Minuteman Border Fence Under Attack Steel is in the ground in Bisbee, AZ
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
6501 Greenway Parkway, Suite 103-640, Scottsdale, AZ 85254 Phone (520) 829-3112
CITIZEN ACTIVISTS BUILD FENCE AND CONTINUE TO DEMAND
BORDER SECURITY FIRST AND GET SUED FOR THE EFFORT
MCDC continues to lead the charge and activate millions of Americans to demand real border security to keep our President, DHS Secretary Chertoff and the Commerce Secretary, Carlos M. Gutierrez—along with the open border, cheap labor lobby and their Senators—from cutting deals in smoke-filled back rooms to give AMNESTY to 12 million illegal alien intruders!
It is now more important than ever that we keep our focus on the MCDC mission, and make our phone calls and send our faxes and e-mails to all of our elected officials in Washington, DC letting them know that the so-called “Immigration Reform” bill will just increase illegal immigration. They need to fully commit to building fence and increasing border security and enforcement. Go to www.minutemanhq.com to STOP AMNESTY NOW! Send emails, faxes and phone calls, and see all the activism and operations MCDC is mobilizing to force the government to do its job.
A Phoenix-area man who initially helped financially procure and deploy building materials is refusing to see the steel in the ground in Bisbee, AZ as progress by the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps in building border fence in Cochise County, and he is now attacking MCDC and suing us over our fence project. MCDC in its citizen demonstration fence project has built more new physical fence than the federal government, and as donations come in, our work in progress will continue to show America and the world how the U.S. border between Arizona and Mexico CAN be affordably and effectively secured with physical barrier.
A baseless “legal” complaint was filed last week in Maricopa County Superior Court, falsely claiming no MCDC project fence is being built. The complaint ignores the facts. As you can see for yourself, an article in National Geographic and other national publications documents the efforts of the Minutemen in already building eleven miles of border fence. Our efforts will provide to Congressional delegations the physical proof of how doable and economically feasible effective border fencing can be—free of the pork and boondoggling of Washington insider games.
The Minuteman Fence project welcomed the generous gift from Jim Campbell for Arizona, who said he donated from his retirement “nest egg” with the motivation to “keep the momentum going on the Arizona fence project.” Campbell continued, “We need a jump start. I see my $100,000 going into steel posts and keeping the volunteers in ‘material’ for a significant distance.” The donation was contingent only on the money being used to build fence on the U.S. border between Arizona and Mexico, and the project honored his request building in the Bisbee, AZ area.
A ground breaking ceremony started the fence building effort on 5/27/2006 to install fence on the Palominas ranch of John and Jack Ladd, and registered volunteers were invited to the event on 5/19/2007 to “build the initial 1/8 mile section of a 26 mile long range fence” in a letter sent nationally to volunteers.
Initially, the Ladds graciously offered the use of their land for the “Israeli Style Fence” design, and John Ladd personally excavated and leveled land along a 10 mile stretch of the border. The Ladd ranch eventually rejected the “Israeli” plan in favor of a more traditional range fence that would do the job they felt they needed—and the Minuteman Fence project respected their request. One hundred percent of the high-speed drug running drive-throughs of Ladd property have been halted by the Minuteman 10-mile range fence that has been completed, and sixty percent of the illegal migrant traffic also has ended on the Ladd property—thanks to our fence.
The Minutemen, as a grassroots group opposed to illegal immigration, has also been hard at work on a second construction site at the Hodges ranch, and put Mr. Campbell’s donated steel in the ground to build the first mile of “Israeli Style” high-tech fence near Bisbee, AZ just 14 miles to the east.
This fence span can be seen in the National Geographic magazine coverage.
Campbell's suit asks for $1.2 million in damages.
Minuteman Corps President Chris Simcox has said he is “puzzled by the suit because Campbell not only donated the money but also himself made the transaction buying outright the first $60,000 worth of steel tubing for the project and directed having it delivered to the Hodges site.”
Chris continued by saying, “Those tubes were used to build the first segment of fencing on the second ranch, owned by Richard Hodges, and the remaining $40,000 was used to purchase steel panels for the barrier all of which have already been installed.”
"That steel is in the ground," Chris said. "Campbell’s $100,000 is sitting out there on the Hodges ranch. We've shown good faith, and we will be continuing with the project as funds come in. There is a lot of technology already donated that needs infrastructure, and installation."
The work on Hodges' fence is a “work in progress.” Installation has and will always be necessarily contingent on donations and support. Once MCDC volunteer progress against the “Shamnesty” Bill in Washington D. C. is clearer, our local work will be able to refocus and begin again on the fence.
We invite your continued support for this vital border security project, and you need to know that we will not be deterred by nuisance suits and political sabotage. As soon as the necessary funds are raised, we will be installing the high-technology FOMGuard electronic detection components. But we can only erect as much fence as we have the donations to fund, and we encourage you to stay active in helping us give the “good guys” in Congress and our government the demonstrable proof they need that our border CAN and MUST be physically secured with barrier fence. We need a fence. Minutemen are building it.
For the Security of America,
Carmen Mercer
MCDC Vice President
Minuteman Border Fence