Privately funded border wall built at El Paso: 'Why wouldn't we allow it?' land owner asks
Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times Published 12:39 p.m. MT May 27, 2019 | Updated 5:48 p.m. MT May 27, 2019
A private group has built a $6 million bollard-type wall at the border on private property near Mount Cristo Rey with funds raised from a GoFundMe account.
The segment of wall was paid for by the "We Build the Wall" organization on land owned by American Eagle Brick Company. It is by Monument One — an official marker at the spot where New Mexico, Texas and the Mexican state of Chihuahua converge — at Border Highway West, near Executive Center Boulevard
The company's co-owner Jeff Allen confirmed that the wall was being built on his property.
"Why wouldn't we allow it?," Allen asked. "We have dealt with illegals coming across. We have been attacked by illegals coming across. We have been burglarized by illegals. We have drug traffickers coming through here and anyone who is against this is against America."
Kris Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state known for his hard-line immigration stances, announced that the wall was nearly complete on Memorial Day, calling it a gift to America.
Kobach is general counsel for We Build the Wall. He has been mentioned as a possible pick by President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Kris Kobach, general council to We Build the Wall, explains the materials the wall is made out of Monday, May 27. El Paso Times
"It was important to us to make the announcement today, on Memorial Day," Kobach told the El Paso Times during a tour of the site. "This wall is all about securing our border and our nation, so it is fitting, and we worked hard to get it built this holiday weekend. This is us trying to give America a present for Memorial Day."
He later added, "We built the wall and then hand the keys to the Border Patrol and say 'Here. Happy Memorial Day.'"
Reached Monday, U.S. Border Patrol officials said that they could not immediately comment on the privately built wall.
The "We Build The Wall" project was started by a U.S. war veteran, Brian Kolfage, and is being led by a group that includes Kobach and former White House strategist Steve Bannon.
The Go Fund Me page calls the project "Trump approved." As of Monday afternoon, it had raised more than $22 million of its $1 billion goal.
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A private group, We Build the Wall, built a bollard-type wall on the U.S.-Mexico border on private property near Monument One near the Texas-New Mexico area. (Photo: Aaron Martinez / El Paso Times)
The section of the wall being built in the El Paso area will cost between $6 million and $8 million, Kobach said.
The wall spans an area of about a half-mile near Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, New Mexico, that was not covered by existing government fencing — a decision that was made at least partially because of the rough terrain.
Kobach said Border Patrol agents in the area have told him that hundreds of immigrants have crossed there illegally and more than $100,000 worth of drugs has been smuggled through the gap.
Gap in barrier at Sunland Park, NM
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which oversees the Border Patrol, does not provide statistics on specific areas of land, but has reported an increase in apprehensions of immigrants, primarily families, in the El Paso Sector, which covers West Texas and all of New Mexico.
Groups of hundreds have turned themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents just past where the fencing ends in Sunland Park,
including a group of 300 who crossed the same night Trump held a rally in nearby El Paso.
Ninety percent of all illegal narcotics that enter the United States cross through the southern border, according to the CBP.
“It is a half-mile, but it is a half-mile that is so important,” Kobach said. “I would argue that this half-mile is much more important than building 20 or 50 miles out in the desert, because of very few people are crossing in the middle of the desert. But here, you are this metropolitan area and so easy for people to swarm through this gap. This half-mile area has much more of an impact than you would think.”
The privately funded wall, which is expected to be completed Wednesday, is more than 20 feet tall and goes up a 300 foot incline over mountainous terrain. It extends 7 feet into the ground.
It includes sensors and lights that will go off when triggered by anyone crossing the area, Kobach said. The group will give control of the sensors to U.S. Border Patrol agents, he said. Although, the group has not discussed those plans with the agency yet.
Average donor gave $67, Kobach says
The wall is being paid completely by the GoFundMe campaign created by the group in December. Kobach said the average donor gave about $67, and more than 265,000 donated.
"The GoFundMe just took off with $20 million in 20 days," Kobach said. "This shows collectively how we the people can say, 'You know what, this isn't rocket science. We can solve this problem.' And when a whole bunch of people chip in money, you can accomplish something like this."
While the El Paso wall will use about a third of the money raised so far, Kobach said the remaining money will be used to build a similar wall in another area along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kobach declined to say where the next segment of wall will be built, to protect the identity of the owner of that property.
About the privately built wall
The privately built wall is similar to the
$73 million bollard wall constructed by the U.S. government in April 2018 along the U.S.-Mexico border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
However, Kobach said the private group's wall is made from weathered steel and would last 50 years longer than the "mild" steel used on government fencing.
The U.S. government wall is between 18 and 30 feet tall, depending on the terrain, and has anti-scaling plates at the top to make it more difficult to climb over, U.S. Border Patrol officials said at the time a groundbreaking ceremony was held for start of the construction.
The privately built wall is being constructed by Fisher Industries of North Dakota, Kobach said.
