
Congressional appropriators agreed to fully fund the Obama administration’s $351.5 million request for border security technology and infrastructure, including $77.4 million for a fixed surveillance tower program that is in the source selection phase. However, House and Senate appropriators include language in the FY ’14 Omnibus Appropriations bill that restricts deployments of the Integrated Fixed Towers (IFT) until the Border Patrol Chief certifies that the surveillance system meets the Border Patrol’s requirements. The Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border…