Thread: Great Border Wall Info

http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/ ... o-wall.htm

US-Mexico Border Fence / Great Wall of Mexico
A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll indicated the American people favor a proposal to build a 2,000-mile security fence by a 51-to-37 percent margin. The total illegal alien population was estimated by Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge at 8 to 12 million in December 2003, hut Lou Dobbs of CNN regularly uses 20 million as a more realistic number of illegal aliens in the US. The sea of illegal aliens provides a cover and an environment in which terrorists can hide, and the tide of in-coming illegal aliens provides terrorists with a reliable means of entry.

As long as the per-capita income differential between the US (over $30,000) and Mexico (less than $4,000) continues to be so wide, it will be difficult to stop immigrants. Mr. Bush's guest-worker proposal would create a legal means -- a renewable three-year work visa -- for new immigrants to enter the country and take jobs that Americans don't want. Illegal immigrants already living here would become eligible for guest-worker status after paying a fine.

By one estimate each year between 400,000 and 1 million undocumented migrants try to slip across the rivers and deserts on the 2,000-mile (3,200-km) US-Mexico border. In 2005 over 1.2 million illegal immigrants were apprehended by the Border Patrol. By one estimate the Border Patrol catches 1 out of every 4 illegal border crossers, and this is typically the estimate public officials use in discussing the problem. An official Border Patrol statistics are that one in five illegal aliens are apprehended and arrested. Other estimates suggest it is much higher. These numbers are obviously wildy inconsistent with each other, by as much as an order of magnitude.

Apprehensions along the southern border make up about 97-98% of the total apprehensions. Most of those apprehended near the southern border are Mexicans. Statistics are kept of those apprehended near the southern border who are “Other Than Mexicans” or “OTM’s”. The number of OTM’s apprehended near the southern border has been clearly and dramatically increasing from 28,598 in 2000 to 65,814 in 2004. By another estimate over 155,000 non-Mexican individuals were apprehended trying to enter the United States along the Southwest border in fiscal year 2005.

As of 2005, just over 80 miles of federally enforced barriers and fencing were at strategic points on the border, mainly in Texas and California. Operation Gatekeeper, which sealed much of the San Diego border with 14 miles of fencing and stadium lighting. A 10-foot-tall primary fence made of welded steel was completed in 1993 along a 14-mile section of the border from the Pacific Ocean to the Otay border crossing. Construction of a 14-foot-tall secondary fence about 130 feet north of the existing barrier has been completed except for a section along the last few miles near the beach. A chain-link fence, running along a road, mirrors that secondary fence. The California Coastal Commission voted in February 2004 to deny the project because of erosion concerns.

Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Duncan Hunter proposed building two parallel steel and wire fences running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast. Hunter called for building a reinforced, two-layer 15' fence, separated by a 100-yard gap, along the entire length of the US border with Mexico. It would include additional physical barriers, powerful lighting and sensors to detect illegal border crossers. Some envision a wall or a fence. Others foresee a "virtual" fence of cameras, lighting, and sensors along the US-Mexican border.

But Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said a wall running the length of a border would cost too much. A 2,000 mile state-of-the-art border fence has been estimated to cost between four and eight billion dollars. Costs for a wall that would run the entire length of the border might be as low as $851 million for a standard 10-foot prison chain link fence topped by razor wire. For another $362 million, the fence could be electrified. A larger 12-foot tall, two-foot-thick concrete wall painted on both sides would run about $2 billion. Initially it was estimated that the San Diego fence would cost $14 million -- about $1 million a mile. The first 11 miles of the fence eventually cost $42 million -- $3.8 million per mile, and the last 3.5 miles may cost even more since they cover more difficult terrain. An additional $35 million to complete the final 3.5 miles was approved in 2005 by the Department of Homeland Security -- $10 million per mile.

The REAL ID bill conference report contains a provision that would complete the US-Mexico border fence in San Diego. But it goes much farther than that. It gives the Department of Homeland security unprecedented and unchecked authority to waive all legal requirements necessary to build such fences, not only in San Diego, but anywhere else along the 2,000 mile border with Mexico and our 4,000 mile border with Canada.

In August 2005 the governors of New Mexico and Arizona declared a state of emergency, saying their states were suffering because the federal government has failed to stem the tide of drug smuggling and illegal immigration. The declarations by New Mexico Gov. Janet Napolitano and Arizona Gov. Bill Richardson freed up a combined $2.2 million to eight border counties in those states.

On 14 December 2005 Mexican President Vicente Fox denounced as "disgraceful and shameful" a proposal to build a high-tech wall on the US-Mexico border to stop illegal immigrants. Media reports on 21 December 2005 quoted Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez as saying, " Mexico is not going to bear, it is not going to permit, and it will not allow a stupid thing like this wall.”

