Everybody talks about securing the border, but nobody does anything about it. Sure, Department of Homeland Security has spent billions to secure the border, but no one at DHS is ready to say the border is secure.
In FY 2009 about 540,865people were apprehended by the Border Patrol along the southwest border. This continued a downward trend that began in FY 2006.
By some estimates, the U.S. Border Patrol catches about 1 in 3. If so, more than one million people successfully crossed the border last year.
John McCain has said that state governors should certify when the border is secure.
Here's an idea -- let Arizona take the lead and do just that.
Definition: The border is secure when no more than 10,000 people per year sneak into Arizona past the U.S. Border Patrol and that level is maintained for twenty months.
How to measure: Construct two parallel trenches along the entire Arizona / Mexico border. They should be 6 feet deep and 60 feet apart. Put fiber-optic cables in each trench with a seismic sensor placed every ten feet. Each time someone crosses the border they will be counted - no matter in what direction. Back this up with Internet-based cameras to make sure the sensors are working. Back this up with trail cameras and aerial surveillance.
Once installed and working the Arizona Border Certification (ABC) system will move us toward the day when the issue of the border is behind us and we can deal with the rest of the problem.
