NOT ONE MILE, NOT ONE INCH OF THIS FENCE HAS BEEN BUILT SINCE THE SECURE FENCE ACT OF 2006 WAS PASSED INTO LAW!!!!
On September 29, 2006, the Senate voted 80-19 for passage of H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act of 2006. (It passed the House on September 14, 2006, by a vote of 283-138). Clinton and Obama both voted for the act.
The law mandated that the secretary of Homeland Security build more than 700 miles of double fencing along specific segments of the U.S.-Mexico. Then House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R.-N.Y.), the principal sponsor of the law, explained its purpose in a floor speech on the day of the 2006 House vote. "It provides over 700 miles of two-layered reinforced fencing," King said, according to the Congressional Record.
An October 1, 2006 story in the Washington Post, which reported that the bill had passed in the Senate, carried this headline: "Border Fence is Approved; Congress Sets Aside Immigration Overhaul in Favor of 700-Mile Barrier."
"The Senate gave final approval Friday night to legislation authorizing the construction of 700 miles of double-layered fencing on the U.S.-Mexico border, shelving President Bush's vision of a comprehensive overhaul of U.S. immigration laws in favor of a vast barrier," said the lead in the Post story.
All 435 members of the House of Representatives and one third of U.S. senators faced reelection contests just one month after passage of the Secure Fence Act.
The actual text of the law -- enacted with Clinton's and Obama's votes -- is unambiguous. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:4:./temp/~c1099PXA7V
"[T]he Secretary of Homeland Security," the law says, "shall provide for at least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors--(i) extending from 10 miles west of the Tecate, California, port of entry to 10 miles east of the Tecate, California, port of entry; (ii) extending from 10 miles west of the Calexico, California, port of entry to 5 miles east of the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry; (iii) extending from 5 miles west of the Columbus, New Mexico, port of entry to 10 miles east of El Paso, Texas; (iv) extending from 5 miles northwest of the Del Rio, Texas, port of entry to 5 miles southeast of the Eagle Pass, Texas, port of entry; and (v) extending 15 miles northwest of the Laredo, Texas, port of entry to the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry."
Showing posts with label Border Fence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Border Fence. Show all posts
Monday, March 03, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Border Fence Going Virtual
Border Fence Going Virtual
By: Joe Murray, The Bulletin
02/25/2008
The long-awaited and highly- controversial virtual security fence has received the green light and is ready to be implemented across a 28-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said on Friday.
Known as Project 28, the virtual fence will rely on cameras and radar in lieu of physical fencing to patrol the border.
It costs $20 million.
"I have personally witnessed the value of this system," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "I have spoken directly to the border patrol agents who are involved in operating that system over the last few months and who have seen it produce actual results in terms of identifying and allowing the apprehension of people who were illegally smuggling across the border."
The 28-mile virtual fence consists of 98-ft. unmanned surveillance towers equipped with radar technology, sensors and cameras the government asserted can distinguish people from cattle from a 10-mile distance. Officials claim the cameras are capable of determining group sizes and whether individuals are carrying backpacks that may contain dangerous weapons or drugs.
Project 28, however, was riddled with software glitches last summer. The government had already paid Boeing, the company providing the technology, $15 million of the $20 million owed before recognizing the system was not working properly. Mr. Chertoff now claims the system is operational.
"I don't think it's riddled with problems at this point. I think that the initial version that was completed in the summer was unsatisfactory, so we did not take additional acceptance," Mr. Chertoff explained. "We are trying to be tough customers but not unreasonable customers."
Despite the technological promises of the virtual fence, lawmakers are concerned DHS is using the virtual fence as cover for failing to build the 700 miles of a physical fence required by the Secure Fence Act of 2007. The act, which recognized the success of the double-barrier San Diego border fence, mandated that the government build a similar fence on the southern border, a mandate that has been largely ignored by Washington.
"The American people want our borders secured, yet the Department of Homeland Security, even when presented with a mandate from Congress to get the job done, has done little of what is actually required to achieve an enforceable border," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.).
The decision of DHS to move away from constructing the double-barrier fence and toward a virtual fence has raised concerns among many immigration reform advocates.
"Washington is attempting to play smoke and mirrors with the American people by promising border security, pledging a fence, refusing to build physical fencing and then deploying faulty and overpriced technology that will only tell us if people or cows are illegally invading our country," said Chris Simcox, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Mr. Simcox believes the virtual fence is "virtually useless" and will fail to protect the border.
"While technology and manpower are an important part of this effort, the best and most effective method of preventing illegal foot and vehicle traffic from entering the United States is border security fencing," Mr. Hunter argued. Mr. Hunter has introduced the Reinstate the Secure Fence Act in the House as an effort to compel government officials to build the double-layer fenced.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us.
©The Evening Bulletin 2008
By: Joe Murray, The Bulletin
02/25/2008
The long-awaited and highly- controversial virtual security fence has received the green light and is ready to be implemented across a 28-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials said on Friday.
Known as Project 28, the virtual fence will rely on cameras and radar in lieu of physical fencing to patrol the border.
It costs $20 million.
"I have personally witnessed the value of this system," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "I have spoken directly to the border patrol agents who are involved in operating that system over the last few months and who have seen it produce actual results in terms of identifying and allowing the apprehension of people who were illegally smuggling across the border."
The 28-mile virtual fence consists of 98-ft. unmanned surveillance towers equipped with radar technology, sensors and cameras the government asserted can distinguish people from cattle from a 10-mile distance. Officials claim the cameras are capable of determining group sizes and whether individuals are carrying backpacks that may contain dangerous weapons or drugs.
Project 28, however, was riddled with software glitches last summer. The government had already paid Boeing, the company providing the technology, $15 million of the $20 million owed before recognizing the system was not working properly. Mr. Chertoff now claims the system is operational.
"I don't think it's riddled with problems at this point. I think that the initial version that was completed in the summer was unsatisfactory, so we did not take additional acceptance," Mr. Chertoff explained. "We are trying to be tough customers but not unreasonable customers."
Despite the technological promises of the virtual fence, lawmakers are concerned DHS is using the virtual fence as cover for failing to build the 700 miles of a physical fence required by the Secure Fence Act of 2007. The act, which recognized the success of the double-barrier San Diego border fence, mandated that the government build a similar fence on the southern border, a mandate that has been largely ignored by Washington.
"The American people want our borders secured, yet the Department of Homeland Security, even when presented with a mandate from Congress to get the job done, has done little of what is actually required to achieve an enforceable border," said Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.).
The decision of DHS to move away from constructing the double-barrier fence and toward a virtual fence has raised concerns among many immigration reform advocates.
"Washington is attempting to play smoke and mirrors with the American people by promising border security, pledging a fence, refusing to build physical fencing and then deploying faulty and overpriced technology that will only tell us if people or cows are illegally invading our country," said Chris Simcox, president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. Mr. Simcox believes the virtual fence is "virtually useless" and will fail to protect the border.
"While technology and manpower are an important part of this effort, the best and most effective method of preventing illegal foot and vehicle traffic from entering the United States is border security fencing," Mr. Hunter argued. Mr. Hunter has introduced the Reinstate the Secure Fence Act in the House as an effort to compel government officials to build the double-layer fenced.
Joe Murray can be reached at jmurray@thebulletin.us.
©The Evening Bulletin 2008
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