Posted on 05/10/2009 5:04:31 AM PDT by reaganaut1
In announcing the resumption of a "virtual fence" on the U.S.-Mexican border yesterday, the Obama administration sent a powerful message of continuity with President George W. Bush, who included a pledge to secure the border as part of a 2006 effort to persuade Congress to overhaul the nation's immigration laws.
Much as Bush aides did three years ago, administration officials in the Department of Homeland Security described a five-year, multibillion-dollar plan yesterday to link a chain of tower-mounted sensors and other surveillance equipment over most of the 2,000-mile southern frontier. As before, the network of cameras, radar and communications gear is intended to speed deployment of U.S. Border Patrol officers to intercept illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and other violators, yielding greater "operational control" over the vast and rugged area.
What is different, DHS officials said, is that they have learned lessons from the technical problems that dogged the Bush administration's first, 28-mile pilot project south of Tucson. What remains unclear is whether the ambitious technology will encounter fresh setbacks that would embarrass President Obama, who has urged Congress to streamline the immigration system and work out a way to deal fairly with the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, analysts said.
James Jay Carafano, a homeland security analyst at the Heritage Foundation, praised efforts to move beyond Congress's $2 billion drive to build 670 miles of fencing and vehicle barriers on the border, saying the country is better served with technology that fits the needs of the Border Patrol than with a hard-to-maintain "bumper-sticker" fence that the agency doesn't want.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Continuity with W regarding border security?
Just another way that our country is screwed.
Which means, like Bush, Obama has no intention of securing the border. And why is the Heritage foundation praising this farce after they provided some of the best analysis last year of the real impact of amnesty for illegals?
But no fence (canceled by Obalmy) despite overwhelming evidence of its effectiveness (or perhaps because of it) starting in the San Diego area.
Tear down the WH fence, Mr. 0bama.
“virtual fence” sounds too much like a boondoggle on which to spend millions of dollars on what a real fence could do at a fraction of the cost. Plus, it assumes we will act on what we see. And no, I don’t mean suing Arizona ranchers, I mean deporting illegal immigrants.
BS. The rank and file of the BP strongly support a real fence.
A ‘virtual fence’ to keep out ‘virtual’ illegals?
Donations from contractor?????
That is for certain and a fact.
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