Border Fence Sees Progress

[Terri]

By EILEEN SULLIVAN and ARTHUR H. ROTSTEIN
Associated Press
December 7, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The administration's plan to use technology and physical barriers to keep people from illegally entering the country is back on track this week.

A virtual fence along a 28-mile stretch of Arizona will get the government's conditional stamp of approval Friday, allowing it to move into the next testing phase.

Earlier this year Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff withheld partial payment to contractor Boeing Co. because the technology the company used in a pilot project near Tucson, Ariz., did not work properly.

More (http://www.gopusa.com/news/2007/december/1207_border_fence.sh tml)

[jackbenimble]

Good news on the virtual fence. I hope that they staff it with an abundance of real BP agents or all it will catch is virtual illegals. I'm not really interested in camera footage; I want arrests.

There are several articles floating around about Chertoff getting tough on the landowners down in Texas who won't give the government access to survey for the fence.

Somehow the words "tough" and "Chertoff" when put together in a sentence discussing anything related to border security just don't form a very convincing mental picture. The refrain from an early 1970's Lou Reed song keep popping into my mind:

You hit me with a flower
You do it every hour
Ohh, baby you're so vicious

If he really wanted to get tough he would just offer to build the fence on the northern edge of their property.

Regards,
Jack

[tgclark]

I will believe it when it is finished and the illegals are stopped from coming here - period.

[Rubicon]

Like tgclark, I too will believe it when I see it! I have little or no faith that Chertoff or anyone in our current administration or DHS has any real intention of actually securing the borders or of enforcing the law even if they have security measures in place.
My skepticism or cynicism is based on decades of promises left unfulfilled.
The capability or success of a "virtual" fence also leaves me a bit skeptical. In the end, if there are not enough Border Patrol Agents, no matter how many times we identify intruders, they will go off into America, with no problem.
Add to this the obvious concern of existing BP Agents that the government will not back them up if they confront intruders, and we have a recipe for failure.
I was amused when the Mayor of Laredo objected to the fence (or "wall" as he called it),
because it would interfere with commerce. Now please tell me where I'm wrong here folks, BUT,
are there no gates to be included or access terminals or gateways? At large cities and even at minor crossings, there are guard houses that look like toll booths. The Mayor would lead one to believe there will be no access at all if a fence goes up.
Or perhaps he is concerned the late night, middle of nowhere, illegal drug shipments or numerous illegal aliens crossings might end? Nahhhh!

[schillerbjr]

And the farmer drew another load away!!

[Tiberius]

Oh, like this administration has any credibility on the issue of illegal immigration or saying they are going to build a fence, perhaps they should have started after 9/11?

[RW]

"Technology" in and of itself will do nothing except count accurately exactly HOW many of these criminals are crossing the border. That's it, unless poison darts fired from unmanned drones at the illegals crossing or sumpin are gonna be somehow involved. And that ain't gonna happen.

Build a nice, high, insulated on both sides with electrified razor wire fencing, high concrete wall...then NOW yer talkin' security!

Do I want "Check point Charlies" armed with high power rifles at the top of the high, razor wired, electrified insulationed concrete wall? NO, at least I don't think so. I honestly don't want to kill them, just make them come in legally, wait their turn.

Frankly...a good solid barrier as I described, above, combined with what we have with Cubans...no money wired back to the Mother Country, then we may have a good chance of stemming the tide. While we're building the wall, disallow any wiring of money back to Mexico. If someone is caught with a large amount of cash sneaking back to Mexico, as we are building the wall, take the money and donate it to the building of the wall. Or Compeanos and Ramos legal defense fund....

It all, really, boils down to money.

[Terri]

Fox News is running a very informative segment on the fence today. As they do everything, it repeats periodically so you might see it if you tune in.

The gist of it is that the government has to buy land to erect some stretches of the fence. Landowners are refusing to sell so eminent domain proceedings are going to be necessary in some instances.

Guess we never heard of easements back in the day, eh?

[Paulmarkar]

RW it depends on what technology they deploy. Predators armed with hellfire missles come to mind. There are also non-lethal projection devices using ultrahigh frequency soundwaves and also infrared xmitters to force people to retreat from the area.

[Ralph Cringely]

Meanwhile, the on-again off-again funding of 'the fence' is on again. The Nov 8 bill which at times had $3 billion funding for fences and related enforcement had, in its final version, nothing for the fence. SOURCE (http://www.fcw.com/online/news/150792-1.html)

But now the catchall spending bill that may be voted on tomorrow includes the $3 billion. SOURCE (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h6dZR6Ran4SvzD tMx_YPyrtO3qkQD8TIUJ HG0)

Will it make into law this time????

