Report: 90% of U.S. Border Unsecured

October 19, 2009  

The recently released Department of Homeland Security’s Annual Performance Report suggests the government effectively controls only 894 miles out of 8,607 miles of America’s land borders, , which is a bit more than 10 percent. The report reveals how little control the United States actually has over its land and sea borders, despite the 9/11 Commission’s report citing uncontrolled borders as a threat to homeland security.

As a result, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) has blasted the government for its failure to increase control of U.S. borders and suggested the report boosts the case against the administration’s plans to promote an illegal alien amnesty in 2010, which FAIR calls " ill-conceived."

"Discontinuing further expansion of border protection is a dismaying example of the government’s continuing disregard for the security of the nation," charged Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "The federal government must set meaningful standards for securing our borders … and devote the resources and manpower necessary to keep our nation safe and achieve dramatic reduction in illegal immigration," he adds.

The DHS Annual Performance Report bolsters the case against the Obama administration’s ill-conceived plans to promote an illegal alien amnesty in 2010, argues FAIR. Both the administration and its congressional allies have vowed that amnesty would be predicated on having our borders under control.

"Effective control of 10 percent of the border is no mark of success and is not justification for this administration and congressional leaders to proceed with a massive illegal alien amnesty. The fact that DHS has no intention of improving that dismal performance is an example of gross malfeasance," said Stein.

Earlier this month, FAIR has also criticized the administration and congressional leaders for their failure to permanently reauthorize the E-Verify program. The program is a worksite verification tool that allows employers to voluntarily determine whether workers are legally authorized to work in the U.S. by electronically checking their Social Security numbers.

Over the objections of immigration reform advocates, a House-Senate conference committee had voted to extend E-Verify for only three years.

"It’s easy to succeed when the bar is set low and you are grading your own performance. Unfortunately, the threats to the nation are grave and DHS is woefully unprepared and apparently unwilling to confront them," concluded Stein.