Texas-raised more than $54 million in donations for a wall along the border with Mexico by the end of August, according to a website started by the state in June, The Texas Tribune reports.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, announced the website in June after announcing that the state had made a $250 million ‘down payment’ for a border wall. The Tribune was told by a spokesperson for Abbott that the governor is thankful for the support. Texas has ”filled the gap created [by President Joe] Biden and steps forward to secure our southern borders”
The spokesperson stated: ”In less than eight months, President Biden’s dangerous and reckless open border policies have led to a disaster along our southern border, with 21-year record-high numbers of illegal immigrants surging into our country. While the Biden Administration may not prioritize the sovereignty of our nation or the safety of our people, Americans clearly do.”
The Tribune reports that the fundraising for the border wall has exploded in recent months. It started with $1 million and ended up with $54 million. It’s not clear what caused the huge increase in donations or who made them.
Guadalupe Correa–Cabrera is a professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. He told the Tribune that the amount raised was notable due to the failure of other private efforts to fund a border wall.
”It is surprising in some regard that people are using their money to fund a project like this understanding the fact that in the recent past, efforts like this had resulted in fraud and in construction that has been destroyed to some extent because of the lack of capacity of those who built it,” she said, an apparent reference to allegations made against the conservative nonprofit We Build the Wall.
”While securing the border is the federal government’s responsibility, Texas will not sit idly by as this crisis grows. Texas is responding with the most robust and comprehensive border plan the nation has ever seen,” Abbott stated in a recent statement this week.
”Open-border policies have led to a humanitarian crisis at our southern border as record levels of illegal immigrants, drugs and contraband pour into Texas. The State of Texas is working collaboratively with communities impacted by the border crisis to arrest and detain individuals coming into Texas illegally,” the statement added.
”Our efforts will only be effective if we work together to secure the border, make criminal arrests, protect landowners, rid our communities of dangerous drugs, and provide Texans with the support they need and deserve.”
