Border Surveillance Towers Rise in Arizona

The first of nine mobile sensor towers designed to track illegal entries into the U.S. has been installed near Sasabe, Arizona, according to the Department of Homeland Security. When completed, the nine towers -- known as "Project 28" -- will be electronically linked to monitor a 28-mile long stretch along Arizona's border with Mexico.

The 28-miles of remotely-monitored Arizona form the initial phase of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's SBInet, the high tech element of the Secure Border Initiative. Each mobile sensor tower will bristle with day and night vision cameras, radars, wireless data access points, communications and computer equipment, and a tower security system. The Sasabe, Arizona area was selected for Project 28 due to what Customs officials called the area's "substantial flow of illegal entries and the lack of existing technology and infrastructure."

The hardware on the towers of Project 28 will communicate with hardware to be installed in Border Patrol Agents' vehicles will allow the agents to detect, identify and track entries into the U.S. when and where they occur.

Project 28 is scheduled to begin full operation by the end of June 2007.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is an enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

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