Americans have raised more than $17 million in just 11 days to build a wall along our southern border.

On December 16, Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage created a fundraiser using the crowdsourcing site GoFundMe in an effort to raise money for a secure border wall. As a government shutdown loomed, news of the GoFundMe page gained traction and more than 280,000 Americans jumped at the opportunity to exhibit their support for securing our nation’s borders.

Earlier this month, President Trump insisted on another $5 billion for a border wall before he would sign another spending bill. Democrats and some Republicans refused to budge on the issue, and the government has been shut down since December 22. However, if Congress actually listened to the people, such as those donating their money to the cause, an effective wall would have been built years ago.

Rather than protect Americans by curtailing illegal immigration, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made certain that a House-passed spending bill that secured $5.7 billion for the wall was dead on arrival in the Senate. It appears as if the Senate minority leader and the other politicians rejecting this funding value illegal aliens over the citizens they are charged to represent.

According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), illegal immigration cost taxpayers a net $116 billion annually. While a border wall would not stop illegal immigration completely, it could drastically reduce the illegal alien inflow and could assist Border Patrol agents in protecting the sovereignty of this nation. Five billion dollars is a drop in the bucket compared to what taxpayers have paid over the years to provide services to illegal aliens and their dependents.

As for the GoFundMe page, the question remains to how the government would receive the money. Congress must first approve any private donations to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Mississippi Republican Steven Palazzo introduced a bill in the House, the Border Bonds for America Act, that would allow people to fund the wall through savings bonds, and the bill could be a viable option for Kolfage if it passes.

This fund demonstrates that many Americans want Congress to act on a border wall and are putting their money where their mouths are. Kolfage’s effort is currently GoFundMe’s second largest fundraiser ever, and it could possibly garner that top spot in the next few weeks. The people are speaking. If members of Congress value their political futures, or simply want to do their jobs, it would be wise for them to listen.