EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The privately funded border barrier that was under construction in Sunland Park is now complete.
As KTSM previously reported, the barrier is built on private property belonging to the American Eagle Brick Company and was funded by the group “We Build the Wall,” which raised more than $20 million through a GoFundMe page organized by Brian Kolfage.
A foreman onsite, Mike Furey, told KTSM the project took about 17 days total to complete from reviewing the property to installing the last piece of bollard fencing. Furey said the only thing remaining is installing lighting and concrete pours for roadway pavement, as well as chain link fencing around the property.
The “We Build the Wall” group plans to sell the barrier to the United States government for $1, maintenance on the technology behind the fencing included.
“We have a 25-year plan in place to keep the maintenance up and that’s part of the ‘We Build the Wall’ process,” Furey said.
According to Furey, the infrastructure includes state-of-the-art technology and underground sensors he says will help Border Patrol agents when they patrol the area.
“The fiber optic sensors are so state of the art that they can tell the difference between a rabbit, a human, small vehicle, large vehicle, etc. as soon as someone gets within the 40-foot diameter it notifies Border Patrol, it turns on all the cameras, it turns on all the lights and it turns on all the audio deterrence as well,” Furey said.
Contractors said the quick progress was not about trying to keep people out, but about taking matters into their own hands.
“There’s not a feeling of oh I want to go build a wall to go and stop everybody, we need to do this we need to be methodical but the other thing we’re showing the government the private sector can do it cheaper, better and faster if we’re allowed to do it,” Furey said.
However, some believe border and immigration matters should be left to the government to handle, according to the former El Paso Border Patrol Sector Chief Victor Manjarrez.
“The job of border security is inherently a federal government responsibility and i think it should stay there and I think it becomes a problem when we have people who build the wall, aids and abets by either putting water stations things of that nature, it’s a problem,” Manjarrez said.
*story by KTSM News channel 9