Arizona is a poor state with a porous border, so when Arizona State Senator Steve Smith first raised the idea of funding a border fence with private donations in 2013, he was mocked. Over time however, the senator’s campaign grew and by 2014, he had raised nearly $270,000.
On Monday, that money was awarded to Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels for a virtual border fence by the Arizona Legislature’s Joint Border Security Advisory Committee. The Committee, under Smith’s leadership, was tasked with the oversight of the donations.
Smith told reporters on Monday, “This project was intended to shame the federal government into doing its job. We hope the thousands of dollars we’ve received over the years will be put to good work.”
Smith told constituents that he was “pleased to report that the donations that I started collecting for our border fence have been allocated.” He said that there is potential that a physical fence could be constructed after more donations come into the fund.
Dannels, one of the few border sheriffs interested in maintaining security along the border requested the money to use for everything from binoculars to thermal imaging technology.
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, whose office is one of the few county level agencies that interdicts cartel loads, serves on the Committee. Just last week, Babeu’s deputies, along with Border Patrol agents intercepted and arrested Mexican Cartels, who according to Babeu, “continue their aggressive smuggling operations.” The 21 smugglers were arrested 70 miles inside Arizona. They would have likely made their way through Pima County, which has adopted hands-off approach to smugglers as they make their way north.
Arizona House Speaker David Gowan, of Cochise County, who along with Babeu is running for the Republican nomination in Congressional District 1, serves on the Committee. Gowan lamented, “I can’t believe as a state we have to do this. This is the federal government’s job.”
Committee member Arizona State Representative Mark Finchem stated, “I’m disappointed that Sheriff Nanos of Pima County was not only a no-show, but did not even respond to his invitation to be a part of the proposed human slavery trade and trafficking solution. Tucson has become a conduit for the importation of humans beings, children, to be treated as possessions, the 21st century slave trade, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office isn’t even part of the conversation to secure the border.”
Finchem, who represents the people of Pinal and Pima counties continued, “The redefinition of “fence” is a big shift in thinking. A post in the ground with a few strands of barbed wire that people can hop over isn’t a fence, a dynamic capability to intercept, detain and send bad-actors back to where they came from is. We must begin to change how we think about securing our southern border, and the threat that has been presented to our national security, to better understand how to secure the border.”
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office requested the amount of $219,211.87 to purchase equipment for specialty units to combat, reduce, and ultimately eradicate illegal human and drug smuggling within our communities. This money is requested under funding for the Border Security Task Force that was previously identified and earmarked to build a “virtual” border fence, according to the Sheriff.
The Sheriff’s Office believes that the virtual fence should be “fluid or moveable so the equipment and forces can physically change location and relocate to any area that the criminal element in our county uses.”
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office would utilize funding from the Border Security Task Force to purchase equipment that is currently in limited supply for the Southeast Arizona Border Region Enforcement Team (SABRE) and our Ranch Patrol units to assist Border Patrol in efforts to secure the Arizona/Mexico border. The equipment requested will assist personnel to locate, apprehend, and prosecute persons who are in this country illegally and conducting illegal activities.
Sheriff Dannels travelled to Phoenix on Monday to appear before state legislators. Sheriff Dannels said, “It is not only my duty, but my responsibility to ensure that our citizens are safe from criminal activities in our county, and that personnel in our organization are kept safe from harm. This request was not made without careful consideration to the needs of the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office and the best interests of all public safety stakeholders in our area. We appreciate the consideration of the committee and the award that will make a difference in neighborhoods throughout Cochise County.”
“The Federal Government continues to avoid addressing the crisis of drug cartels, illegal aliens and violent crimes along our border. The people have responded through this website that they demand a response. Today’s disbursement announcement is a good first step for this effort, and I expect the public to continue to respond to this mission, to hopefully shame the Federal Government into doing its job,” said Senator Smith.