U.S. to erect more "virtual" border fences

By Randall Mikkelsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials announced plans for more high-tech border fencing and rules making it harder for federal contractors to hire illegal workers, but said on Monday it would take another three years to declare victory in immigration control.

In an election-year update on immigration policies -- a simmering issue in this year's presidential campaign -- the Bush administration said its control efforts were making progress.

But they said a major policy overhaul was needed to ensure there were enough immigrant workers for high-skilled technical jobs as well as low-skilled agricultural labor.

"We simply do not have enough foreign workers at both ends of the spectrum," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said at a news conference with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

President George W. Bush failed last year to get Congress to pass a comprehensive overhaul of immigration laws, which would have combined a crackdown on illegal immigration with a new guest-worker program.

The administration instead imposed a patchwork of administrative measures and moved ahead with plans to construct 670 miles of barriers along the 2,000-mile (3,200 km) border with Mexico.

Chertoff said the government had decided to award Boeing Co contracts to build two sections of a high-tech fence in Arizona.

The new sections would be an "operational configuration" of a much-criticized 28-mile (45-km) "virtual fence" built by Boeing and tested earlier, Chertoff said.

It would include fixed towers, radar and ground sensors, remote control cameras, and software linking border agents. Officials plan to deploy elements of the technology as needed elsewhere along the border.

Chertoff dismissed earlier reports of deep trouble with the test section, which had been delayed by several months due to technical problems, including communications and software glitches and fuzzy video images.

FEDERAL CONTRACTORS

Chertoff also said the government would make all federal contractors participate in an electronic system to verify that employees are not illegal immigrants.

The decision could affect hundreds of thousands or millions of workers, he said. The government has heavily promoted the "E-Verify" system, which is voluntary for other private employers.

Gutierrez said the United States had a shortage of workers that it was having trouble filling with immigrants, despite steps to streamline paperwork.

Some Republicans have criticized the party's presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, for not being tough enough against illegal immigration. Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama has called for more opportunities for legal immigration and for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.