Privately Funded Wall Construction Begins Near El Paso

From In Homeland Security

For many years, there have been several attempts to recruit donors and privately raise money to build additional sections of fencing and barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Historically, they have not amounted to much activity until very recently. According to FOXNews.com, a privately funded organization called “We Build the Wall” began work this past weekend on the project to erect a section of border wall in the El Paso, Texas sector.

GoFundMe Campaign

A triple-amputee Air Force veteran founded the organization, saying in a series of social media posts on Memorial Day that it had begun construction on private property in New Mexico. Brian Kolfage began the effort to raise money through a GoFundMe campaign late in 2018, and according to CNN, the campaign has raised more than $20 million in donations. More than 300,000 people contributed, and the average donation was $67.

Trump’s Request for Wall Funding Denied

While $20 million sounds like a sizable amount, the actual construction process has highlighted how expensive it is to build border fencing. President Trump’s requests from Congress for border funding was $5.7 billion for 234 miles of fence – which was subsequently denied repeatedly.

Kris Kobach, former Kansas Secretary of State told CNN that a half-mile stretch of wall on the site is nearly finished, costing an estimated $6 to $8 million to build. The main contractor working at the site is North Dakota-based Fisher Industries, which has recently come under fire for receiving allegedly preferential attention from President Trump.

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