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 Technology News | February 2008 
Homeland Security Chief Okays Virtual Fence
 Wired
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Despite a glitch last year in setting up the virtual border fence, the head of the Department of Homeland Security is planning to sign off on the first section of the virtual fence across the U.S.-Mexican border, reports CNN:
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Friday was to announce approval of the fence, built by the Boeing Co. and using technology the Bush administration plans to extend to other areas of the Arizona border, as well as sections of Texas.
These projects could get under way as early as this summer, officials said.
The virtual fence is part of a national plan to secure the southwest border with physical barriers and high-tech detection capabilities intended to stop illegal immigrants on foot and drug smugglers in vehicles. As of February 8, 295 miles of fencing had been constructed.
The virtual fence already is working.
On February 13, an officer in a Tucson command center - 70 miles from the border - noticed a group of about 100 people gathered at the border. The officer notified agents on the ground and in the air. Border Patrol caught 38 of the 100 people who tried to cross illegally, and the others went back into Mexico, a Homeland Security official said.
Virtual fences do not have a great track record for permanently stopping the movement of people across porous borders, so it'll be interesting to see if the Boeing-built technology fares better than previous efforts. |
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