Exclusive: Napolitano Admits Ineffectiveness of ‘Virtual Fence’

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March 19, 2010

Michael Cutler

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This recent Washington Times article makes it clear that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano is finally, at long last, conceding that the outrageously expensive "Virtual Fence," also known by a number of other military sounding names such as SBInet (Secure Border Initiative), is not performing as was claimed or was it was purportedly hoped it would. I say "purportedly" because I am convinced that the the current administration, as well as several previous administrations, had absolutely no intention of securing our nation's borders – but intended to provide the illusion that they were working towards this goal.

Apparently, Ms. Napolitano is now touting a lower tech solution that would be far less costly, although our government has already wasted many years and many hundreds of millions of dollars on a fence that apparently amounted to little more than smoke and mirrors.

If our border was so secure, why is Ms Napolitano now talking about using a different strategy to secure our supposedly secure borders?

As the chairman of the Senate Immigration Committee, did Sen. Charles Schumer (a proponent of legalizing illegal aliens and rewriting immigration legislation) not read the GAO reports, the OIG reports or have a clue about the lunacy that passes for border security even as our expectations of privacy and freedom are whittled away in the name of "National Security?"

Our border is leaking like a sieve. What is leaking, actually flooding, into our country are drugs, criminals, terrorists and millions of illegal aliens whose presence in our country represents a violation of our nation's borders, our nation's laws and our nation's sovereignty. They are cheered on by those who wish to reward millions of illegal aliens who are unable to prove their true identities, backgrounds, affiliations and intentions in entering our country in violation of law, with the most precious honor a nation can bestow upon a foreigner – citizenship. These millions of illegal aliens are also, incidentally, unable to provide clear evidence as to how long they have been living and working in our country, since the vast majority of them have been using false identities.

We not only have to worry about our southern border, but our northern border and coastal regions are also at risk. Do you realize that if you add up all of the miles of land borders and all of the miles of coastal shoreline including the myriad inlets around this nation, you will have nearly 100,000 miles of border? And do you know that it is estimated that some 40 percent of the illegal aliens present in our country did not even run our nation's borders but actually entered our nation through ports of entry and then, in one way or another, violated the terms of their admission? I testified before the House about this very topic back in 2006.

By the way, few have noticed that the administration has now added a 36th country to the list of Visa Waiver countries – Greece, which is now experiencing an economic meltdown, a crisis that would, no doubt, propel many of its citizens to seek to find a new country in which to find work and send money back to family members.

The other issue is that the determining factor where any sort of massive amnesty program is concerned is the utter lack of integrity to the process by which USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) adjudicates all sorts of applications for various immigration benefits including the conferring of resident alien status and even United States citizenship upon aliens. In the last couple of weeks alone, there have been a number of stories about how students from the Middle East paid a man to take their exams while they, themselves, failed to attend the schools for which they had been admitted into the United States, and how other visa fraud rings have been plying their trades.

Earlier this week I appeared on MSNBC for a brief interview about the violence in Mexico, where 8,000 people have been killed in Mexico since December, 2007. Just this week, three American citizens were gunned down just across the border from El Paso. Two of those murdered were women who worked at the United States consulate and the husband of one of those women was also killed. He was identified as being an employee of the El Paso Sheriff's office. Additionally, one of the dead women was reportedly seven months pregnant.

As I prepared to go on the air, I watch Ms. Napolitano be interviewed by Andrea Mitchell. Napolitano talked about how she wanted to secure our nation's border with Mexico but did not say a single word about the need to enforce the immigration laws from within the interior of the United States.

Please stop and give this some serious thought. Last year Napolitano said that some 230 cities throughout the United States of America had been infested by members of the pernicious and extremely violent Mexican drug cartels. These cartels have metastasized throughout our nation in a fashion akin to a highly aggressive cancer and the woman who is charged with the effective enforcement and administration of our nation's borders can only think about securing the borders?

Furthermore, Napolitano has made it clear that when an illegal alien secures a job, a further violation of law, that alien need not fear being arrested by ICE, only the employer may find himself in trouble. Although with the lack of agents and a real commitment to the enforcement of the immigration laws, fewer than 100 employers are likely to be prosecuted each year.

By not backing up the Border Patrol and the inspectors at ports of entry, any alien who succeeds in getting past the inspections process, or circumventing the inspections process altogether, is all but assured he will have nothing to fear from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

While I am angered by the failures of our government to secure its borders and take the enforcement of the immigration laws seriously, I am not surprised. With a few notable exceptions, how many of our political "representatives" have stood up to the betrayal of the citizens of our nation by the administration or other members of Congress?

It is clear that all that all too many of our leaders are intent on doing is providing the illusion of secure borders and an immigration system that has real integrity. Meanwhile, the administration is now gearing up to make another run at jamming "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" down the throats of the citizens of our nation.

It is not anti-immigrant to demand our borders be secured against law violators. Indeed, it is anti-immigrant to not want our nation's borders secured. The most likely victims of transnational criminals and gang members are the members of the immigrant community who live in the same communities where these criminal operate, but I have yet to hear of a single instance where any so-called pro-immigrant organization has called for the arrest and deportation of any criminal alien who has committed heinous crimes against vulnerable members of the immigrant community! With friends like that, these immigrants do not need enemies.

The security of a nation begins at its borders. By ignoring border security and the system by which our government hands out green cards and citizenship certificates, the lives of each and every citizen and the security of our nation is profoundly compromised. A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls.

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Michael Cutler is a Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies and a recognized authority who addresses the implications of immigration on national security and criminal justice. Feedback: editorialdirector@familysecuritymatters.org.

