Legislation: Border Fence Approved but Delivery is Muddled
A bill authorizing a fence along part of the U.S. border with Mexico has been signed into law and the Dept. of Homeland Security plans to incorporate the barrier into a broader set of physical security measures. But the timetable for designing and building the barrier is not clear.
The Secure Fence Act, which President Bush signed Oct. 26, requires DHS to "provide for at least two layers of reinforced fencing" as well as "additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras and sensors" on five segments, totaling about 700 miles of the 2,000-mile border with Mexico. It requires a fence section in the Laredo, Texas, area to be done by Dec. 31, 2008. But an industry source calls the bill "clearly incomplete." For one thing, it doesn't authorize any funds for the fence.