Counter GoFundMe to fundraising page for border wall created: 'Ladders to get over Trump's wall'

The GoFundMe page raised more than $75,000 in one day

In an effort to counter a viral internet fundraiser to build President Donald Trump’s border wall, a group has created a competing page to raise funds for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

The page, titled “Ladders to Get Over Trump’s Wall,” raised more than $76,000 out of its $100 million goal by Friday morning. It was created on Thursday.

Although the group behind the GoFundMe page is called the “Ladder for Migrant Siblings,” the donations are not going to be spent for ladders. Instead, all the money collected will be donated to the Refugee and Immigrant Centre for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), the page said. The nonprofit organisation is based in Texas and offers legal services for immigrant families and refugees.

“We saw some folks are raising money for a border wall to keep out our migrant siblings and fellow human beings, who are fleeing violence and persecution and whose tragically-underpaid labour is essential to the US economy,” the page added.

“Seems like a bad idea on countless levels for everyone involved. Maybe we should focus on human rights and creating a community that reflects our supposed values.”

The GoFundMe creator, Charlotte Clymer, told the Daily Dot that she created the fundraising page after she saw a tweet @HoarseWisperer posted where he joked about making a fund for ladders migrants and refugees can use to climb over the wall.

“I laughed and then thought: ‘Wait...why not?’” Ms Clymer said.

“I’m a big fan of RAICES [The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services] and proud of the work they’re doing in Texas,” she added.

“They love the project, and we’re in the process of adding them to the GoFundMe page as a team member so they can withdraw the funds directly when this ends,” Ms Clymer said. “We’re kind of playing this by ear. If we keep up a steady rate of donations, I see no reason not to have the page active for a few weeks. In any case, once it plateaus and ends, RAICES will transfer the funds on their own.”

The GoFundMe page, created by Brian Kolfage, known for owning right-wing news sites peddling fake news and conspiracy theories, to build Mr Trump’s border wall raised more than $11 million in four days. The fundraising goal is $1 billion.

Local Texas news stations reported finding ladders, discarded by immigrants and their smugglers who cross from Mexico, stacked up next to border fences. These ladders are often seized by US Customs and Border Protection.