Supporters of increased border enforcement now can help Arizona build its own fence along the Mexico border. 
 
 A new law went into effect today that allows the state to build the fence, as long as it can raise enough private donations and persuade public and private landowners to let it be done on their property. A new website for the effort, www.buildtheborderfence.com, was set to go online at midnight. 
 
 No other state has tried such a tactic. 
 
 Sen. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, who sponsored the legislation, hopes to raise at least $50 million from donors across the nation. 
 
 "Donate to the country's security," Smith said. "This is an American problem, not an Arizona problem." 
 
 State lawmakers who supported the law have said they want a consistent fence along the entire border that is solid, has multiple layers and is tall enough to keep out pedestrians. Smith said the effort also could include more high-tech security efforts. 
 
 The state's southern border is about 370 miles long. About a third of that, mostly in the western part of the state between Yuma and Nogales, has the type of fence lawmakers want. The rest either has no fencing or has fencing designed to keep out vehicles. In that part of the state, the fence is only a few feet tall and is made of barbed wire or wooden posts. Smith said most illegal immigrants cross into the eastern part of Arizona over that more porous border. 
 
 According to a 2009 U.S. Government Accountability Office report, it has cost the federal government about $3 million a mile to build the type of fence that would keep pedestrians out. 
 
 Smith said Arizona's final cost would depend on what kind of a fence is constructed and whether the state can get private companies to donate some of the construction supplies. State lawmakers have said they could save money by using inmate labor to build the fence. 
 
 The effort doesn't have official non-profit status for tax purposes, but Smith said the website has a letter from the state consular general stating that there is precedent in Arizona that donations to a state or political subdivision are tax deductible. 
 
 "We aren't taking an official position on that, but consult your tax professional," Smith said. "Take that letter to your accountant." 
 
 The Legislature's Joint Border Security Advisory Committee, on which Smith serves, will determine what type of fence will be built and then manage construction. 
 
 Getting permission from landowners will determine where the fence can be built. 
 
 Much of the Arizona border is on federal land or Indian reservations, with small portions belonging to private landowners. Smith said the easiest solution would be for the federal government to give permission to build the fence within its 60-foot easement along the border. 
 
 "Let's hope the federal government will allow us to do it," Smith said. "But if they say no, we have a contingency." 
 
 Smith said he already has begun talking to private landowners and has support from several to build on their property, even if it means the fence has to go miles north of the border. 
 
 "We've identified three highly trafficked areas that are notorious that we have pretty good access to," he said. "And as we continue to raise awareness and funds, I hope the federal government says, 'Go ahead and build whatever you want to build.'" 
 
 The Sierra Club opposes the law. It says Arizona already has more border walls than any other state and that the walls have caused flooding in some areas and have blocked wildlife in other areas. 
 
 "Arizona has been slammed by federally imposed, ineffective walls that cost taxpayers millions per mile," said Dan Millis, program coordinator for the Sierra Club borderlands campaign, in a media release. "Donations toward more border walls will not provide much bang for the buck." ||||| Using a new state-supported website, donors can now chip in to help Arizona build a fence to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing into the state along its border with Mexico. 
 
 Build the Border Fence, which aims to raise $50 million, was launched as a bill authorizing construction of a barrier took effect on Wednesday. That bill was sponsored by state Sen. Steve Smith (R), who has helped spearhead the execution of the website. 
 
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 “This is not an Arizona problem, this is an American problem,” Smith told POLITICO in an interview. 
 
 “Arizona did not want to take on this battle and we don’t want to petition American people. It’s because of the fact that the federal government cannot [build a national border fence] that we don’t sit idly by,” he added. 
 
 Smith said drug cartel violence and even the possibility of border-jumping terrorism fueled the need for private donations, which will be used to finance border fence construction. The Mexico-Arizona border is about 400 miles long. 
 
 Donations are tax deductible, says the website, which features the state seal. The site says it is “the official border fence donation service for the state of Arizona.” Republican Governor Jan Brewer’s office referred questions about the website to Smith, who said the site “certainly is through the state, though not on the state home page.” 
 
 “This is something we have a tremendous amount of fanfare about, it’s something people can tangibly” wrap their heads around, Smith said, comparing it favorably to a website for Keep AZ Safe. That website allows the public to donate funds to Arizona to support anti-illegal immigration measure SB 1070, which was signed by Brewer last year. That site has raised almost $1.6 million in an effort to fight back resistance from courts and the Obama administration, which oppose some controversial measures in the legislation. 
 
