美国国家公共电台 NPR Privately Funded Border Wall Near Completion In New Mexico

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

There is a new section of border wall under construction in Sunland Park, N.M. Now, this isn't President Trump's wall. This is the first crowdfunded border barrier built with private donations on private land. The team behind the wall showed it off for reporters yesterday, and Mallory Falk, with member station KRWG, was there.

MALLORY FALK, BYLINE¹: A cement mixer pours concrete onto the ground near a newly built barrier at the corner where New Mexico, Texas and Mexico meet. Construction workers in bright green and orange T-shirts stand at the ready with shovels² to smooth the new concrete into a road for Border Patrol vehicles.

BRIAN KOLFAGE: This is a project that was started by the American people who all believed in border security and who believe there is a crisis down here.

FALK: Brian Kolfage looks out over the construction site. All this was his brainchild. He founded a nonprofit called We Build The Wall and hired a construction company, Fisher Industries, to start building on private land.

TOMMY FISHER: Fifteen hundred people from the Fisher Industries team stood up and was so proud and honored for We Build The Wall to give us a shot to do this.

FALK: Tommy Fisher is president. He's pitching his company as the best contractor³ for other sections of the wall on private or government land.

FISHER: We have the ability to build in the multibillions and build miles and miles and miles.

FALK: And he's not the only one who sees this as just the beginning. Another is Kris Kobach, former secretary of state of Kansas and now legal counsel for We Build The Wall. He says the group's already identified 10 other potential sites.

KRIS KOBACH: We've kept the locations a secret. And then once we start building, of course, we announce, here we are.

FALK: Customs and Border Protection says they're not a partner on this project and that this stretch of land in New Mexico isn't a high-priority site. But Kobach claims his group's been in close communication with officials. And once construction is done, in his words, they'll hand over the keys to the car.

KOBACH: I know for a fact that they are very eager to take control of this site and use it.

FALK: We Build The Wall may have been in communication with Border Patrol. But when it comes to local government, that's a different story. Javier Perea is mayor of Sunland Park. The city learned just last week that this wall project was in the works. He says construction started before all the permits were in order.

JAVIER PEREA: This is an issue that was railroaded into the city of Sunland Park. And, you know, it takes time for us to review documents and ensure that everything's been in compliance⁴.

FALK: Sunland Park is small, less than 20,000 people, and has limited resources. The mayor says the city was already struggling to deal with permitting issues. And then when he ordered a temporary pause on construction, he and his staff were flooded with calls from wall supporters. And his family even received death threats. Perea worries that other small border communities could also be blindsided. And he says...

PEREA: The construction of this border wall, I do not believe it's going to accomplish what many people think it will. And what it will accomplish is that maybe it'll funnel⁵ some people to different areas in the desert.

FALK: He says a half-mile of private wall is not the solution to the border crisis.

For NPR News, I'm Mallory Falk in Sunland Park.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 shovels   

n.铲子( shovel的名词复数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份v.铲子( shovel的第三人称单数 )；锹；推土机、挖土机等的)铲；铲形部份

参考例句：

• workmen with picks and shovels 手拿镐铲的工人
• In the spring, we plunge shovels into the garden plot, turn under the dark compost. 春天，我们用铁锨翻开园子里黑油油的沃土。 来自辞典例句

3 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

4 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

5 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。