Work Under Way on ‘Virtual Fence’

An organization called the Secure Border Initiative has begun construction on what is being called a "virtual border" between the United States and Mexico. This border, which will cost billions of dollars to construct, will be made up of various electronic equipment that will allow border patrols to monitor the border "virtually." The purpose of the border is to stop illegal immigration and smuggling. The construction of this "virtual border" seems to fit into United States citizens' paranoia about foreign infiltration, culturally, and now through disease. In a world that is affected by globalization and the compression of time and space, calling this fence a "virtual border" seems to be an attempt to restrict foreign bodies as well as foreign ideas. In reality, there is no financially efficient way of restricting illegal immigration, and the the construction of this "virtual border"will operate as a physical manifestation of our culture's mental guarding against the threat of foreign infiltration. The fact that enough support was raised to begin construction of the border reflects many people's need for a sense of security in a globalized world.