I never gave much thought to the whole immigration issue until I came across the term “virtual fence.” I have to admit my interest was peaked, especially because I am always amazed by new technologies. What will they come up with next?
According to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, border authorities have approved the use of new surveillance equipment dubbed P-28 (named so because it was tested along 28 miles of the border near Tucson, Ariz.).
On Friday, the government went public with its $20 million virtual fence, which is expected to significantly decrease the number of people caught crossing the border. The fence will border sections along the “leaky” U.S. and Mexico border.
Apparently, we don’t mind having Canadians coming and going as they please.
The technology behind the virtual fence, manufactured by Boeing, has ground sensors with cameras mounted on 90-foot high towers that transmit images straight to Border Patrol hubs.
The cameras would pick out smugglers and border crossers from miles away and would allow fewer agents to patrol a given stretch of border, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Ironically, the size of the Border Patrol force is expected to increase to 18,000 by the end of the year, doubling its size since President Bush first took office.
Isn’t the whole idea behind the virtual fence to be efficient and limit the use of manpower?
So not only are we spending $20 million on a fence, we’re spending more for border agents we don’t really need.
This virtual fence ordeal is such a big deal that even Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama addressed it during their debate in Austin, Texas. Both advocate for tighter border control by using high-tech alternatives rather than a physical fence.
According to the Center for Immigration Studies, immigration has contributed greatly to America’s population growth, adding approximately 2.3 million people to the country each year. This contributes to America’s economic growth and helps the world go round, in a sense.
There are estimated to be more than 12 million undocumented immigrants who take on low-paying and unappealing jobs, according to an article on Monster.com.
Construction has been completed on 302 miles of physical fence and the administration aims to extend the fencing despite skepticism. Some argue that the virtual fence is flawed and ineffective, while those in the bordering states feel that real fences are “expensive and block access to land and water,” as reported in The New York Times.
Maybe it’s just me, but I could care less about this virtual fence, as cool as it sounds. The government should just figure out a way for undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status, instead of making them jump through a bunch of loopholes, or in this case, scale a virtual fence.
I bet it’d add $20 million to the government’s bottom line.
Niki Payne is a senior journalism major, an assistant city editor and a columnist for the Daily Forty-Niner.