 Smith said he hopes some of the initial funds raised could be used to finance an “infomercial-type broadcast across the country” to help solicit more donors. 
 
 Arizona Republican state Sen. Al Melvin has suggested using inmate labor to build the fence in order to cut down on costs. 
 
 State Democrats and immigration advocates have criticized the construction of additional barriers as a piece-meal approach. 
 
 Ali Noorani, the executive director of the National Immigration Forum, called the call for Internet donations to build a fence a “political stunt” and said there are more important things to focus on in the immigration debate than a wall. 
 
 “Spending on a fence is bad public policy,” Noorani said.”The mechanics of this are very murky. The data proves that a wall is a waste of money.” 
 
 In remarks made when she was governor of Arizona, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said as much in 2005. 
 
 “You show me a 50-foot wall and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border. That’s the way the border works,” Napolitano said. ||||| Your Help Is Needed! 
 
 One of the gravest threats facing America today is the lack of security and enforcement along the U.S./Mexico border and the consequences of this lack of security have yielded an unparalleled invasion of drug cartels, violent gangs, an estimated 20 million illegal aliens, and even terrorists! 
 
 Because of the Federal Government's failure to stop this invasion, the State of Arizona signed into law Senate Bill 1406. Part of this important legislation established this website for the purpose of raising funds through donations from citizens, businesses, corporations and anyone from across the country in an effort to finance and finish building our border fence. 
 
 The bill also created the Joint Border Security Advisory Committee for oversight and accountability of these funds (100% of the funds raised will be held in a trust fund account in the Arizona State Treasurer's Office). Additionally, in an effort to contain costs, inmate labor will be utilized in the construction of the border fence project. 
 
 As of the effective date of this bill, July 20, 2011, only approximately 685 miles of the nearly 2,000 mile long border between the United States and Mexico is "fenced." The vast majority of this existing "fence" however, consists of barbed-wire, vehicle barriers, and inadequate materials that have minimal effectiveness in stopping illegal crossings. The approximately 1,315 remaining miles of the border currently have no fencing at all. 
 
 Remember, it is the constitutional duty of the Federal Government to protect 'We the People of the United States', but what happens when the government does not do its job? When you read the information below, decide for yourself if you feel truly protected. 
 
 
 
 Do You Feel Safe? 'The Secure Fence Act' passed by Congress in 2006 defined operational control of the border as: prevention of all unlawful entries into the United States, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics, and other contraband. 
 
 
 
 Today, estimates show that only approximately 10-15% of the border is under operational control and we currently have no way of tracking how many illegal aliens are entering the United States every day! 
 
 In the Tucson sector of Arizona alone, approximately 215,000-250,000 illegal aliens were apprehended by Border Patrol in 2010; however, estimates show that for every one person apprehended, approximately five go free, meaning there are likely over 1,000,000 illegal aliens entering through the Tucson Sector alone each year! 
 
 
 
 
 
 In the Tucson sector of Arizona alone, approximately illegal aliens were apprehended by Border Patrol in 2010; however, estimates show that for every one person apprehended, approximately five go free, meaning In 2010, the Federal Government's response to the overwhelming illegal invasion was to erect signs throughout Arizona cautioning people to avoid entering certain areas of the state because of the high level of drug and human smuggling activity. Is putting up warning signs the best our government can do to protect us? 
 
 
 
 The Drugs, Gangs, and Human Smuggling Epidemic There have been over 35,000 deaths and murders along the U.S./Mexico border since 2006 largely due to the vicious drug cartels and gangs that rule in Mexico. 
 
 
 
 Many of the drug cartels are comprised of paramilitary forces with advanced and high power weaponry, and they take their multi-billion dollar per year industry deadly serious. 
 
 According to the 2010 U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Threat Assessment, Southwest Border Area Marijuana seizures totaled 1,489,673 kilograms or approximately 3.3 million pounds in 2009. Remember, this is only what was apprehended, not the total amount that entered the U.S. 
 
 
 
 Additionally, the Department of State's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report indicates that as much as 90% of the cocaine entering the United States transits through Mexico . Therefore, to finally win the 'War on Drugs', securing the border is the most important step in doing so. 
 
 
 
 
 
 According to the 2010 U.S. Department of Justice National Drug Threat Assessment, Southwest Border Area Marijuana seizures totaled 1,489,673 kilograms or approximately in 2009. Remember, this is only what was apprehended, not the total amount that entered the U.S. Additionally, the Department of State's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report indicates that . Therefore, to finally win the 'War on Drugs', securing the border is the most important step in doing so. Phoenix, Arizona has been infamously deemed the 'Kidnapping Capital' of the United States and second in the world only to Mexico City. The City of Phoenix Kidnapping Review Panel in 2011 determined there were 668 incidents of kidnapping in one year alone, the highest number in the nation. Kidnappings are largely due to human smuggling rings that operate across the southern border. Even more startling was a federal General Accounting Office statistic that law enforcement's net catches only about 6.5 percent of the criminal activity coming across the border. 
 
 
 
 
 
 113 Border Patrol officers have been killed in the line of duty according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 
 
 Financial Impact Estimates show that the over $100 billion was spent on services for illegal aliens in the United States in 2010. In Arizona alone, over $2.7 billion was spent from 2009-2010 on free services for illegal aliens on healthcare, education, and imprisonment costs alone! Is this an acceptable use of the American taxpayer's hard earned money? 
 
 Environmental Impact Several officials and media outlets have reported that many of the forest fires that have devastated Arizona and the southwest were caused by illegal aliens. In a recent article in 'The Washington Times', the reporter stated: U.S. Border Patrol agents…are being targeted by illegal aliens, who are using intentionally set fires to burn agents out of observation posts and patrol routes. Armed smugglers of aliens and drugs have walked through the middle of active firefighting operations, the authorities said. Blazes... have been set...near the San Luis, Ariz., port of entry as the result of Molotov cocktails — one of which barely missed a Border Patrol agent. 
 
 
 
 In a recent article in 'The Washington Times', the reporter stated: Additionally, because of the millions of illegal aliens and smugglers that enter through the unsecured border, once pristine areas of the Arizonan desert have been decimated beyond recognition from waste, trash, and litter. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Terrorist Threat According to an investigation by the House Committee on Homeland Security, intelligence officials have determined members of the terrorist group Hezbollah have already infiltrated the U.S. by crossing at the southern border. Border Patrol agents and immigration officials have recovered items along the U.S./Mexico border including Iranian currency as well as military-style patches on clothing near the border—one patch contained the word "martyr" in Arabic and another depicted a plane appearing to fly into skyscrapers. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Border Patrol agents and immigration officials have recovered items along the U.S./Mexico border including Iranian currency as well as military-style patches on clothing near the border—one patch contained the word "martyr" in Arabic and another depicted a plane appearing to fly into skyscrapers. In 2011, a book (published in Iran) celebrating suicide bombers was found in the Arizonan desert just north of the U.S./Mexico border. The book, 'In Memories of our Martyrs', was spotted by a U.S. Border Patrol agent out of the Casa Grande substation who was patrolling a route known for illegal immigrants and drug smuggling. 
 
 
 
 
 
 The book, 'In Memories of our Martyrs', was spotted by a U.S. Border Patrol agent out of the Casa Grande substation who was patrolling a route known for illegal immigrants and drug smuggling. In 2009, according to Homeland Security documents, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officials detained 45,279 illegal aliens classified as OTM (Other Than Mexican), many of whom were from illegal immigrants from countries with active Al Qaeda cells or Taliban activity Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Pakistan. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Additionally, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified before the House Appropriations Committee stating that these OTM's; "are individuals from countries with known Al Qaeda connections who are changing their Islamic surnames to Hispanic-sounding names and obtaining false Hispanic identities, learning to speak Spanish and pretending to be Hispanic." 
 
 
 
 
 
 These few statistics represent only a fraction of the problems we face because of the lack of a secure border. They also illustrate that, in reality, the border is not safe, nor secure, nor under control. 
 
 
 
 
 
 There are Things That Can Be Done To Fix This Problem!
– Arizona's message to the feds: Forget you guys, we're building our own fence. Thanks to new legislation, the state is taking illegal immigration into its own hands and is now accepting private donations to build a wall at the Mexican border. Lawmakers have set up a website where anyone can contribute to help raise the estimated $50 million needed, reports the Arizona Republic. "Donate to the country's security," said state Sen. Steve Smith, who sponsored the legislation. "This is an American problem, not an Arizona problem." The leader of the National Immigration Forum thinks it's a lousy idea. “Spending on a fence is bad public policy,” Ali Noorani tells Politico. ”The mechanics of this are very murky. The data proves that a wall is a waste of money."