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The United States will miss its deadline to complete a security fence along the Mexican border this year, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Thursday.
"I don't think we're going to hit the nail on the head and be done by the end of the year," Chertoff told Reuters, adding that about 370 miles (595 km) of the planned 670-mile (1,070-km) fence had been completed.
Chertoff said he hoped when the Bush administration leaves office in January about 90 to 95 percent of the fence.
"We've gotten most of the way there. We will be very substantially close," he said in an interview.
Congress has mandated that the fence, which will eventually stretch from California to Texas to help stem the tide of illegal immigration, be finished this year but law suits have slowed its progress.
"We've had some delay because the court proceedings in Texas have gone more slowly than I thought ... Although every time there's actually been a legal challenge, we've won," Chertoff said.
The nearly 2,000-mile 3,200-km border with Mexico is the main entry route for illegal immigrants into the United States, which is already home to 11 million to 12 million undocumented aliens.
Better enforcement have slowed the influx however. Border patrol agents arrested 880,000 people crossing illegally in 2007, down from 1.1 million a year earlier.
Chertoff said progress was being made on other measures aimed at boosting border security, including moves to double the number of border patrol personnel on the job to more than 18,000 by the end of 2008.
"We will hit the 18,000 target," he said.
He said that plans for a $21 million expansion of a high-tech "virtual fence" along parts of the border were being implemented and the first test section was yielding results.
"We've used it to catch thousands of illegal migrants we've also seized several tons of marijuana," he said.
The government announced this year that it was awarding Boeing Co contracts to build two sections of the fence that would include fixed towers, radar and ground sensors, remote control cameras and software linking border agents.
In less than four months, the Homeland Security Department will hand off border security programs to a new administration that are over cost, behind schedule and downsized from original plans, according to lawmakers, congressional investigators and industry officials.
Despite three years of work and nearly $1 billion in taxpayer's money, the department's so-called SBInet program has not met goals and expectations, the critics said. The program -- aimed at using technology and traditional fencing to control the nation's borders -- faces even more upheaval and overhaul as a new program manager takes over the reins.
In one of the biggest changes so far, the department had to forgo planned technology investments for the remainder of this year in order to have enough money and time to erect more physical fencing and vehicle barriers by December.
Facing a surge in fencing costs, the department notified Congress that it needs to reprogram nearly $400 million to meet its obligations, of which more than $200 million was originally intended for surveillance systems, cameras and computer software. And, most recently, the department notified its SBInet contractor, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, it does not intend to give Border Patrol agents a mobile common operating picture during the next phase of the program, CongressDaily has learned.
In what sources on and off the Hill described as an abrupt but necessary move, Customs and Border Protection announced Sept. 19 it was replacing its manager for the overall Secure Border Initiative with retired Air Force Col. Mark Borkowski. "There is nothing sacrosanct," Borkowski said, referring to his approach to SBInet. "It's clear to me that it looks like [SBInet] lacks focus," he added. "I'm going to presume that what it looks like is accurate and I'm going to act accordingly."
Borkowski said he needs to determine if the SBInet program has the right management structure, authorities and personnel. He said he will review whether Boeing is the right contractor for the program.
Homeland Security and industry officials admit SBInet has had setbacks, but contend the program is not as troubled as it appears. They say the system is operating around the clock in one spot south of Tucson, Ariz., and recently contributed to the seizure of 4,000 pounds of marijuana. And now that the department has made construction of physical fencing a top priority, they say, the program can focus on systems integration and testing before deploying technology for follow-on phases.
But at this point, CBP has informed Boeing it does not intend to give Border Patrol agents a mobile computer in their vehicles that connects them to a common operating picture -- essentially identical displays of visual information, congressional and industry sources said. A congressional aide said lawmakers will have no patience for more problems in follow-on phases, given that the department and Boeing now have more time to test and integrate technology.
After coming under heavy congressional fire for technical problems and cost overruns surrounding efforts to build virtual fencing along the nation's borders, the Homeland Security Department has replaced the official in charge of the multibillion-dollar program, CongressDaily has learned.
Sources on and off the Hill said they hope the removal of Gregory Giddens as chief of the Secure Border Initiative will breathe new life into the troubled program.
The most problem-plagued program that Giddens managed was SBInet, which is focused on using both technology and traditional fencing to secure the nation's borders.
For congressional aides, the likelihood Giddens would be removed became clearer when the department stopped sending him to Capitol Hill to testify about SBInet and instead sent top Customs and Border Protection officials.
"Given the problems with the program and the spotlight on it I don't think you'll find a lot of people surprised about them pulling Greg," a congressional aide said. "The program has suffered public blows and they want a fresh start, particularly as they transition it to the next president."
Sources said they were not aware of anything improper that Giddens did. He has been named executive director for facilities management and engineering in CBP's finance office.
The department has named Mark Borkowski as the new executive director for the Secure Border Initiative.
Borkowski has been serving as a program manager for the U.S. Border Patrol and has 25 years of experience in large systems acquisitions and program management for NASA and the Air Force, according to CBP.
"I've heard through the grapevine that's he's a good fixer," an industry source said of Borkowski.
Sources said the decision to give Borkowski the job likely means that Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar is taking more control of the program to ensure it meets the needs of agents in the field.
"On balance, I want to think that it will be very good for the program simply because whoever now comes in can have an opportunity to address the issues that have seemed to make GAO and Congress so disgruntled," another industry source said.
"Sometimes it's good to get a new coach on the team even though there might not be anything wrong with the old coach."
CBP Deputy Commissioner Jayson Ahern praised Giddens in a statement, saying he developed a comprehensive border security strategic plan and built up the SBI program office "to design and deploy the technological systems, tactical infrastructure, and transportation services required to gain control of our borders."
Congressional oversight committees will likely give Borkowski little time to settle into his new post before they pepper him with questions and outline their expectations. Lawmakers will let him know that patience is running thin to correct deficiencies.
"SBInet has encountered numerous setbacks ... I plan to hold the department accountable for getting SBInet back on track and securing our borders," said House Homeland Security Border Subcommittee Chairwoman Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif.
GAO released a report Monday with blistering criticism of SBInet, along with summaries of several reviews it has made of the program.
"Important aspects of SBInet remain ambiguous and in a continued state of flux, making it unclear and uncertain what technology capabilities will be delivered, when and where they will be delivered, and how they will be delivered," GAO said.
"The absence of clarity and stability in these key aspects of SBInet impairs the ability of the Congress to oversee the program and hold DHS accountable for program results, and it hampers DHS's ability to measure program progress," GAO added.
Four Mexican army soldiers entered southern Arizona and pointed their rifles at a U.S. Border Patrol agent early this week, the Border Patrol said.
The incident Sunday was the Mexican military's 43rd incursion across the U.S. border since October, the agency said. However, it was unusual because firearms were involved. The Border Patrol and the Mexican government are investigating, Border Patrol spokesman Mike Scioli said.
Details remain sketchy, but the incident occurred at 2 a.m. on the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation about 50 miles southeast of Ajo. The incident took place just north of the border in sight of the new border fence.
In Washington, D.C., State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said the encounter "stemmed from a momentary misunderstanding as to the exact location of the U.S.-Mexican border."
The Mexican army has told the Border Patrol it knew of an incident involving its soldiers, but it did not confirm the details. In years past, the Border Patrol has arrested Mexican soldiers who crossed the border, then typically released them back to Mexico.
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