DHS enhances border traffic X-rays

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will spend $88 million to beef up its X-ray and imaging technology along the Mexican border, officials said Wednesday.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a release that the funding, which is coming from the federal stimulus program, will go to buy "non-intrusive inspection" equipment to help Border Patrol agents spot contraband moving among commercial traffic along the border.

"These cutting-edge technologies will help us better detect threats at our nation's borders while expediting legitimate travel and trade," Napolitano said. "The (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus program) has infused critical resources into local economies across the country while strengthening our nation's security."

She said the funding will cover eight contracts for NII technologies to provide fixed and mobile detection capabilities for deployment by the Border Patrol at U.S. ports of entry as part of the Obama administration's Southwest Border Initiative announced in March.

Customs agents now screen 100 percent of all rail traffic headed southbound to Mexico using NII equipment, U.S. officials said.