500 miles of border fence completed
BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER
The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Friday that 500 miles of fencing along the border with Mexico have been complete, which is just 170 miles short of its goal.
Of the 151 miles of fence built so far in Arizona, 110 miles of it is in the Yuma Sector, according to agent Michael Bernacke, of the Yuma Sector Public Affairs Office.
"When it comes to the fence, it is one of the most visible aspect of border enforcement we have taken in the past few years," Bernacke said. "We are getting to the point where we are reaching the end of the fence project."
Homeland security officials earlier this year said the fence would not be completed by Dec. 31 as planned. About 160 miles have been built since August.
Bernacke said he was not aware if a new completion date had been set yet.
Congress authorized the fence in 2005 to help secure the border and slow illegal immigration, and gave the homeland security secretary the power to waive the federal laws for its construction. It also set aside $2.7 billion for the fence since 2006.
The overall plan for security on that border includes additional Border Patrol agents, more enforcement of immigration laws, the fence and a high-tech "virtual fence" using surveillance technology. The administration has met its goal of adding 6,000 new agents to the Border Patrol force by the end of this year, bringing the total to about 18,000.
As the result of a comprehensive operational analysis, the U.S. Border Patrol determined the need for tactical infrastructure – including fencing, patrol roads, and lighting – at locations along the U.S.-Mexico border in order to impede illegal cross-border activity.
CBP’s Secure Border Initiative (SBI) Program Management Office oversees the deployment of technology and tactical infrastructure construction at the border, which was authorized by the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
The SBI program was established by the department in early 2007 to carry out the congressional mandate. Its efforts remain focused on infrastructure, the development and deployment of surveillance technology on both the southern and northern borders, and the funding of carrizo cane eradication research in Laredo, Texas.
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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.
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FENCE FACTS AS OF DEC. 12, 2008
Total Miles of Completed Pedestrian Fence: 278
California – 91.3 miles
Arizona – 127.8 miles
New Mexico – 14.2 miles
Texas – 44.6 miles
Total Miles of Completed Vehicle Fence: 248
California – 19.8 miles
Arizona – 151.6 miles
New Mexico – 76.2 miles
Texas – 0.04 miles
http://www.yumasun.com/news/homeland...es_border.html
BY JAMES GILBERT, SUN STAFF WRITER
The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Friday that 500 miles of fencing along the border with Mexico have been complete, which is just 170 miles short of its goal.
Of the 151 miles of fence built so far in Arizona, 110 miles of it is in the Yuma Sector, according to agent Michael Bernacke, of the Yuma Sector Public Affairs Office.
"When it comes to the fence, it is one of the most visible aspect of border enforcement we have taken in the past few years," Bernacke said. "We are getting to the point where we are reaching the end of the fence project."
Homeland security officials earlier this year said the fence would not be completed by Dec. 31 as planned. About 160 miles have been built since August.
Bernacke said he was not aware if a new completion date had been set yet.
Congress authorized the fence in 2005 to help secure the border and slow illegal immigration, and gave the homeland security secretary the power to waive the federal laws for its construction. It also set aside $2.7 billion for the fence since 2006.
The overall plan for security on that border includes additional Border Patrol agents, more enforcement of immigration laws, the fence and a high-tech "virtual fence" using surveillance technology. The administration has met its goal of adding 6,000 new agents to the Border Patrol force by the end of this year, bringing the total to about 18,000.
As the result of a comprehensive operational analysis, the U.S. Border Patrol determined the need for tactical infrastructure – including fencing, patrol roads, and lighting – at locations along the U.S.-Mexico border in order to impede illegal cross-border activity.
CBP’s Secure Border Initiative (SBI) Program Management Office oversees the deployment of technology and tactical infrastructure construction at the border, which was authorized by the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
The SBI program was established by the department in early 2007 to carry out the congressional mandate. Its efforts remain focused on infrastructure, the development and deployment of surveillance technology on both the southern and northern borders, and the funding of carrizo cane eradication research in Laredo, Texas.
----
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.
----
FENCE FACTS AS OF DEC. 12, 2008
Total Miles of Completed Pedestrian Fence: 278
California – 91.3 miles
Arizona – 127.8 miles
New Mexico – 14.2 miles
Texas – 44.6 miles
Total Miles of Completed Vehicle Fence: 248
California – 19.8 miles
Arizona – 151.6 miles
New Mexico – 76.2 miles
Texas – 0.04 miles
http://www.yumasun.com/news/homeland...es_border.html
