Tech Issues Delay "Virtual Fence" Plans

Homeland Security Officials Say Border System Fails To Meet Contract Requirements

(CBS/AP)  Homeland Security officials have told federal lawmakers that the "virtual fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona doesn't meet contract requirements for detecting border intrusions and some of its technology will have to replaced by this summer.

Agency officials, testifying Wednesday before the oversight panel of the House Homeland Security Committee in Washington, D.C., said plans to expand the system to the Yuma, Ariz., and El Paso, Texas, areas will be pushed back three years to 2011 because of technological deficiencies.

The 28-mile virtual fence will use radars and surveillance cameras to try to catch people entering the country illegally.

The Sasabe network, called Project 28, was intended as a cornerstone of the government's multibillion-dollar border strategy.

That segment, which has been deployed less than a week now, has come out to reviews of outrage, CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker reports. There have been false readings, computer glitches, outdated software and cost over-runs.

As hundreds of miles of physical barriers and thousands of Border Patrol agents are being added, technology anchored by the virtual fence was to fill the gaps.

"Project 28 was supposed to be an example of how we could use technology to secure the border. The lesson is we can't secure 28 miles of our border for $20 million," said committee member Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J. "After so many years of promises and tests and millions of dollars spent, we are no closer to a technological solution to securing the border. This is unacceptable. It's what's holding up comprehensive immigration reform."

Now, Customs is claiming the project met expectations, Whitaker reports.

"This was a demonstration project - a pilot, and now we've learned a lot from it, we know the capabilities, we know how we can adapt this into our strategy as we go forward," said Jayson Ahern of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Critics say contractor Boeing Corp. never consulted border agents before engineering the system.

A Boeing executive testified that the company spent more than double the value of the $20 million contract to set things right and is now refining the network.

The Department of Homeland Security awarded Boeing a $64 million contract to improve the network in December, two months before the government accepted the Sasabe work.

Amy Kudwa, a Homeland Security spokeswoman, said that the virtual fence is not in full operation and that the agency continues to test the system.

[sociallyjust]

If a nation-state fails to control its borders, then in practicality, that nation-state either ceases to exist as a sovereign, independent nation, or is ''on the decline.''
As applicable in these [extremely dangerous]times, constant monitoring and surveillance is necessary, especially in deference to safety, security, and anti-terrorist measures regarding The United States.
We must adjust and tighten our border control to the extent of our having our borders impenetrable!

[excoachken]

The "technical problems" that the Bush Administration has found with the installation of the "virtual fence" are simply that he hasn''t found a way to quietly give Haliburton a "no bid contract." Otherwise, everything is as cool as the other side of the pillow.

[cbsblogger]

Has this administration ever done anything with competence? If so I''m not aware of it. Don''t say they protected us since 9-11 because that has been nothing but luck, and Bush is not out of office yet. BTW they didn''t protect us when they should have on 9-11......but maybe they didn''t want to.

[walt1944-2009]

The Great Emperor Bush II is upset that his plan for a "virtual fence" to stretch along the border between the USSA and Mexico does not work!

Apparently, if "THE FENCE" does become workable, it won''t be until 2011. By then most of the inhabitants of Mexico will have crossed over into the USSA and the country of Mexico and other points south should be quite empty of human beings.

In the meantime, the Great Emperor will continue to support the "virtual fence" idea much as he has stubbornly supported other ideas of his which have become DISASTERS, such as the Emperor''s version of "star wars", which operates only on warm, calm, sunny days and only when there are no other flying things in the sky!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, McCain????

[missingamerica]

"28 miles of our border for $20 million"?

Hmmmm...$714K per mile? Let me think...a decent camera with PTZ and IR capabilities and video motion detection goes for $1500, retail...

Of course, you''d also need pole mounts, solar power sources w/backup batteries, computers to aggregate and store the video feeds, backup motion detectors, normal and infrared spotlights on PTZ mounts, the connecting wiring and/or wireless transceivers, a control room for the HMI elements...

