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GAO-09-244R 1 (2009-01-29)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaanlv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 00& .,! = Accountability * Integrity Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 January 29, 2009 Congressional Committees Subject: Secure Border Initiative Fence Construction Costs Much of the United States' 6,000 miles of international borders with Canada and Mexico remains vulnerable to illegal entry of aliens, criminals, and cargo. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) apprehends hundreds of thousands of people and seizes large volumes of cargo entering the country illegally each year; however, several hundreds of thousands of individuals and an unknown volume of contraband also enter the United States illegally and undetected. DHS's U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the agency responsible for securing the nation's borders along and between ports of entry.' In November 2005, DHS announced the launch of the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), a multiyear, multibillion-dollar program aimed at securing U.S. borders and reducing illegal immigration. CBP's SBI program office is responsible for managing the SBI program and for developing a comprehensive border protection system. This system has two main components: SBInet, which employs radars, sensors, and cameras to detect, identify, and classify the threat level associated with an illegal entry into the United States between the ports of entry, and SBI tactical infrastructure (TI), fencing, roads, and lighting intended to enhance U.S. Border Patrol agents' ability to respond to the area of the illegal entry and bring the situation to a law enforcement resolution (i.e., arrest). The current focus of the SBI program is on the southwest border areas between ports of entry that CBP has designated as having the highest need for enhanced border security because of serious vulnerabilities. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008, required DHS to complete construction by December 31, 2008, of either 370 miles or other mileage determined by the Secretary, of reinforced fencing along the southwest border wherever the Secretary determines it would be most practical and effective in deterring smugglers and aliens attempting illegal entry.2 DHS set a goalto complete approximately 670 miles of 'At a port of entry location, CBP officers are to secure the flow of people and cargo into and out of the country, while facilitating legitimate travel and trade. 2Pub. L. No. 110-161, div. E, § 564(a)(2)(B)(ii), 121 Stat. 1844, 2090-91 (2007) (amending section 102(b)(1) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104- 208, div. C, 110 Stat. 3009-546, 3009-554, as amended by section 3(2) of the Secure Fence Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-367, 120 Stat. 2638, 2639). This provision also required the construction of reinforced fencing along a total of not less than 700 miles of the southwest border where fencing would be most practical and effective, but it did not establish a deadline for completion of the full 700 miles. GAO-09-244R Secure Border Initiative Fence Construction Costs

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