The private builders of a border wall in New Mexico say their standoff has ended with a government bureaucracy to secure a gate and keep criminals out of the border.
We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage on Tuesday night posted the last of several updates by press release. He said:
The IBWC has decided to close and lock the Border Wall gate we built tonight and every night going forward! They will only be opening the gate at intermittent times during the day as necessary going forward.Further calls to the IBWC are no longer necessary and WeBuildTheWall looks forward to working with them as we continue to secure other segments of the border that they operate on.
That news was a turnaround from Tuesday morning, when Kolfage announced in a press release that, “yesterday our wall and our nation came under attack by a globalist bureaucracy called the IBWC (International Boundary and Waterway Commission). This group which is half controlled by Mexico showed up to our wall with American police to LOCK THE GATE OPEN.”
As Battleground State News reported Sunday, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico is trying to claim that the construction of the private border wall blocks access to Monument One, a border marker dating to 1855 that’s on the National Register of Historic Places, according to a story by KOAT.
The ACLU urged the International Boundary and Water Commission, who manages the monument’s land, to intervene. The border wall is on private land, but it was built across from Monument One, which is on federal land but accessed from a road and a gate. The road is largely, but not entirely, federal property. A portion of that road is owned by Jeff Allen, owner of American Eagle Brick Co., which owns the land where the private border wall is being built.
Throughout Tuesday, Kolfage issued a “call to arms” for his supporters via press releases:
If you haven’t read about our fight against the unaccountable open-borders globalists at the IBWC (International Boundary and Water Commission) please see my previous emails regarding this critical campaign to CLOSE THE GATE.
I’ve got some important updates for you. First off, the IBWC’s Lori Kuczmanski issued a press release to rally the fake news after publicly retweeting the ACLU. If you’d like to contact her and ask how she can possibly explain assisting drug and human smugglers by locking the gate open she can be reached at (915) 832-4106 or by email at [email protected] or on twitter at @lkuczmanski75.
***Make sure to use the hashtag #CloseTheGate***
Next, the phone calls are working. The voice mails are full and most people aren’t getting through but that just shows it’s working. Keep calling the IBWC at (202) 647-8529 and (915) 832-4100.
Finally, the social media campaign #CloseTheGate is picking up steam and Congressman Paul Gosar has even jumped in to offer his support. Please let him know you appreciate his support!
After you’ve called, emailed, and/or tweeted you can help us by sharing this important call to action with like-minded Americans. We may need people to join us at the wall in the coming days because ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, we are going to CLOSE THE GATE. I’ll keep you posted.
You can also make sure we have all the resources we need to fight them legally and politically by making a new contribution to www.gofundme.com/TheTrumpWall
U.S. Rep. Dr. Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04) tweeted: “The U.S has over 1,000,000 army soldiers. We spend the most on defense in the world. We have over 5,800 tanks. But a bureaucratic commission vandalizes a private border fence to open the border to criminals? This is an insult to our sovereignty.”
The U.S has over 1,000,000 army soldiers. We spend the most on defense in the world. We have over 5,800 tanks. But a bureaucratic commission vandalizes a private border fence to open the border to criminals? This is an insult to our sovereignty. https://t.co/GbpgrqCWhp
— Paul Gosar (@DrPaulGosar) June 11, 2019
Gosar’s tweet linked to a story by The Hill saying the IBWC is basing its order to permanently open the gate upon a premise that We Build the Wall failed to get permits, citing BuzzFeedNews.
Throughout the weekend, Kolfage also tweeted videos and photos of armed men crossing the border from Mexico near, but not at, his section of the wall. He documented illegal immigrants crossing over as well.
Some officials representing U.S. border cities say the IBWC violates the Clean Water Act because sewage spills into their communities, Pinal Central said.
Kolfage retweeted a link to a story by NBC San Diego on how the San Diego Water Board is suing the U.S. section of the IBWC, claiming the agency is violating the Clean Water Act by not monitoring or stopping untreated waste flowing to the Pacific Ocean from the Tijuana River.
That story is available here.
Kolfage also tweeted: “The IBWC commissioner @harkjay350 has a bad habit of leaving gates open on our border.last week she left open this gate! largest invasion on record 1000 crossed at once! she just locked our gate wide open for illegals to invade America!”
The IBWC commissioner @harkjay350 has a bad habit of leaving gates open on our border.last week she left open this gate! largest invasion on record 1000 crossed at once! she just locked our gate wide open for illegals to invade America! pic.twitter.com/9Bb8omu395
— Brian Kolfage (@BrianKolfage) June 11, 2019
However late Tuesday, Kolfage tweeted that the wall “is locked up tonight.”
Wall is locked back up tonight. Thank you all
— Brian Kolfage (@BrianKolfage) June 12, 2019
The IBWC dates to the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Gadsden Treaty of 1853, which established temporary joint commissions to survey, map, and demarcate with ground landmarks the new United States (U.S.) – Mexico boundary, according to the agency’s website.
This is a developing story…
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Monument One Graphic” by We Build the Wall.
