The Border Patrol reported stricter security along the Southwest border with Mexico, as 873 miles of the 2,000-mile border reached a higher level of control.
The government currently spends $3 billion a year on border security, which led to the apprehension of 445,000 illegal immigrants and seizures of 2.4 million pounds of marijuana in 2010, according to a Government Accountability Office report.
Marfa, Del Rio and Laredo had the least secured areas of the border, while the Yuma sector had 100 percent control of its border, the GAO said.
“Border Patrol officials attributed the uneven progress across sectors to multiple factors, including terrain, transportation infrastructure on both sides of the border, and a need to prioritize resource deployment to sectors deemed to have greater risk of illegal activity,” the audit said.
FAST FACT: Since 2005, Border Patrol has increased security by 126 miles a year. The increase is due to additional infrastructure, technology and personnel. Fencing increased from 120 miles to 649 miles, and patrol agents increased from 10,000 to 17,500 along the Southwest border.
Following are other new watchdog reports released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), various federal Offices of Inspector General (OIG), and other government entities.
NATIONAL SECURITY
- The National Intelligence director released the size of the agency’s budget, $55 billion. The budget, which is usually concealed within the defense budget, has never been released before. (Director of National Intelligence)
- The Pentagon Papers, leaked in 1971, are finally being declassified. The papers detailed U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam and exposed inaccuracies by the Johnson administration. Despite numerous newspaper publications, the Department of Defense never declassified the files to be released in the public domain. (National Archives)