Opportunity at the Borders

Jun 1, 2006 12:00 PM, By Paul Rothman

A man intending to cross the border between Mexico and the United States approaches from the south. The terrain is rugged — and as he crosses over the last hill, he encounters a corrugated steel wall, stretching east to west, as far as the eye can see.

Behind that wall is a bustling all-weather road, patrolled regularly by vehicles and foot traffic. Beyond the road is a network of fencing and barbed wire.

Spotlighting these fortifications are rows of stadium-style lights that shine throughout the evening. Surveillance cameras and other high-tech-looking equipment are lurking. There is air traffic overhead. Disheartened, the man turns back, seemingly frightened away by the specter of technology.

While it seems like a scene out of a science fiction novel, that vision of border security is similar to what President Bush has envisioned for the protection of the United States borders.

A similar line of virtually impenetrable fortifications already exists — it is sitting on a 6.9-mile stretch of the San Luis, Ariz., border with Mexico, and it was built by National Guard troops at Bush's behest.

Bush toured the San Luis border area on May 18. He envisions similar fortifications across the entire 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border — and he has asked both Congress and the private sector to step in to make the vision a reality.

The vision: The Secure Border Initiative

President Bush took his border security concerns to the nation in a live television address May 15. He called for further support of the Secure Border Initiative and for the technology-driven SBInet.

“We're launching the most technologically advanced border security initiative in American history,” Bush said. “We will construct high-tech fences in urban corridors, and build new patrol roads and barriers in rural areas. We'll employ motion sensors, infrared cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles to prevent illegal crossings. America has the best technology in the world, and we will ensure that the Border Patrol has the technology they need to do their job and secure our border.”

As part of his wide-ranging initiative to reform immigration policy in the United States, Bush called for up to 6,000 National Guard troops to be stationed along the border for a year while new Border Patrol officers are trained and brought into duty. The Guard would be used to conduct surveillance, analyze intelligence and build the fences and vehicle barriers like those that already dot the San Luis, Ariz., area of the border.

Congress is also taking on border issues. Bush says the House of Representatives has passed a bill that focuses on border security, while the Senate has passed a bill to resolve the status of illegal immigrants already in the country.

The Senate recently voted 83-16 to build 370 miles of fence in areas “most often used by smugglers and illegal aliens” as determined by federal officials. The Senate also approved 500 miles of vehicle barriers.

The underlying Senate bill provides for a “virtual” fence along the border using cameras, sensors and other technology to monitor the border, with an estimated cost of roughly $3.2 million per mile, according to Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala).

“Boots on the ground is not really enough,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says. “You've got to leverage those boots; you've got to make them as effective as possible. And the way to do that is more tactical infrastructure — things like fences, vehicle barriers and roads — and as important, next-generation technology.”

“You have to look at putting together an integrated technology package, using all the equipment that's out there that you can choose from,” he adds. “It has to be presented to us as something that will be fully integrated with the operators. So that, for example, we won't have the problem of sensors that are not fully integrated with the operators, or sensors that are not linked to the cameras.”

Story Quick Links

• Bush's SBI Plan at a Glance
• Border Security by the Numbers
• Contractors in the Running
• Citizens on Patrol the Texas technology plan
• Barriers On the Fence
• Protecting our Borders A Resource Guide

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