humanevents.com
By Rep. Duncan Hunter
The first 28 miles of “virtual fencing” being deployed along our Southern border has failed to meet expectations according to last week’s congressional testimony by Richard Stana, Director of Homeland Security for the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Stana’s indictment of the hugely expensive, over-complicated and so far unworkable alternative to real border security reminds us of what we have known all along: that virtual fencing is virtually useless.
Despite Director Stana’s report on the failures of this system, the Bush administration and its Department of Homeland Security continue to stand behind the virtual fence as a good substitute for the less artistic but repeatedly proven reinforced physical fencing. While technology can effectively augment security fencing, we know – and have always known – that technology alone fails to deliver the same level of border security as physical fencing.
It has been nearly a year and a half since the Secure Fence Act, which required the construction of 700 miles of double-layered security fencing between the United States and Mexico, was signed into law by President Bush. Yet about only 80 miles of new, single-layered pedestrian fencing has been installed along the border and DHS remains committed to building only 370 miles of pedestrian fencing.
Posted by tyne at March 4, 2008