Virtual Fence on Mexican Border Deemed Inadequate

The $20 million, 28-mile long virtual fence along Arizona's border with Mexico has been deemed inadequate and will be replaced with a new system, according to government officials. This comes two months after the Government Accountability Office released a report saying that the prototype, a series of surveillance towers with advanced camera and radar technology, failed to promptly alert border patrol agents of illegal crossings.

In our Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index, nearly half (45 percent) of Americans said they worry "a lot" that it's too easy for illegal immigrants to come into the country. They view "tighter controls on immigration" as an effective national security strategy, with half saying it would enhance security "a great deal." Yet the government gets some of its lowest grades from the public for "protecting our borders from illegal immigration" (six in 10 give failing grades) and "keeping illegal drugs out of the country" (56 percent give failing grades).