I recently toured the U.S.-Mexico border near Yuma to see firsthand how construction of the border fence is progressing.
The fence and vehicle barriers span roughly 120 miles along the border. According to border agents on the scene, the fencing has resulted in a huge reduction in illegal crossings – apprehensions of people illegally crossing the border are down on order of magnitude, from approximately 130,000 apprehensions in 2005 to a projected total of 12,000 for this year!
The amount of detention space also has been significantly increased in the Yuma sector. As a result, now, when someone is apprehended for illegally crossing the border, he or she is prosecuted and detained for up to 30 days before being deported. Those who come across to work can’t afford to spend a month incarcerated; so this policy has been an effective deterrent to more illegal entries.
Over the past year, the Border Patrol has also accelerated its recruitment, hiring, and training of agents. The Border Patrol has approximately 15,500 agents and is on target to have more than 18,000 by the end of the year, according to testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at a recent Senate hearing. The force has more than doubled since 2000, and the growth “represents the largest expansion of the Border Patrol in its history, and the force [has grown] without sacrificing the quality of training the Border Patrol Academy prides itself on delivering,” Secretary Chertoff said.
I was also briefed by the border chief in the Tucson sector, where roughly half of all illegal immigrants funnel into the United States. Unfortunately, the Tucson sector has a ways to go before matching the effectiveness being demonstrated today in the Yuma sector. For example, the Tucson sector lags behind in the construction of double-layer fencing, which has been demonstrated to be extremely effective in deterring illegal crossings. And because there are still many areas where primary fencing hasn’t been erected either. At this time, Tucson has approximately 49 miles of pedestrian fencing constructed, and roughly 99 miles of vehicle barriers. The goal is to have approximately 73 miles of pedestrian fence and 153 miles of vehicle barriers constructed by the end of this year.
Secretary Chertoff recently announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to complete construction of 370 miles of pedestrian fencing and 300 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S-Mexico border by the end of this year.
Congress has given DHS the resources and authority to get this job done. When Congress approved the Secure Fence Act of 2006, it provided Secretary Chertoff with funding to build the fence and the authority to waive laws that might inhibit or delay construction. These waivers allow DHS to bypass some environmental laws. When DHS uses it waiver authority however, it will continue consulting with environmental groups, local governments, and other organizations, so that the border fence can be erected in the areas where it will be most effective without disrupting the environment.
The construction of the border fence is critical not only to stemming illegal immigration and drug smuggling, but also to our national security. Combined with other successful policies, it can help us secure the border.
