Smith interviewed by Fox New’s Greta Van Susteren

State Sen. Steve Smith’s (R-Maricopa) efforts to build a fence along the border have put him in the national spotlight and a spot at the table when it comes to the debate on border security.

Smith recently was interviewed by The New York Times and yesterday made a television appearance on the Greta Van Susteren show on the Fox News Channel, promoting the website www.buildtheborderfence.com.

As part of legislation successfully sponsored by Smith in his freshman year as state senator, the site accepts private donations for building a fence along the southern U.S. border. The legislation also calls for the use of inmate labor and associated costs to be paid through donations.

Smith told Van Susteren that he has received donations from citizens in all 50 states and nearly $200,000 has been received from both online and mail-in donations. He also said members of the military serving overseas also have been contributing.

“We received many donations from military men and women from U.S. military bases from all over the world,” Smith said. “You got those folks there, those brave men and women defending us, yet they still understand the battle here we are fighting in their country and for them to take their time and contribute, the support has been overwhelming.”

Van Susteren asked Smith on the total costs of the fence, which estimates place at around $50 million. Smith said the U.S. Government Office of Accountability estimated it at $400,000 and up per mile. However, Smith said not all factors are being considered in that estimate. He told Van Susteren that Betafence Co., an international security fence builder headquartered in Belgium, had pledged to donate several miles of fencing for the project. Smith believed with that kind of support, the momentum would continue and the dollars spent “will be stretched.”