Chertoff Defends Border Fence
Chertoff: Illegals 'Degrade' Environment
Huffington Post
EILEEN SULLIVAN | October 1, 2007 |
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Monday defended the construction of a fence along the southwest border, saying it's actually better for the environment than what happens when people illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico line.
"Illegal migrants really degrade the environment. I've seen pictures of human waste, garbage, discarded bottles and other human artifact in pristine areas," Chertoff said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "And believe me, that is the worst thing you can do to the environment."
To curb illegal immigration, the U.S. government plans to complete 670 miles of fencing on the southwest border by the end of 2008.
But this has drawn complaints about damaging the cross-border economy and hurting the environment. Wildlife enthusiasts fear the natural wonders of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas could be spoiled by fences and barriers and could harm some animals by cutting them off from the only source of fresh water.
Chertoff said the department has been able to satisfy most environmental concerns and will continue to address them. But if someone goes to court to slow construction, he said the department will use the environmental waiver authority Congress authorized.
Chertoff said the department has been able to satisfy most environmental concerns and will continue to address them. But if someone goes to court to slow construction, he said the department will use the environmental waiver authority Congress authorized.
"I was really driving these guys hard to make sure that we were getting this done," Chertoff said of the fence. "This is one of those deals where we made a promise, and we've lived up to that promise."
Last month, Chertoff said there was glitch in a "virtual fence" _ a 28-mile stretch of surveillance technologies near the border southwest of Tucson _ and he would not pay the contractor, Boeing Co., until that was resolved. The glitch was that the technologies were not all working together so that images caught on radar could be sent to a Border Patrol agent monitoring the system, Chertoff said Monday.
But he also said the problem "appears to be getting fixed" and Chertoff said the program will undergo its final testing phase this month.
"I've seen this kind of system work in other settings, so it's not a novel or a technologically difficult task," he said. "But because it is complicated, and because it's a demanding environment, we just weren't comfortable that we were happy with the way it was working."
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