Secretary Gives State of Border Address

Secretary Chertoff and Attorney General Mukasey gave a briefing on border security efforts, as part of a periodic update on progress on immigration, security and the border. The Department has built 300 miles of additional fencing, committed to hire over 18,000 border patrol by the end of the year, deployed new technology and unmanned aerial systems, and tightened document requirements for admission to the country. Secretary Chertoff concluded, "What we are doing is using all of the tools at our disposal to get the maximum leverage for our border patrol agents who have a very tough and important job to do. We have made a commitment to the American people to get the job done, and we are going to live up to that." Read More.