ABC-7 Xtra: Should the privately-funded border barrier gate be open or closed?

The privately-funded border barrier gained national notoriety for several reasons, it was built with private funds, it was built faster than government funded barriers along the Borderland and it came under swift scrutiny by several groups.

Now there are two groups debating if the gate in the lower part of the barrier should remain opened or closed primarily because the road the gate is on leads to monument one, an international spot marking the boundaries between Texas, New Mexico and Mexico.

Members of the U.S. International Boundary Water Commission claimed members of “We Build the Wall” did not have the necessary permits to build and close the barrier gate on Federal property.

IBWC says it needs access to an area near monument one for maintenance on the American dam, as well as dredging near the Rio Grande.

IBWC claimed the gate was closed and locked.

They called in Dona Ana county Sheriffs deputies to open the gate, open it and lock it in an open position.

Now the Guardian Patriots, a group which splintered off from the Constitutional Patriots, is weighing in.

You may recall the Constitutional Patriots were forced off a campsite at the base of Cristo Rey by both Sunland Park police, as well as Union Pacific Railroad police.

Guardian Patriots members vow to continue patrolling land near the privately funded barrier until the gate is closed shut to prevent anyone from entering the U.S. illegally.

The executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union and members of the Guardian Patriots debate whether or not that gate should remain open Sunday on ABC 7 Xtra at 10:35 p.m. — immediately after ABC-7 News at 10.