The politicians in Washington may have just devised a new scheme TO AVOID SECURING THE BORDER:

INSTEAD OF BUILDING A REAL FENCE -- AS PROMISED -- THEY ARE NOW TRYING TO DUPE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ONCE AGAIN BY TOUTING A "VIRTUAL FENCE!"

And what exactly is a "virtual fence?"

It's a bunch of unmanned towers, radar, surveillance cameras and electronic gadgets placed on the border that supposedly will stop hordes of illegal aliens in their tracks.

Of course, implementing this sort of electronic gadgetry along the border -- in and of itself -- is not a bad idea.  Truth be told, some of this technology is needed to compliment real border security measures.

And, in fact, in a few select areas where the border is adjacent to private property, and the construction of a REAL fence could be problematic, it might be a viable option.

But the attempt to sell the American public a bill of goods that this so-called "virtual fence" is the solution to our nation’s illegal immigration problems -- instead of a real fence that was initially promised -- IS NOTHING MORE THAN A FRAUD AND A DECEPTION!

A virtual fence isn't a fence at all.  It’s a “fence” that doesn't look anything like a fence and doesn't do what a fence does.

And it alone is designed to trick millions of Americans like you and me into believing our government genuinely intends to stop illegal immigration.

Don't let our elected leaders get away with this fraud and deception!

Take action now!

Playing The Shell Game

If you don't believe this "virtual fence" is just one more way to hoist the white flag over America, let me jog your memory.

Because grassroots activists like you took action and demanded secure borders, Congress passed the Secure Fence Act of 2006.  The Senate passed it overwhelmingly, 80-19.  The House passed it 283-138. And on October 26, 2006, President Bush signed it into law!

Specifically the Secure Fence Act of 2006 called for the installation of over 700 miles of double-reinforced fence along our nation’s southern border.

Congressman Duncan Hunter, the author of the Secure Fence Act of 2006 modeled the legislation on border fence legislation he helped commission in his home district in California.

And, according to Hunter, that double-layered fence WORKED!

"When we built that border fence the crime rate in the city of San Diego dropped by 50 percent. I think the crime rate will drop in every state of the union upon completion of the border fence."

But that's not all.  In addition to that double-layered border fence, the Secure Fence Act of 2006 ALSO authorized the installation of lighting, vehicle barriers and border checkpoints, in addition to advanced equipment such as sensors, radar and cameras -- that's the "virtual fence."

But hold your horses!  Even BEFORE President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act 0f 2006 into law, Washington politicians started playing a shell game! 

According to the Internet website Wikipedia:

"After the bill was passed, Senate Republicans suggested that there wouldn't be any money appropriated to the bill so House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff informing them that the bill didn't suggest that the fence be built, it ordered it to be built. To ensure that the fence would be built, Hunter referenced the language in the Homeland Security law that would withhold $950 million if they didn't go along with the plan within 60 days. Soon afterwards, President Bush signed the bill into law." [Emphasis Mine]

"Congress approved a homeland security spending bill that was separate from the Secure Fence Act that would allocate $1.2 billion dollars to put the plan into action... [a]n additional $3 billion was included on October 3rd in the Defense Appropriations Bill."

But that wasn't the end of it.  THE DECEPTION DIDN'T STOP THERE.

Read on!

The Worst Deception Of Them All

Time passed!  Money was already allocated... BILLIONS... the building of the fence was MANDATED... AND STILL THE FENCE WAS NOT BEING BUILT!

Why not?

Perhaps it wasn't being built because just a short time ago -- when the politicians in Washington thought you and I weren't paying attention -- our elected leaders GUTTED THE SECURE FENCE ACT OF 2006!

After promising to build the fence Congressional leaders smirked and winked at each other and, in the dark of night, passed a $555 billion omnibus spending bill that contained a tiny amendment revoking the mandate that the fence be built as the Secure Fence Act had specified!

Fooled you again, America!

Responding to this betrayal of the American people, Duncan Hunter, said this:

"[P]rovisions were included in the omnibus spending bill that eliminated the most substantive provisions of the Secure Fence Act, including the requirement that fencing be double-layered and extend 700 miles across the Southern land border.  The omnibus spending bill dismantles the only legislative advancement made in recent years towards securing our border with Mexico, and represents a prescription for failure that directly threatens the safety, security and prosperity of the American people." [Emphasis Mine]

Basically, our elected leaders cut some of the funding and specifically authorized the Department of Homeland Security to proceed as it saw fit.

