Work on the proposed "virtual fence" along the U.S. / Mexico border finally began this week, putting an end to the years of delays and hemming and hawing by officials. Consisting of cameras, sensors, and other technology, the virtual fence is intended to stem the tide of illegal immigration and smuggling along the border. The increased surveillance is meant to compliment the thousands of new border agents and small sections of physical fences that were part of the 2003 Secure Border Initiative.
The first part of the $6.7 billion project will cover 23 miles south of Tucson, AZ, but will eventually cover nearly all of the 2,000 mile border with Mexico. Only the 200 mile stretch of the Big Bend National Park in Southwest Texas will be excluded, though that area is expected to be addressed in later legislation.
Officials expect the first sections of the virtual fence to be operational by year's end, though, as we all know, expectations and actual results rarely match up when it comes to government. [From: NY Times]
