do it. A short time later I saw an article about Brian Kolfage, a triple amputee veteran, who put together a plan to do just what I was envisioning. I did not know if it was an honest effort or a scam, but I decided to donate some money.

            I watched as the amount in the fund grew to $20 million and still wondered if it was a scam. Then I started hearing that there were problems, and Kolfage had to create a different organization with the title “We Build The Wall.” After hearing negative news about the effort for several months, I wondered if I would ever hear good news.

            Over the Memorial Day weekend I received an email from Kolfage saying that work had started with a video of the actual construction. There was also a television interview about the project, so it seemed to be legitimate. This is the latest news that I have seen about it. 

We Build The Wall, a privately funded campaign that aims to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, broke ground over Memorial Day weekend.

The new wall is an 18-foot bollard barrier that stretches about a mile long near the Texas-New Mexico border. The project costs between $6 million and $8 million.

It is the first-ever privately funded wall built on the southern border, and organizers plan to sell it to the U.S. government for $1.

            This portion of the wall is on the southern border between El Paso, Texas, and Sunland Park, New Mexico. It has a design similar to that used by the U.S. Border Patrol. However, these builders claim to be able to build the wall faster and cheaper. Kris Kobach is an informal immigration adviser to the White House and works as general counsel to We Build The Wall. He said, “This is the first time any private organization has built a portion of the wall on private land. It’s happening right here in the El Paso area, and it’s not just any piece of land.”

            This particular piece of the border fence fills a gap between two sections of the fence. There is a 21-mile section in the El Paso area and a 21-mile section in the Sunland Park area. The open area has been busy with illegal aliens as well as drug and human trafficking across the border. Jeff Allen owns the property and seems happy to have the gap closed. “They are doing an incredible job. I have fought illegals on this property for six years. I love my country and this is a step in protecting my country.”

            The organizers expect the project to cost somewhere between $6 million and $8 million. Once the fence is completed, the organization will sell the wall to the U.S. government for $1.00. Kolfage explained, “We’re going to sell this wall back to them for $1 and release the title to them. We can’t give the government the money because that’s not the way it works. But we wanted to show the American people how to get this job done.”

            Kolfage explained that they had to keep the details of the job quiet in order to keep the “haters” from stopping construction. That is exactly what happened. Liberal Mayor Javier Perea of Sunland Park, New Mexico, issued a cease and desist letter. He claims that “the property owner did not have the necessary permits to erect the fencing.” However, Kobach says that they received approval from two city of Sunland Park inspectors. Perea maintains that “the business is still in violation of city law because they had not submitted proper construction plans to the city” even if the two city employees gave approval. Plus, the twenty-foot-tall fence, with seven-feet embedded in the ground, is taller than the permitted six-foot fence. It seems that liberals will do anything they can to keep the border open.