Privately-funded border wall construction begins near El Paso

Construction has begun on a section of border wall near El Paso, Texas, with the help of a privately funded organization that saw an area of need, according to Fox News.

The organization, called "We Build the Wall," is seeking to close a large gap in the El Paso sector, which is a large and heavily-trafficked crossing area where authorities say 930 people are apprehended per day. According to former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, this is only the beginning.

"We'll keep on building as long as people keep chipping in. The average contribution has been only $67 but so many people have chipped in," said Kobach, who is involved with We Build the Wall and who served as an immigration advisor to President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.

The barrier is being built on private land — land which the Army Corps of Engineers have said is too rugged for fencing, Kobach said.

"This is the first time any private organization has built border wall on private land," Kobach said on "Fox & Friends."

The privately-funded effort comes at a time when President Trump's attempt to fund the wall using a national emergency declaration is facing legal hurdles.

U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr. blocked construction of two border wall sections Friday — 46 miles in New Mexico and five miles in Arizona. The president intends to appeal the ruling, and attacked the judge on Twitter.

"Another activist Obama appointed judge has just ruled against us on a section of the Southern wall that is already under construction," President Trump wrote. "This is a ruling against Border Security and in favor of crime, drugs and human trafficking. We are asking for an expedited appeal!"

President Trump declared the border situation a national emergency in February after an extended government shutdown failed to help him secure congressionally-approved border funding.