Surprise! Virtual Border Fence Virtually Worthless

Maybe it would work better if there were only virtual illegal aliens and drug dealers crossing the border instead of real ones.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has put the brakes on SBInet, the $3 billion plan to build a virtual fence along the U.S. border with Mexico.

“Not only do we have an obligation to secure our borders, we have a responsibility to do so in the most cost-effective way possible,” Napolitano said in a statement Tuesday. “The system of sensors and cameras along the Southwest border known as SBInet has been plagued with cost overruns and missed deadlines.”

With that in mind, Napolitano is withholding funding for the program’s first deployment until a review she ordered in January is finished. And she’s taking away $50 million in stimulus funds from the Boeing-managed program. Instead, that funding will be put toward “other tested, commercially available security technology along the Southwest border.”

And supporters of amnesty (Hello Mav and Lindsey!) wondered why proponents of enforcement weren't willing to accept their promises of securing the border someday for amnesty now.

I get that securing the border isn't quite as easy as saying 'build a damn wall' (though in a lot of places, it's a good start) but there should be absolutely zero talk of amnesty, comprehensive reform, bringing people out of the shadows, whatever you want to call it until we get a handle on the existing problem. Once we do that, then we can talk about the rest of the problem.

posted by DrewM. at 12:46 PM

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