Lawmakers Exploring Nitty Gritty Challenges of Building Fence on Southern Border

WASHINGTON-- Members of the House and Senate already have decided that hundreds of miles of fencing should be erected on the border with Mexico, and the major concern now is how best to go about it, according to a House subcommittee chairman.

The proposition of more border fencing “is more or less settled in Congress,” said Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources. He spoke at a joint hearing of his subcommittee and the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity.

The House and Senate immigration bills (HR 4437, S 2611) “call for a substantial expansion of fencing: at least 380 miles in the Senate bill and at least 700 miles in the House bill,” he said. Of course, if immigration legislation does not become law, a border fence could be funded through other bills.

Building a fence will require attention to local factors such as “water rights, livestock and wildlife migration, environmental concerns, recreational interests, irrigation infrastructure [and] floodplain consequences,” he said.

Topography, weather and soil composition will complicate choice of construction material, according to a Souder memo to lawmakers released at the hearing.

Lack of fencing in urban and semi-urban areas along the border is a particular problem because immigrants can more easily blend into the population after illegally entry, he said.
Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, also said Congress had already decided it wants more border fencing and now needs to choose where it is most appropriate.
In addition to actual fencing, Lungren made a case for “virtual fences.” While more border patrol agents are needed, technology also is key and how we “lead the world,” Lungren said. Thus a virtual fence made up of cameras, sensors and other technology is in some cases better than a wall-like fence.

A variety of technology already on the market could be employed, he said, noting that some technology can differentiate between a human, animal or vehicle crossing the border.
He objected to a provision of the Senate’s immigration bill that would require U.S. officials to consult with their Mexican counterparts on new fencing before its construction.
“I am surprised the Senate would give veto power to a foreign government,” Lungren said.
The Senate bill says the consultation would be “to solicit the views of affected communities; lessen tensions; and foster greater understanding and stronger cooperation on this and other important security issues of mutual concern.”

Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., testified that border patrol agents are only in the field two to three hours a day and doing paperwork the rest of the time.
Rep. Silvestre Reyes, a Democrat from the border state of Texas, cited one estimate that the 700 miles of fence proposed in the House bill would cost $2.2 billion.

Reyes said that for the same amount, U.S. border patrol could recruit, train and equip enough agents to double the approximately 12,000 it has today. Customs and Border Protection has estimated it costs $179,000 to hire, recruit, train and equip a new Border Patrol agent.
That figure does not include a salary.“I am not opposed to fencing, I am opposed to using fencing for a save-all for the whole border,” he said.

Reyes was testifying at the hearing due to his 26 years of experience working for the U.S. Border Patrol. Local border patrol chiefs should be consulted on their needs, he emphasized.
He said when he was elected he felt confident he could convince Congress of the need for more funding for border patrol, particularly to bring the number of personnel to 20,000. But his efforts to increase resources have failed, he noted.

More funding for cameras that work at night and motion detectors that cue cameras to focus on specific areas would help, according to Reyes. He said he is “infuriated that we’re building whole neighborhoods in Iraq” but not giving U.S. border communities sufficient technology.

Instead of President Bush sending the National Guard to the border, Bush should have announced that he was sending a thousand officers to prosecute employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, Reyes said.

Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., joked, “I am hoping today to get an endorsement for the 700-mile Silvestre Reyes border fence.”

Reyes, laughed and said, “Please, I want to get re-elected.”

Eleanor Stables can be reached at estables@cq.com.