Virtual fence construction starts in Arizona

Construction has begun on towers for the final version of the virtual fence project in southern Arizona, and project leader Mark Borkowski said Tuesday he's confident the multi-billion dollar will system work well.

Borkowski, executive director of the Homeland Security Department's Secure Border Initiative program office, said he's 75 to 80 percent confident in the engineering of the revamped project.

"And I have higher confidence than that that if there were issues, they'd be issues that we could solve," he said.

Plans call for extending the towers along almost the entire Mexican border by 2014 at a cost estimated at $6.7 billion.

President Barack Obama has not requested that money, nor has Congress appropriated it yet.

"Right now, the administration and the Congress are both very interested in continuing this program," Borkowski said. "What level will it be at, $200 million a year or will it be $2 billion a year? That's part of the broader national debate about what are the priorities and budgets. But there seems to be a continued interest and priority in this at some reasonable level."

The virtual fence is designed to use radar and cameras with about a six-mile range, including infrared devices and other technologies, to detect smuggling attempts. The sensors are designed to be able to distinguish people from animals and allow operators to direct Border Patrol agents to intruders.

The first section will cover about 53 miles of Arizona's border with Mexico, with additional towers, up to 120 feet tall and spaced miles apart, to follow on the remaining 320 miles of the state's southern border. Virtual fencing then will go up in New Mexico, followed by California and most of Texas.

Borkowski said towers with cameras, radars and sensors and communications gear won't stop people or substitute for a physical fence. But he said it will tell the Border Patrol where people are entering the country illegally.

"Technology's not going to secure the borders,'' Borkowski said. "Frankly, the personnel fundamentally are going to secure the borders.''

Obama to visit ASU

Law enforcement and health officials braced for 70,000 people to crowd into Sun Devil Stadium in near 100-degree temperatures Wednesday night to hear President Barack Obama deliver the commencement address at Arizona State University..

Gates were to open at 2:30 p.m., more than five hours before the president was to speak.

Melissa Werner of ASU, one of the event planners, said those attending should, "bring their bottled water, lots of sunscreen, sunglasses, hats," and be prepared for a wait of up to 90 minutes to clear one of the 40 security checkpoints.

"Along those lines, we'll have tenting, we'll have cooling stations, we'll have complimentary water stations," Werner said.

Julie Newberg with ASU said officials would be prepared to deal with people who have trouble with the heat.

"We'll have paramedics from Southwest Ambulance, Tempe Fire will be here, we'll have a first aid station inside the stadium, we'll also have one outside."

People who find the football stadium too hot can watch the ceremony on a large video screen in the nearby Wells Fargo Arena; however, if they leave the stadium, they cannot re-enter.

People must discard their own water bottles as they enter the stadium. They will be permitted to take cameras, cellphones and MP3 players into the stadium, but not food, alcoholic beverages or coolers.

A wave of law enforcement officers started rolling into Tempe at dawn Thursday. Traffic restrictions were set to go into effect around the stadium and on the routes from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport into Tempe before the president arrived aboard Air Force One just before 6 p.m. The president will leave Sky Harbor about 9:30 p.m.

Some of the 9,000 graduates said the president's speech will be something to remember forever.

"No matter what your politics are, it's going to be a very cool thing. When else can you say I saw the president of the United States give my commencement speech?" said Sarah Larson, a 23-year-old education major.

Ismael Paderez, 35, of Phoenix, planned to arrive at the stadium at 3 p.m. Nothing, he said, would have prevented his family from attending the ceremony to see him get his degree in electrical engineering.

``I'm the first person on my father's side to graduate from college,'' he said. ``With this economy ... and looking for a job ... I want to hear the president give a message of inspiration.''

The pre-ceremony show was to include an appearance by rock icon Alice Cooper, Mexican mariachis bands, a gospel choir and a marching band.

Following Obama's address, university president Michael Crow was to award five high school students with scholarships named after the president. The President Barack Obama Scholars program will offer them up to $17,000 annually to pay for tuition, books, room and board.

Virgil Renzulli, an ASU spokesman, said ASU hopes the scholarship will serve as a national model for universities aiming to make college more affordable.

``We know that for Arizona to be competitive and the U.S. to be competitive we have got to produce more college graduates,'' he said. ``We hope this (scholarship) will have a lasting effect.''