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This response is focused only on the narrow issue of the "Virtual Fence" iteslf. As every private in a reconnassiance unit knows, barriers do not keep people out. Barriers either slow intruders down so they can be observed and engaged or captured, or redirect their movement so they can be observed and engaged or captured. The very successful fence around Israel does exactly this, because it is combined with troops deployed so as to observe and respond within 15 min any time an intruder starts across the barrier. Could we do this? Yes. Would it be expensive? Yes. Would it work? Yes.

posted by: Dave McIntyre
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 01:43 PM

I agree with a system to import highly skilled workers, scientists, engineers and real PH.d. But we cannot afford to bring in to this country, those who end up on the bread line, expecting American taxpayers to cover their economic problems? The majority that have intentionally slipped through our laughable border defense, through airport control are here to take unfair advantage of Taxpayers. This is displayed negatively in states like New York, Arizona and the refuge illegal alien state of California. California has become a welcoming government welfare state for illegal single females with their infants and millions of others, have sponged off the citizens and legal residents for decades. The Golden State of California is in a state of near--BANKRUPTCY--with other states not far behind.

Behind closed doors away from prying eyes of the general public the cards are already stacked against us. As we have seen E-Verify nearly ended up on the funeral pyre, as with the police apprehension law 287(g). Ice raids have already slowed down and the No-Match letter to employers rescinded. Behind our backs Homeland Security Madam Napolitano has cut budgets for the fence and other needed enforcement. Probably to patronize Mexico whose majority of poor, uneducated population is moving here. If they add-FAMILY UNIFICATION-to the reform, the numbers of family members approval will reach at least 60 million more people to America? This will and and multiply in OVERPOPULATION GROWTH by 2040. Just look around you know at the overcrowded cities, collapsing infrastructure and diminishing livelihood resources? This is to deal with the illegal issue. Americans welcome everybody no matter the color of their skin if they do not violate immigration laws. THIS IS NOT A RACIST PROBLEM-ITS AN FINANCIAL ISSUE.

If the Fence had been built to the original specifications, with the wide space in between for agent reconnaissance, very few individuals or groups of illegal aliens, drug smugglers, traffickers, terrorists and other criminals would be caught. IN TRUTH THE ONLY LAW THAT WOULD STOP THE ILLEGAL ALIEN INVASION FOR GOOD, IS MAKING ENTRY A FELONY?. NumbersUSA for the real truth.

The US government lied to us yet again. The fence that we see in video's is not the original construction designed by Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) Initially his concept was a two-layer fence barrier, that had a no-mans-land in between. It gave the US Border Patrol vehicles rapid transit across the miles, of open desert. Like all forms of serious immigration enforcement it was underfunded by Sen. Harry Reid, Speaker Pelosi and a whole bunch of corrupt politicians, on either side of the aisle. Its all to do with corporate welfare. From any distance all these immigration tools, are--ONLY SEEN TO WORK?

In truth these morons undermine, compromise any system that actually has a chance of functioning. Its has been a bargaining chip for Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez who mysteriously changed his mind for voting the President Obama health Care Reform, after the man in the White House committed himself to another illegal immigrant AMNESTY. If Amnesty passes the American taxpayer is going to be in a whole world of financial hurt. I am already paying my share for foreign wars and yet the IRS will extort money from Americans to support illegal immigrants? Remember today that illegal immigration rallies start, so help stop this travesty and contact your Washington Representative at 202-224-3121

posted by: Dave Francis
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 04:12 PM

There is always an excuse for not protecting American citizens from the invasion
of Mexico.
Instead Mexico has been virtually gifted with American construction jobs and fast food jobs here in the U.S. that
belong only to American citizens and legal immigrants.
On top of that China has been gifted with most jobs Americans had in past decades.
Face it, our Nation has been hijacked by American haters, Muslims, Communists
and other U.S. hating menaces!
If Mexicans are given another amnesty you can kiss the United States goodbye.
The U.S. will become a cesspool of corruption and crime.
You have seen nothing yet!

posted by: Diane
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 04:58 PM

Exclusive: Virtual Fence Admits Ineffectiveness of â€˜Napolitanoâ€™

posted by: StokeyBob
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 09:46 PM

Here is my two-step plan.

We may have to kiss the keisters of the illegal invaders, it is still a felony to aid and abet them.

If some honest men and women in law enforcement, would go after the lowlifes in the government, business and the general population that have been aiding and abetting them, by the time they had enough of a handle on the job to raise their heads and look around, I donâ€™t think many illegal aliens would still be left.

We don't need any new laws to do this either. Just some honest men and women in law enforcement that take their oaths of office seriously!

Finding them is the first step!

Federal Immigration and Nationality Act
Section 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv)(B)(ii)

"Any person who . . . encourages or induces an alien to . . . reside . . . knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such . . . residence is . . . in violation of law, shall be punished as provided . . . for each alien in respect to whom such a violation occurs . . . fined under title 18 . . . imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both."
Section 274 felonies under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, INA 274A(a)(1)(A):
A person (including a group of persons, business, organization, or local government) commits a federal felony when she or he:
* assists an alien s/he should reasonably know is illegally in the U.S. or who lacks employment authorization, by transporting, sheltering, or assisting him or her to obtain employment, or
* encourages that alien to remain in the U.S. by referring him or her to an employer or by acting as employer or agent for an employer in any way, or
* knowingly assists illegal aliens due to personal convictions.

posted by: StokeyBob
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 09:49 PM

Don't worry folks. If BO has his way in just a few months all the folks(good, bad and terrorists)coming across the open border will be legal.

Sleep well tonight your government is not working on your behalf.

posted by: Rick
Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 05:25 AM

Eurabia Watch

Exclusive: Napolitano Admits Ineffectiveness of ‘Virtual Fence’