U.S. Puts Up Real Barriers to “Virtual Fence” Along Mexican Border

Last month, the government put the brakes on plans for a virtual fence along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of Homeland Security, explained that the fence was taking too long and costing too much to build.
 
In November 2005, President George W. Bush announced the Secure Border Initiative. The $3 billion measure was intended to combat terrorism, organized crime, drug gangs, and illegal immigration at the U.S-Mexico line.
 
The initiative increased the number of guards, and allotted money for the erection of a 2,000-mile “virtual fence” to span the length of the border.

The plan was to build a system of cameras, sensors, and radar that would help guards find people crossing the border in real time. It was to be “the most technologically advanced border security initiative in American history,” said President Bush in May of 2006.

Fence caused more headaches than rewards

	Boeing, also a major airplane manufacturer, was hired to construct the virtual border fence.

When it was time to get started on the virtual fence, known as SBInet, the government hired the Boeing Company. Boeing is a major manufacturer of aircraft, communication systems, and defense systems.
 
The fence has been constructed bit by bit. Boeing was supposed to hand over the first section—a 23-mile stretch near Sasabe, Ariz.—to Border Patrol in January. But this handover was delayed by problems with video recording equipment. Boeing is still testing this initial portion of SBInet.
                                                                                                                         
The radar system had trouble distinguishing between vegetation and people in bad weather, and the satellite communication system took too long relaying information to the command center.
 
Boeing officials admitted that the undertaking was more difficult than originally anticipated because they used off-the-shelf products that were never meant to be linked. In other words, instead of designing a special system of cameras and sensors that would communicate with each other naturally, they took separate products and tried to make them work together.

Controversy also swirled around Boeing’s testing methods. When testing the effectiveness of SBInet, the company tweaked their results to make the fence seem more successful than it really was. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), which ensures responsibility in government, is now calling for stricter testing guidelines.

Money and technical problems

	U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano called for a funding freeze for the border fence.

Boeing’s original plan was to complete SBInet by 2011. But due to technical problems, the end date was moved to 2014; and now there is no definitive timeline.

The Department of Homeland Security froze funding for all programs except for two: completion of the 23-mile fence near Sasabe and a new 30-mile section south of Ajo, Ariz.

Last year, Boeing estimated that the total cost of the two Arizona fences would be $100 million. This is in addition to money that was already spent on a 28-mile trial fence built in southern Arizona two years ago. The new fences will replace the trial one. So far, DHS has rolled out over $700 million on various expenses for SBInet, and no viable portion of the fence has been released to Border Patrol.

Rather than waste more money, DHS will take time to evaluate what’s been done and develop a more efficient strategy for SBInet.

Boeing expects to hand over the two Arizona segments of SBInet to the government early next year.

Cost-effective ways to secure the border

	Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) supports cancelling the border fence project, which he called a "complete failure."

“Not only do we have an obligation to secure our borders, we have a responsibility to do so in the most cost-effective way possible,” Napolitano said about her decision to scrap the original plan.

Until DHS is ready to move forward with the virtual fence, it will focus on securing the border through existing means and tested products. This will include mobile surveillance equipment, thermal imaging devices, ultra-light plane detection systems, mobile radios, cameras, and laptop computers for cars used by Border Patrol agents.

Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, called SBInet a “complete failure” and supported the decision to direct money away from the program.

“After spending...taxpayers’ dollars on a failed system of sensors and cameras along the Southwest border…I am pleased that Secretary Napolitano has decided to instead turn to commercial[ly] available technology that can be used to immediately secure our border from illegal entries,” he said.