WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A high-tech surveillance system on the U.S- Mexican border has become too expensive, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday.
Napolitano announced the cancellation of the Secure Border Initiative Network, CNN reported. She said the government has spent more than $1 billion to cover just over 50 miles in Arizona, while the entire border stretches for more than 2,000 miles.
Instead of the "virtual fence," Napolitano said the government will use technology more flexibly, with everything from unmanned aircraft to mobile surveillance stations.
"There is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution to meet our border technology needs," Napolitano said.
Thousands of agents patrol the border, along with 1,200 National Guard members sent there by President Barack Obama. There are 20,500 Border Patrol Agents in the region, up from 10,000 in 2004, the report said.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., praised Napolitano's decision.
"The secretary's decision to terminate SBInet ends a long-troubled program that spent far too much of the taxpayers' money for the results it delivered," Lieberman said. "From the start, SBInet's one-size-fits-all approach was unrealistic."