On 16 December 2005 the US House of Representatives passed a new immigration bill, H.R. 4437, Border Protection, Antiterrorism, And Illegal Immigration Control Act Of 2005. It would erect a fence along one-third of the total length of the border with Mexico. Section 102(b) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-208; 8 U.S.C. 1103 note) was amended. The bill also includes a provision requiring the construction of security fencing along portions of the southern border that have high rates of illegal border crossing. Additionally, DHS was required to conduct a study and report back to Congress on the use of physical barriers along the Northern border. An amendment was adopted during consideration on the floor that requires the construction of an estimated $2.2 billion worth of fences along part of the southern border. The Secretary of Homeland Security was required to provide for least 2 layers of reinforced fencing, the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors at five locations:


extending from 10 miles west of the Tecate, California, port of entry to 10 miles east of the Tecate, California, port of entry;
extending from 10 miles west of the Calexico, California, port of entry to 5 miles east of the Douglas, Arizona, port of entry;
extending from 5 miles west of the Columbus, New Mexico, port of entry to 10 miles east of El Paso, Texas;
extending from 5 miles northwest of the Del Rio, Texas, port of entry to 5 miles southeast of the Eagle Pass, Texas, port of entry; and
extending 15 miles northwest of the Laredo, Texas, port of entry to the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry.

Critics charge that the failure of similar fences in Spain and along the Hong Kong-China border suggest this barrier will do little or nothing to combat illegal immigration, but will certainly divert money from programs that could. A crackdown by Spain on illegal migrants crossing the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco shifted the traffic to Spain's Canary Islands. When Spain extended its maritime crackdown to the Canaries, migrants began pouring over border fences in Spain's enclaves on the North African coast.

H.R. 4437 was strongly opposed by a broad range of organizations such as US Chamber of Commerce, American Immigration Lawyers Association, American Farm Bureau, National Association of Homebuilders, Catholic Charities USA, Associated Builders and Contractors, United Auto Workers, among others.

In 2006 the Senate considered a bill (S. 2454) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for comprehensive reform, and for other purposes, and a bill (S. 2611) to provide for comprehensive immigration reform and for other purposes. Both bills double the size of the Border Patrol by adding 12,000 new agents. Both bills strengthen interior enforcement of immigration laws by adding 5,000 new immigration investigators. Both bills would take advantage of new technology to create a "virtual fence" at the border. Both bills would improve border controls by expanding entry-exit tracking. Both bills require the construction of new vehicle barriers and new permanent highway checkpoints near the border.

On 17 May 2006 the Senate voted 83-16 on S.2611 to build 370 miles of triple-layered fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers along the southern border. Under this amendment, the Homeland Security Secretary was required to replace all aged, deteriorating, or damaged primary fencing in the Tucson Sector located proximate to population centers in Douglas, Nogales, Naco, and Lukeville, Arizona with double- or triple-layered fencing running parallel to the international border between the United States and Mexico; extend the double- or triple-layered fencing for a distance of not less than 2 miles beyond urban areas, except that the double- or triple-layered fence shall extend west of Naco, Arizona, for a distance of 10 miles; and construct not less than 150 miles of vehicle barriers and all-weather roads in the Tucson Sector running parallel to the international border between the United States and Mexico in areas that are known transit points for illegal cross-border traffic. The Secretary was also required to replace all aged, deteriorating, or damaged primary fencing in the Yuma Sector located proximate to population centers in Yuma, Somerton, and San Luis, Arizona with double- or triple-layered fencing running parallel to the international border between the United States and Mexico; (2) extend the double- or triple-layered fencing for a distance of not less than 2 miles beyond urban areas in the Yuma Sector; and (3) construct not less than 50 miles of vehicle barriers and all-weather roads in the Yuma Sector running parallel to the international border between the United States and Mexico in areas that are known transit points for illegal cross-border traffic.

The Homeland Security Secretary was required to construct not less than 370 miles of triple-layered fencing which may include portions already constructed in San Diego, Tucson and Yuma Sectors and 500 miles of vehicle barriers in other areas along the southwest border that the Secretary determines are areas that are most often used by smugglers and illegal aliens attempting to gain illegal entry into the United States. The Secretary was required to immediately commence construction of the fencing, barriers, and roads and complete such construction not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary was required to submit a report to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives that describes the progress that has been made in constructing the fencing, barriers, and roads.

Tunnel passages across an international border into the United States have become a real problem. There are 40 such tunnels that have been discovered since 9/11, and the great bulk of them are on the southern border. Large-scale smuggling of drugs, weapons, and immigrants takes place today through these tunnels. One tunnel running from San Diego to Tijuana was marked by inordinate sophistication. It was a half mile long. It went 60 to 80 feet deep, 8 feet tall. It had a concrete floor. It was wired for electricity. It had drainage. At one end, 300 pounds of marijuana were found, and at the other end, 300 pounds of marijuana. What was interesting is that the California entry into the tunnel was a very modern warehouse, a huge warehouse compartmented but empty and kept empty for a year. In one office there was a hatch in the floor. It looked much like the hatch which Saddam had secreted himself in. But lifting that hatch disclosed a very sophisticated tunnel. It went under other buildings all the way across the double fence into Mexico and up in Mexico in a building as well.

Hummm, electrified fence....like it!