Homeland Security and Justice Department Announce Initiatives to Improve Border Security
At a joint news conference on Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey, announced the federal government is undertaking several new initiatives to improve border security. First, Secretary Chertoff announced that a twenty-eight mile virtual fence using radar and surveillance cameras has been approved for use along the border near Nogales, Arizona. The virtual fence employs 98-foot surveillance towers equipped with radar, sensors and cameras capable of discerning whether border crossers are persons or animals from a distance of 10 miles. (Washington Post, February 22, 2008) The virtual fence, built by Boeing as part of a $20 million project, was scheduled for completion in 2007, but ran into delays when some of the technology failed to operate as planned. Commenting on the deployment of the virtual fence, Chertoff stated, "I have personally witnessed the value of the system, and I have spoken directly to the Border Patrol agents . . . who have seen it produce actual results."
Monday, February 25, 2008
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