And then on Friday, with great fanfare -- as if the fix was in all along -- Michael Chertoff announced that a 28-mile stretch of "virtual fence" had been approved, as if by putting these sensors and cameras along a small section of the border, the government was doing what we asked of them! 

What happened to the double-layer fence?

According to the Associated Press:

"The federal government has approved a 'virtual' border fence, a 28-mile stretch of technology in Arizona that will use radars and surveillance cameras to try to catch people entering the country illegally."

But Congressman Hunter has reintroduced legislation in the House of Representatives that:

requires the construction of double-layered fencing along America's Southern land border within 6 months of his bill's enactment; and 

reinstates the provisions of the Secure Fence Act that were stripped by Congress in the omnibus spending bill.

And not a moment too soon. 

Congressman Hunter needs our help.  And our duplicitous politicians in Washington need to hear from you now!

And The "Virtual Fence" Doesn't Even Work!

You read that right.  To add insult to injury it was widely reported after -- and even before -- the Chertoff announcement that the "virtual fence" doesn't even work!

And almost immediately, the Department of Homeland Security started backing off -- sort of!

According to Business Week:

"But Homeland Security Dept. officials have decided that an experimental 28-mile 'virtual fence' meant to extend the U.S. Border Patrol's eyes and ears along the U.S.-Mexico border -- a web of radar, infrared cameras, ground sensors, and airborne drones -- won't be copied anywhere else in its entirety. The project was plagued with design, software, and other glitches; had fallen months behind schedule; and sometimes proved inoperable."

And there are other critics of the project as well:

The National Ledger reported: "Not everyone believes in the high tech fight for securing the border. Members of the Arizona Minutemen Project and the Coalition for Human Rights do not fully agree that this new idea for fighting illegal immigration is a good one and see loopholes with the creation of a virtual fence."

The Tucson Citizen: "'Radar has confused raindrops for illegal immigrants,' T.J. Bonnor with the National Border Patrol Council told an El Paso television station, 'And a group of 80 illegal immigrants seen by an agent on the ground was not spotted by the radar.'"

Representative Bennie Thompson -- whose committee oversees the Homeland Security Department -- called the project: "A poorly structured contract that prevented the line Border Patrol agents from pointing out obvious flaws, combined with over-reliance on contractors, has resulted in a system that has been described as providing at best 'marginal' functionality."

Yet Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff -- when he initially made the announcement -- said, "I think it looks good." 

And now that the "virtual fence" is being discredited, they're still undaunted!

Business Week again:

"Homeland Security officials say they are not mothballing every aspect of Project 28, nor will they abandon their quest for a fully operational virtual fence... Homeland Security spokesman Laura Keehner said on Feb. 25: 'We'll be using the same idea, the same concept, and some of the same technology.'"

Hey Congress, we've got a message for you!

STOP THE SONG AND DANCE.  STOP THE SHELL GAMES. A REAL FENCE WILL WORK... BUILD IT!

Putting Our Government To The Test

But what the heck, let's throw caution to the wind and put Chertoff's cheery confidence to the test. 

Let's challenge our government to GET RID OF ALL THE REAL FENCES USED to restrict access to its high-security facilities.  And in their place, let's install "virtual fences."

Let's tear down all the genuine fences and real walls around our military installations in Baghdad and elsewhere around the world.

Let's install "virtual fences" around our nuclear research facilities, where Top Secret projects are underway. 

And finally, let's remove the fence that surrounds the White House and install a "virtual fence" instead. 

Clearly no one would dare to breach such security.

But while we're on the subject, here are some questions that need to be asked:

Suppose this electronic gadgetry works and we sight a platoon of illegal aliens skipping across the border, will our Border Patrol agents be allowed to pursue them?  Or will they be confined to watching them on closed circuit TV?

And since you and I will have to pick up the check for this failed system, can we start paying the IRS in "virtual dollars?"

And while we're at it, why not insist our politicians start inserting "virtual earmarks" into the General Appropriations Bill?

If these questions sound ludicrous, then ask yourself... why should the American people be satisfied with a "virtual fence?"

Yours In Freedom

Jeff Mazzella
President
www.cfif.org