Homeland Security likely to scale back virtual border fence

The Department of Homeland Security will likely scrap its plans to install a virtual fence along the entire Southwest border to detect illegal immigrants, according to a DHS official testifying before Congress Thursday.

Mark Borkowski, executive director of DHS's Secure Border Initiative, told a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Management, Investigations and Oversight that the department will likely scale back its plans to install sensors, cameras and radar towers along the Southwest border.

Borkowski's admission came after withering testimony from Randolph Hite of the Government Accountability Office on the state of the virtual fence program, known as SBInet.

Hite said SBInet has been troubled since its outset and plagued by frequently changing milestones, management weaknesses and performance shortfalls. As a result, he said, the Department has little to show after spending most of the program's $1.3 billion budget.

“In effect DHS is saying it will have to invest more than a billion dollars into SBInet before it will know whether doing so was economically justified or cost effect vis-à-vis other technology alternatives,” Hite said.

Subcommittee chairman Chris Carney, (D-Pa.) blasted DHS for the lack of progress and high cost of the program, which he called unacceptable.

"At our last hearing on SBInet in March I asked if we could get a refund and I believe the taxpayers would still like one," Carney said.

"Now perhaps some good has come from this program, but not nearly enough to justify the funding and time that has been spent on this program, and I urge the department to continue to explore alternative means to secure the border in a timely and effective manner."

Hite said DHS couldn't provide positive answers to basic questions such as "Are we doing the right thing?" and "Are we doing it the right way?"

"The answers right now are: 'we don't know' and 'no, we're not'," Hite said. "After having invested almost a billion dollars in five years, the answers should be 'yes.'"

Borkowski agreed DHS has failed to deliver on the program's original goals, which is why his office is focusing on completing two portions of the system along the Arizona border near Tucson and Ajo.

Once those two are complete, DHS will assess the viability and cost effectiveness of SBInet in comparison with other technology alternatives. Borkowski admitted it is unlikely SBInet technology will be deployed along the entire border.

Republican lawmakers complained that Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has already promised an assessment of the program but has yet to deliver.

"It's been six months and we're no closer to knowing how we're going to proceed," said Candice Miller, (R-Mich.).

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