Arizona Lawmakers Seek Private Donations For Border Fences

It's the inaction of the federal government that's pushing Arizona lawmakers to take the matter of immigration into their own hands.

At least that's what State Senator Steve Smith said in an appearance on Greta Van Susteren's show this week. He said the state is using a website to collect private donations from citizens across the United States to build a fence along the Mexico border line. The state is also accepting mail-in gifts.

Sen. Smith said the response has been "unbelievable."

"In the first 24 hours alone when the site up we received donations from people from all 50 states across the country," he told Van Susteren. He's even more excited about the positive response from military men and women all over the world. For them to take the time to contribute, Sen. Smith said, means a lot.

Lawmakers launched the effort last month. Sen. Smith said it has already collected almost $200,000 to build fences all along the Arizona-Mexico border.

He told Van Susteren the issue of immigration is an American issue, not a problem just for the Southwest. The nationwide support has made it clear many other people agree, he tells Van Susteren in the video below.

(h/t: Fox News)