Learn to love the wall

Something there is that doesn't love a wall

That's the opening line from a Robert Frost poem. He was speaking about the sort of wall, or fence, that separates the properties of neighbors. There are certainly some good reasons for walls and fences, but there is one unfortunate aspect of them. Whether they were intended to keep something out, or to keep something in, they invariably do both.

The U.S. government is in the process of building a wall around our nation, in the name of national security. We hear bits and pieces concerning this, but I wanted to try to get a handle on the overall picture. Here's what I've gleaned from Internet sources.

This is being driven and controlled as part of the Department of Homeland Security, and involves many agencies within that department. There are 15 "components" of DHS, including the Coast Guard, FEMA, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs, and the Secret Service.

The action in the news most recently involves SBInet (Secure Border Initiative). The SBInet initiative, which is to place a technological "virtual fence" across the entire border with Mexico and Canada, recently awarded a contract to a group of corporations headed by Boeing. The initial task order is for $67 million to deploy and install mobile towers equipped with radar and cameras that will provide coverage of 28 miles of border in the Tucson Sector.

The SBInet acquisition will provide an integrated solution that will support the interdiction of illegal immigration and internal and external threats operating in or moving through the international borders with Canada and Mexico.

Detailing plans for an array of sensors, infrared cameras, watchtowers, and drones that will eventually stretch across America's entire 8,890-kilometre (5,524 mile) border with Canada, U.S. authorities said their goal is to have the world's longest undefended border under surveillance within three to six years. 1,800 high-tech towers, equipped with cameras and motion detectors, that could feed live information to Border Patrol agents.

Which brings us to...


The Border Patrol, recently in the news with Operation Jump Start - use of up to 6,000 National Guard troops until more border patrol are hired and trained. The President has committed to hiring and putting into the field over 18,000 border patrol by the end of 2008. That will result in more than a doubling of the border patrol boots on the ground as compared with the number when the President came into office. Border Patrol agents must complete a 5-month academy training, which includes learning Spanish.


The Border Patrol is part of CBP - Customs and Border Protection. CBP which combines the inspectional workforces and broad border authorities of U.S. Customs, U.S. Immigration, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the entire U.S. Border Patrol, and includes more than 41,000 employees.

CBP enforces the import and export laws and regulations of the U.S. federal government and conducts immigration policy and programs. Ports also perform agriculture inspections to protect the USA from potential carriers of animal and plant pests or diseases that could cause serious damage to America's crops, livestock, pets, and the environment.

On a typical day last year, CBP officers welcomed 1.2 million people at the nation's 314 land, air and seaports while denying entry to more than 3,000 inadmissible visitors. CBP employs horses, dune buggies, ATV's, helicopters, jets, unmanned aircraft, speedboats, ships, and bicycles. CBP's Office of Air and Marine is the largest law enforcement air force in the world with 500 pilots, more than 250 aircraft and 200 marine vessels. CBP Air and Marine expanded operations along the northern border with Great Falls, Montana Air Branch, the third of five planned air branches along the northern border.

In fiscal year 2006, CBP officers inspected 422 million travelers and more than 132 million cars, trucks, buses trains, vessels and aircraft. CBP officers inspected 1.19 million private vehicles, 11.48 million trucks and more than 1 million aircraft.

Most of the illegals caught (or not caught) are from Mexico. Then there are the OTM's (other than Mexican). When caught, they're housed (by DOC - Detention Operations Coordination Center) and returned to their native country (if their country will take them), using ER - Expedited Removal, which allows us to remove our illegal migrants without having to go through the process of a full-blown court proceeding.

CBP has also changed its attitude toward employers who hire illegals. In 2006, there were 716 criminal arrests and charges brought against employers for illegally and systematically violating the laws against employing illegal migrants.

Over the next decade, Canadian border guards will be armed. Fifty-three times in the past year, according to the officers' union, Canadian border guards have walked off their posts in the face of potential threats.

The U.S. Congress has mandated that visitors begin showing passports at the border by Jan. 1, 2008. The Department of Homeland Security, created in 2002 in response to 9/11, has a $49.9 billion budget. Corporations are lining up to get a piece of the action, and indeed, many new companies are being formed for the same purpose. America's new growth industry has become homeland security.

Gradually, our borders are closing. Increasing regulation and inspection raises the delay and expense of moving goods across borders, which cannot help but damage our trade relations with other nations.

And yet...

There are more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., and plentiful illegal drugs are available on a corner near you.