Recent Reports of Middle East Aliens Crossing Southwestern Border Does Not Mean A Border Fence Will Be Effective
Recent reports that illegal aliens from Middle East countries have been caught trying to enter the country from the Southwestern border with Mexico are being touted by some as another reason to expedite the construction of the border fence. Opposition to the border fence is not an issue of those favoring security against those who do not. Advocates against the border fence believe that the border fence proposal will not realistically do anything to improve security.
The ability of invaders to overcome fences has been present since siege warfare of the Middle Ages. It should come as no surprise that on western border of the United States with Mexico where fence exists smugglers have been using old fashioned technology to overcome fencing. Pickup trucks with attached ladder attachments which look like fire trucks are appearing frequently. Some coyotes have cut and welded trap doors from the Mexican side and then brazenly put their own locks on the trap doors charging an admittance fee for entering the United States. In Arizona, elaborate and long underground tunnels have been built to smuggle large quantities of drugs. In one area near the coast, the fence was being dismantled and sold for scrap metal on the Mexican side.
If 50 billion dollars is spent to build a worthless fence, one wonders how much money will be left for other more sophisticated monitoring systems and human intelligence gathering. Inspections of the existing fence near San Diego, California have found shoddy workmanship and illegally obtained steel from China being used. Its difficult to get information on contractors because the contracting process is secret. Familiar names like Halliburton are involved.
We have had some confidential discussions with local contractors who indicate that some aspects of the fence construction might require outside resources but no one has really addressed the issue of using local contractors for the work. It will be a double insult to the Valley for out of area companies to make millions in profits from building the fence while the local Valley construction companies sit dormant.
Even though several terrorists who were directly involved with the 9/11 flights crossed the United States illegally along the Canadian border, the Congress of the United States has put to rest the idea of building a fence along the Canadian border because Senator Leahy D-Vermont said the idea of terrorists coming from Canada was ridiculous and that the only problem was the Mexican border.