The Department of Homeland Security has announced that plans to build a 28-mile “virtual fence” along Arizona’s border with Mexico have been finally approved. Though it doesn’t include plans for an actual, physical border fence, the system is expected to be effective in reducing illegal immigration into the U.S.
Part of the fence is already operational: “On Feb. 13, an officer in a Tucson command center - 70 miles from the border - noticed a group of about 100 people gathered at the border. The officer notified agents on the ground and in the air. Border Patrol caught 38 of the 100 people who tried to cross illegally, and the others went back into Mexico,” according to a Homeland Security official (
AP).
The system consists of 98-foot tall towers mounted with surveillance equipment, including radar, cameras, and sensors, which law enforcement officers can use to monitor the border. According to the Associated Press, the equipment is “capable of distinguishing people from cattle at a distance of about 10 miles,” as well as being “powerful enough to tell group sizes and whether people are carrying backpacks that may contain weapons or drugs.”
There have been some glitches, however. The government has withheld full payment from Boeing, the company commissioned to build the system, due to late deliveries and failures in the test product. The final product (called Project 28) will be installed, however, with Boeing offering the government a $2 million credit for support and maintenance.
Not everyone is convinced, though: "This is not the end of the Project 28 story," said Congressman Christopher Carney (D-Pennsylvania), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Management Subcommittee. "We need to understand what went wrong with Project 28 to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and taxpayer dollars are not squandered."
The 28-mile stretch is the first of what the government hopes will be an extensive network.