Huh...no way could you get it done for $714K per mile using the typical "big government contractor" who requires two or three times actual cost to get anything accomplished.

Somebody shafted Congress...

[twocanpete]

Unless by some miracle Mike Huckabee wins in November there is no chance this fence will go up. Either Obama or Juan McCain will open the border and flood this country with illegal aliens. The fools in Washington cannot see the handwriting on the wall. Or maybe they do and this is all part of the plan to bankrupt this nation and fill their own bank accounts. http://twocanpete.blogspot.com

[joyous88]

The fence to "nowhere" another great republican idea,

what went wrong? how did these greed driven criminals
get in the white house, haliburton is building the fence.

[samrensho]

Probably based on Microsoft software.

[joyous88]

sociallyjust;

I remember hearing the pulp from the old soviet union,

why don''t you grow up ,stop the scare game,

[peter776-2009]

We need a physical fence along the border, not a silly "virtual fence." One in eight persons born in Mexico is now in the United States. According to the Pew Foundation, the population of the US will mushroom to 440 million people by the year 2040 (that''s 140 million more than today, or an increase of roughly 50%). The overwhelming bulk of this increase will come from ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, almost all of which is from Latin America. How can we sit on our thumbs as a nation and let this full frontal assualt on our sovereignty continue? Illegal immigration brings many ills and evils: it depresses wages for working class Americans, overburdens our schools and infrastructure, robs valuable tax dollars, increases crime, and adds to the proportion of our population that does not seek to integrate into mainstream culture. BTW, I am a lifelong Democrat. I will be voting for whomever will be most aggressive in doing something to stop illegal immigration, which I view as the greatest threat to our democracy since its inception.

[nevminer735]

Ex coach Ken has his finger on the Bush/Cheney approach to the vitural fence. Just give KBR and Halliburton the go ahead to build the fence. The cost will be as high as the Iraq war in 1 year but the fence would get built. The cost of maintaining the fence be 30 to 40 times as the initial cost to fix the problems over 5 years but we will have a fence to show for it. Halliburton and Bush/Cheney laugh all the way to the bank

[oleander8]

This whole fence idiocy isn''t going to benefit anyone but the folks that are building it.

[carpriddler]

Good fences make good neighbors. Nobody on either side of the border has the huevos to take on the real issue - Mexico is analogous to a terrorist state. The people in Mexico are fleeing like people from a war zone. The drug lords, gangs, exploitation of their workforce, and decades of government injustice has fueled the surge.

[inventagod]

Yet another wildly popular Chertoff decision -
You remember Hurricane Katrina? Same guy...

It seems like enough border control agents could do the job, with the laws already on the books. However, we really don''t wish to close the border, as so many minimum wage jobs are at stake. Of course, the Bu$hies will talk ad nausium of how we are safer since 9/11 - but it''s just talk...

[sociallyjust]

Thank you, Peter for your very valuable words.

If a nation-state fails to control its borders, then in practicality, that nation-state either ceases to exist as a sovereign, independent nation, or is ''on the decline.''
As applicable in these [extremely dangerous]times, constant monitoring and surveillance is necessary, especially in deference to safety, security, and anti-terrorist measures regarding The United States.
We must adjust and tighten our border control to the extent of having our borders impenetrable!

[sociallyjust]

Part 1
PRESERVING AMERICA

It is truly regrettable that THERE IS GENUINE NEED for the following statements of fact and commentary.

We in The USA have made grave mistakes regarding our welcoming too many immigrants into our country. Once upon a time, new immigrants worked hard to build up and to complement our economy, our labor force, etc. However, as we are well aware, the times have changed and we currently face inordinate hardship as the result of such a large presence of immigrants. Our related hardships are partially due to our wanting OTHERS to relieve us from doing the ''less desirable'' labor, jobs, etc.

