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BISBEE — A plan by the Minuteman Project to build an Israeli-style border fence on the property of a local rancher over Memorial Day weekend is raising concern with county officials — as well as with the rancher himself.
The leader of the civilian border watch group, Chris Simcox, announced the barrier-building effort in April as a response to the government’s failure to secure the nation’s porous southern border. He said the Minutemen had chosen a design based on Israeli fences in Gaza and the West Bank that have proven effective in curtailing terrorist attacks.
On Monday, the group’s national executive director, Al Garza, confirmed that the Minutemen were still planning on the Israeli design as they prepared to break ground this weekend at a Palominas ranch — a prospect that troubled some local officials.
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“I do agree that people should be able to build fences, and I don’t think the government should inhibit that,” said Cochise County Supervisor Paul Newman.
“But seeing the diagram (posted on the Minuteman website), it concerns me that it really is a military-like structure — in fact it’s designed after an Israeli military barrier.”
Assistant County Administrator Jim Vlahovich said that while no formal permission is needed for building fences in the county’s rural areas, the structure proposed by the Minuteman — two parallel 12-to-15-foot fences with anti-vehicle ditches and eight feet of coiled barbed wire on either side — could constitute an exception.
“I think this moves out of the category of fence,” he said.
Palominas rancher Jack Ladd, the owner of the property where the fence is to be built, also expressed unease with the barrier design.
“(The Minutemen) had a diagram of what they wanted to build, and we did not want something like that,” he said.
“What we want is a barbed-wire fence with metal railings that will keep the drive-throughs from occurring and keep Mexican cattle out.”
Garza said his group was willing to alter its design to suit the ranch owner, but not the county government.
“It’s going to be (Ladd’s) preference, obviously, so if he wants to change it, he certainly will have the option,” he said.
But Garza did not feel the group was obligated to clear its plans with local officials.
“How do illegal immigrants get into our country? Do they ask permission? They do not,” he said.
“The bottom line is we’ve already tried our local government, we’ve tried our federal government, we’ve tried everything we could think of to ensure the security of our citizens,” Garza continued. “This is a critical time and we need to do everything and anything in our power to secure our border.”
Newman said Ladd’s conception of a border fence would not be likely to cause a conflict with the county. But he said he would consult with the county attorney’s office and with planning officials to consider a course of action if the military design were to be used.
When Simcox announced the project last month, he said six private ranches in Southern Arizona were being considered as locations for a 150-foot length of fence. Last week, Garza confirmed that the barrier would be built in Cochise County, but citing security concerns, did not release the name of the selected site.
On Monday, however, Ladd told the Herald/Review that his ranch would be the site of this weekend’s fence construction.
According to the Minuteman Project website, more than 1,000 people have signed up to help build the barrier and supporters have donated more than $225,000 to the effort. The group hopes to raise another $10 million to build more fencing along the border.
The Memorial Day fence-building weekend kicks off Friday night in Tombstone with an outdoor showing of the documentary film “Cries from the Border” by local director Mercedes Maharris. On Saturday, Minuteman Project volunteers will check in at the Palominas Trading Post before being escorted to the ranch for a groundbreaking ceremony.
Guest speakers at the event will include Simcox; Garza; Republican gubernatorial candidate and Minuteman member Don Goldwater; and former presidential candidate and conservative political analyst Alan Keyes.
Colin Hanna, president of WeNeedaFence.com, will also speak at the event. He is credited with contributing the Israeli-style barrier design to the effort.
Herald/Review reporter Jonathan Clark can be reached at 515-4693 or by e-mail at jonathan.clark@bisbeereview.net.
Ezai I. Martinez wrote on Jun 24, 2009 7:58 PM: