Arizona Border Fence Plans Dead With No Funding From Immigration Reform

Arizona border fence plans have stalled completely after loss of funding.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, proponents of the Arizona border fence believed funding would pick up after construction began.

Unfortunately, that has not occurred as expected. Since no funding has appeared to finish the project, many are saying the Arizona border fence is “dead”. The opposition is no doubt, elated about the news. Within the first six months, funding seemed to be coming in at a good pace, reaching $250,000, but in the two years since, only an additional $14,000 in funding was accrued.

A little history on the project shows that the plan, originally sponsored by Rep. Steve Smith in 2011, was projected to need 2.8 million privately funded dollars to reach completion. A meeting yesterday revealed that the state has only received $264,000 towards that goal, hovering around just 10 percent of the goal.

Heat over illegal immigration caused lawmakers to come up with the Arizona border fence idea, despite the backlash. Two hundred miles of Arizona border fences was thought to be the answer to stem the tide of immigrants continually crossing the border illegally. But today it seems that regardless of opinions on either side, the project has come to a grinding halt, where it will stay without out the necessary funding.

But the major players in the Arizona border fence debacle, namely Rep. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, is not giving up on the immigration reform initiative:

“I think all options are on the table. I think people would be really surprised what we can do with a little bit of funds.”

The solution of what to do with current funds, suggested by Representative Smith, is that the money will go to border sheriffs. Rep. David Stevens says that Steve Smith is determined that the project money will not go to waste:

“He wants to put it to use on the border, because it’s not enough to build a fence.”

No new spending plan has been put on the table, and apparently none are forthcoming. The project has, in effect, hit a brick wall. The decision to decide what to do with the money raised has also been put off until next month.

So what do you think of the Arizona border fence plans stalling; good or bad?