[Texas Teacher]

RW I agree with you. A virtual fence will do nothing. No matter what kind of fence we have, we need arrests and deportations. At least a real fence would keep some out.

[Rubicon]

I am personally elated the funding for fencing of almost any sort, may be reallocated. The truth is, so long as funding & construction of fencing along our porous southern border is not allocated or underway, we can trust nothing at all from Washington that they will secure our borders. Even with funding & construction I am not so sure we can trust them!
However, including this funding in an "omni-bus" funding bill appears to be a political ploy by someone. The legislation is objected to by the admin. due to other objections, so we are told. Democrats wanted the funding so pet projects would be funded, & Rino's backed this for their own pet projects.
The fence funding may just be an add on by someone who wanted it approved & had no other way to get it done.
We shall see if the measure is passed & signed by t he president. Then we shall see if games are played & work never gets underway or is done half a**ed so that we waste tax dollars on an ineffective fencing of any sort.
I said long ago immigration would be a significant issue in the '08 elections & my Rino Senator said I was wrong & I was making too much of it. Boy, is he eating those words!
(Texas Teacher... Gotta love the ending to your post. Especially the one about our favorite girl Rosie! LOL)

[Thundercat505]

progress????

the day after the appropriations passed for the fence a new bill was sent thru which essentially gutted the fence bill that had just passed.

duncan hunter on u-tube made a statement that "the money is there for the fence and we can construct the fence to it's completion in a matter of months using small contractors, yet we are building 18 mile stretches at a time with a huge cost over-run."

a virtual fence does nothing more than count the amount of illegals coming across in that vicinity per day. nothing more. it doesn't keep track of them, it doesn't give warning enough for bp to catch them, it just simply counts while taking pictures which are too fuzzy to even track the perps. and find them.

THIS IS COMPLETELY WRONG!!!

[Ralph Cringely]

This time they left in the money, but took out the fence. Sort of. They made it optional.

The last time this relaxation was attempted, the wording was nothing ... shall require the Secretary of Homeland Security to install fencing, ... if the Secretary determines [it] ... is not the most appropriate means to achieve and maintain operational control over the international border at such location.
SOURCE (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/amendment.xpd?sessio n=110&amdt=s3176)

Presumably this wording is what was in H.R. 2764 as just passed.

[Edit. Discussion of this is happening on another thread (http://www.gopusa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=448 54).]

[RealDeal]

Yes, and there is one candidate who is DOING SOMETHING.. WHO AUTHORED THE BORDER FENCE ACT.... HUNTER!!

I posted the email I received yesterday from his campaign, in that "related thread'...

Time for US to call and fax..... AGAIN!!

Damned buggers!! They can't hear us, or what?

Tar/ feathers/ rails.

[JWB]

I am not sure what kind of progress this fence is making. What's with Hutchison from Texas. Why do we have Republicans doing all they can to keep the fence from being built? She even has an admendment to the spending bill named after her. and her admendment basically gutted the fence bill. I am very worried about this coming election. I think so many conservatives, especially Republicans are going to be so fed up that they are going to set this next election out.

[Myke]

the money alloted for the fence has just been gutted. They took the money away. Read Michelle Malkins article for the truth. They are not going to build the fence or do anything else to illegals. They want open borders and will force them on us. We need a 3 million man march on Washington

[Myke]

They are not going to build the fence. They want the open borders for The North America Union. They want to turn us into a third world country. And I don't think anything is going to stop them. I look at the audiences in the Dem debates and wonder why anyone is there supporting anyone who wants comprehensive immigration..transla tion amnesty..All Dems and some Reps are for amnesty. Some say they aren't but then they have a debate in front Mexicans and talk a different story. We have to find someone who can win the vote who is fighting against amnesty and open borders

[CherokeeJim]

What would really help each border states economy would be to use all the Illegals that are in each border state PRISONS to build the fence, (Southside only) and when their time is up. PUT THEM ON A BUS AND SEND THEM BACK ACROSS THE BORDER. And put The Ariz. Sheriff in Charge.:D :) Sence they only do the jobs Liberal Democratics don't want to do anyway.

[STEELMAN]

Building a fence now is like closing the barn door after the mules have left.

Now, if we do it, it'll cost us a ton of tax dollars to go out and find them.

[Der Alte]

Now, if we do it, it'll cost us a ton of tax dollars to go out and find them.
Not really, just cut out all the social benefits and nail the employers and they will decide to go home on their own.