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Web Users to 'Patrol' US border
Web Users to 'Patrol' US border
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Web users worldwide will be able to watch the Texas border | A US state is to enlist web users in its fight against illegal immigration by offering live surveillance footage of the Mexican border on the internet.
The plan will allow web users worldwide to watch Texas' border with Mexico and phone the authorities if they spot any apparently illegal crossings.
Texas Governor Rick Perry said the cameras would focus on "hot-spots and common routes" used to enter the US.
US lawmakers have been debating a divisive new illegal immigration bill.
The Senate has approved a law that grants millions of illegal immigrants US citizenship and calls for the creation of a guest-worker programme, while beefing up border security.
But in order to come into effect, the plan must be reconciled with tougher anti-immigration measures backed by the House of Representatives, that insist all illegal immigration should be criminalised.
The issue has polarised politics and US society. Right-wing groups have protested against illegal immigrants, while millions of people marched in support of them last month.
Free number
The Texas governor announced his plans for streaming the border surveillance camera footage over the internet at a meeting of police officials on Thursday.
"A stronger border is what Americans want and it's what our security demands and that is what Texas is going to deliver," Mr Perry said.
The cameras will cost $5m (£2.7m) to install and will be trained on sections of the 1,000-mile (1,600km) border known to be favoured by illegal immigrants.
Web users who spot an apparently illegal crossing will be able to alert the authorities by telephoning a number free of charge.
Mr Perry, a Republican, is running for re-election in November.
Deployment dispute
Meanwhile, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has sent National Guard soldiers to his state's border with Mexico, ending a weeks-old dispute with US President George W Bush.
President Bush announced plans on 14 May for thousands of soldiers from the Guard to be sent to bolster security along the Mexican border.
Mr Schwarzenegger had opposed the plan, describing it as a "Band-Aid solution" - or a temporary fix.
He said he did not want to place his state's National Guard soldiers - many of whom would have already served in Iraq - under additional strain.
On Thursday, the governor said he would send the soldiers to the border and the cost of the deployment would be shouldered by the federal government.
Meanwhile, a group of US civilian volunteers that has been patrolling the Mexican border began last week building a fence along a section of the frontier.
The Minutemen group started erecting the fence on privately-owned land in Arizona on Saturday, saying it is "doing the job the federal government will not do".
The Minutemen are allowed to report illegal crossings to border police but have no right to arrest suspects.
Human rights groups have accused the group of xenophobia towards illegal immigrants - but the group denies this.
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we hear often that we need the 'workers' to do job americans refuse ... building trades where a master builder is told he can work for $7 an hour, or not work because the illegals will accept the $7, field work because americans can't do it.... hmmm, I am 5'2" weight as a teen was 94... and I put myself through college picking peaches in the San Joaquin Valley California summer heat, and on and on ...
my own forebears were mostly emigrants...they came in under the legal requirements of the day. my only problem with illegals is; they come in by ignoring the laws of the country, demand their 'rights', want me to learn their language... every dialect, my forebears spoke broken english and their children spoke better english. i cannot speak the mother tongue of my forebears.
illegals expect to receive many benefits of citizenship... and i a citizen am expected to agree.
when employers and business owners have their business license pulled and enormous fines exacted along with many years jail time the problem will begin to even out.
B&R
excellent article as always. There is so much hostility debating this entire issue that many times I get so tired of the attitudes of people everywhere. Our government should have had better plans about this entire issue YEARS ago…This is why 9/11 was allowed to take place...My refuge is my prayer and my quotes to get me out of the troubling happenings in America and world wide...I like to be as humane about these illegal people, after all they are human souls.. Yet there comes a time, like Texas has had enough.We have to have a record of them, if they are extremist with Al Queada, if they are criminals, if they pay American taxes. If they do not pay their taxes they won't be eligable for social security and will put more of a strain on our system, not being able to pay for such things as health care. All this is really coming upon the American way of life that we pay for those that are in the shadows, not paying in the system.. It is about national security, along with welcoming new faces… It will be challenging to juggle them both, yet our prayers can do so much good. God is the Almighty who spoke the breath of life and breathed the breath of life in man and He can change His mind because His ways are so incredibly higher, and He may want certain things to happen in America, yet we must intercede powerfuly. It is critical we pray for the safety of all it’s people in America and if any sleeper cells here by extremists anti American be caught… We must beef up Canada’s border too. I don’t hear enough about that and they say that is how the al Qeada is filtering in….Also, we do not want any anti American professors teaching extremism at U.S universities. We have already seen they are here teaching in OUR UNIVERSITYS.. Is that crazy? Anti Israeli attitudes is what they teach at some American university's..Crazy??? You got it..…They have no right to live in America and spill hatred at in the minds of students in teaching university’s. But Peter, this is the world today and it’s crazy, ever so intolerant. It does not seem right they are using extremist views while they teach American people… Hostility seems to be covering this country along with others. We need to remember more of our planet through prayer…I do like the idea of the web surveillance. That is wonderful. The illegals are going to come anyway by numbers, yet it will be beefed up on security. I just do not want any illegals in the shadow of the system. They are a drain on our system as many of them will not pay taxes, use our infrastructure and of course the Al Queda is secretly here bothers me, yet I have turned towards my faith to bring security because it is the only true security, Peter. We must keep praying for world peace and peace in America.. Prayers do work if believed. God honors those that come in the name of faith… A highly fascinating article as always!!!
((Love & Prayers, Dove )))