Many, if not the majority of new immigrants to America, do not come here for the benefit of our country. Today, these immigrants - both legal and ILlegal - are simply NOT working in America''s best interest. To the contrary, all too many of them are ''working'' AGAINST America''s best interest. In addition, a tremendous number are engaged in ''dealings'' as related to the ''underground economy.''

It is strongly urged that major efforts to encourage many of these immigrants to return to their countries of origin, be made BEFORE we lose America. Not only are a substantial percentage of these immigrants NOT working in our best interest, but too many of these immigrants are ENEMIES of America, and ARE INDEED networking freely (thanks to the freedoms and protection we

[sociallyjust]

Part 2
PRESERVING AMERICA

provide for them) to DESTROY AMERICA.
We can no longer tolerate this REAL, EMERGING, DISASTER-IN-THE-MAKING!

WE ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONTACT OUR RESPECTIVE LEGISLATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES AND PRESS THEM TO ACT ACCORDINGLY.

[dan9111]

Pathetic. They could just sell the land, and let the landowners make their own choices. The "secure the border" crowd can have their way and it wouldn''t cost the rest of us even a penny!

This notion that big daddy government should do things for our own good must be laid to rest. If you believe otherwise, then my goodness what drugs are you on? People are not setting up tents in your front yard, but they just might if you gave them free food and medical plans for doing so.

Instead, our government is purposely creating the problem it seeks to alleviate! Buying into either Republican or Democrat theories is surely a way to be a victim of this continued ripoff, and in the end is inhumane to the immigrants who will eventually suffer as well. It is about time for individual liberty, and not state decisions.

[bhappy2-2]

The "Virtual Fence" will "Virtually Eliminate" all the "Virtual ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS"; meanwhile, the REAL ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS continue to ILLEGALLY INVADE and commit MORE crimes once they get here so they can TAKE OUR JOBS. Crimes like Identity Theft, Rape, Murder, Dealing Drugs, etc. etc. etc.
We need to do whatever it takes to get rid of these ILLEGAL ALIEN INVADERS. Before we become NORTH MEXICO!

[michellem99-2009]

I knew it.

[DaveGress]

The main problem with this fence is have the Customs and Boder Patrol involved in it. They are the group that let 12 MILLION plus illegals into this country. Until they are disbanded and replaced the problem will exist. No fence is strong enough to keep this group in idiots from ruining it.

[jjp735i]

Same old. Big business, in this case Boeing Corp., gets big bucks from the government to do a job and yet does nothing to earn it.

[rf35]

"The Department of Homeland Security awarded Boeing a $64 million contract to improve the network in December, two months before the government accepted the Sasabe work."

That sounds a bit fishy, paying to improve something before it''s even finished.

Here''s my idea to secure the border: remember those motion-activated machine guns in "Aliens?" Sure, we''ll get a couple of coyotes, but all the border agents have to do is go along and refill the ammo once in a while.

[mattcbsmatt]

Even though fences are very common
Any type of fence that is use to prevent the illegal activity of illegal immigration is crazy and illegal: )

Any legal ruling against the illegal activity of illegal immigration is crazy. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is ILLEGAL or legal
Even though there is a hint in the phrase illegal immigration. :)
How in the heck can a judge know that ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is ILLEGAL: )

[tucano2]

Rubbish! The "system" was never designed to do anything but look good in photos during an election year; it was never designed or expected to do anything else. The requirements on the border include many "boots on the ground" and all heavily armed with orders to kill invaders within the fist yard of penetration into the sovereighty of the USA, bodies left as reminders to other potential terrorists as well as for food to scavengers.

[tucano2]

The percentage of Illegal Aliens who are criminals?...drum roll...100 percent.
By definition Illegal Aliens are criminals.

[messenger9]

If we were as a country to take over Mexico and make it part of USA then the illegal would be legal and no more people would be hurt. I am sure we could combine our countries to make one. That would be easier and more humane than keeping the countries seperate. Just an idea.