The reasons for the current decline in border crossing arrests cannot be determined. Authorities are unsure if the reasons are because of the downturn in the American economy or because of the new fence. Most think that fewer arrests are because of the recession and lack of jobs in the United States making border crossing less desirable.
Meanwhile, the effort to secure the border has fallen behind 7 years, according to government sources. The cost of the project is also way up, over a billion dollars to complete. Maintainence costs once the project has been completed are also billions higher.
Problems like trembling cameras are plaguing those responsible for completion. Meanwhile, determined immigrants continue to vandalize the existing fence. The 28 miles of high tech border security are rife with problems.
According to the New York Times, various woes facing completion of this project are as follows:
The report, by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’s watchdog, said the department had fallen about seven years behind its goal of putting in place the technology the Bush administration had heavily promoted when it announced the Secure Border Initiative in 2005.
In 2006, the report said, the department estimated it would have a system of cameras, radars and sensors in place to aid a force of border guards by the end of 2009, but the completion date is now projected as 2016.
“Flaws found in testing and concerns about the impact of placing towers and access roads in environmentally sensitive locations caused delays,” said Richard M. Stana, an author of the report. The cameras and radars, a “virtual fence” in a system designed by the contractor, Boeing, have fallen prey to weather and mechanical problems.
The effort to build 661 miles of fences blocking vehicles or pedestrians is nearly complete, but with 28 miles left to go, it has been delayed by lawsuits from landowners in Texas.
The government has spent $2.4 billion on such “physical infrastructure,” but the report said it could cost $6.5 billion over 20 years to maintain it.
For all the money spent, the department has not set up a way to evaluate the fences’ impact, relying mainly on the judgment of senior Border Patrol agents.
There is no way to guage the effectiveness of the fence already completed because of security breaches, change in the actual number of attempted border crossings. Meanwhile, Congress must address these issues rather than sticking their respective heads in the sand.
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You know out in Nevada where they have the infamous Area 51 base all they have are a few signs that indicate you may be shot on sight if you trespass along with some high tech sensors. No huge fence, or any other signs of a border, but apparently it has been effective. Now I know those may be strong arm tactics, but it sure beats the billions of dollars and constant whining about the border issue. A billion for border fence completion, or eight billion to Acorn to help skew the next election…………….. I think I’ll take the fence please for 1 billion. Thanks!
@Second-Alamo
Aw, go sell smart, cheap, and effective solutions somewhere else. There’s no room for that sort of nonsense here. 🙂
So, here’s one of the federal government’s actual jobs (it’s right there in the constitution), and they can’t perform at even a fair/poor level. However, anyone could do this and do this right. My cats could devise a better border security plan than the Federal government. And we’re supposed to hand these jokers 1/6th of the US economy? Our health! Uhhhhh, no. Can I hear another “illegal immigration is a federal government job, not a local government job”?
It says we build a high tech fence in the Constitution? I missed that one. How positively advanced of the founding fathers.
Who are we blaming this on again?
ACORN scewed the elections? Ah, conspiracy theories, gotta love ’em. Anyway the reality is that as of today, no terrorism suspect has come in through Mexico. Seems to me, just common sense would dictate, that if, after installation and maintenence, we spend 10 BILLIONS dollars on a fence, we are NOT investing in REAL national security measures…like inspecting our large crates that come through our ports!
Yep, it’s right there!
Conspiracy theories? Like the whole 9/11 truther thing? The Charlie Sheen thing? Conspiracy theories like that? Aww, just kidding, you really take me back with this talk! All the way back to 9/10/2001! Those were the good ol’ days!
It’s funny, because I remember telling a friend of mine on Sept. 10, 2001: “You know, the reality is that as of today, no terrorists have hijacked commercial airliners and flown them into the World Trade Center!”
Actually, securing the border with Mexico plays an important role in the war on drugs and other crimes along the US/Mexico border. We have a vested interest in securing ALL of our borders and ports. Otherwise we may as well just give up and open up everything and let the drugs and crime freely cross our borders.
Just one small example of this: http://news.usti.net/home/news/cn/email/?/world.top/2/wed/cg/Umexico-drugwar-arrest.RwXD_JS6.html
I think everyone wants the border secured. (well, nearly everyone)
As Gainesville said, it will cut down on crime. We need to know who enters the country.
Elena is right about those containers. That is an area where we are in great danger daily. all it takes is once. Protecting the United States from terrorism is no small or inexpensive feat.
I don’t think ACORN threw the election. Where did that idea come from? Coming up with 10 million bogus votes is quite an undertaking.
I stand by my statement 100%. No terrorist has come through the southern border and our most recent foiled terrorist plot has nothing to do with Mexico. I am in support of a secure border, but NOT at the cost of or in lieu of other important terrorism infrastructure that this country has yet to put in place.
The fact that our immigration system is so broken and that we have so many illegal immigrants working in food processing is actually a timebomb waiting to happen. Any terrorist worth their salt could poison thousands of people. An organized cell effort could cause chaos beyond 9/11. It’s just sitting there waiting to happen. Has been for years. National security is a joke. Our government is much more concerned with cheap labor than with national security or protecting our food supply.