A few days ago i was appalled to read that Scott Silverman, from VeriChip, had proposed implanting RFID tags in immigrant and guest workers. During an interview on “Fox & Friends,” he suggested using their RFID implants to register workers at the border, and then verify their identities in the workplace.

In a related story, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe allegedly said he would consider having Colombian seasonal workers have microchips implanted in their bodies before they are permitted to enter the US for seasonal work.

Today came the news that Texas plans to enlist web users worldwide in its fight against illegal immigration by offering live surveillance footage of the Mexican border on the internet.

The cameras will be trained on sections of the 1,000-mile (1,600km) border known to be favoured by illegal immigrants. Web users who spot a suspicious crossing will be able to alert the authorities by telephoning a number free of charge.

Meanwhile, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has sent National Guard soldiers to his state’s border with Mexico to bolster security along the Mexican border.

Besides, a group of US civilian volunteers that has been patrolling the Mexican border began last week building a fence along a section of the frontier. The Minutemen group started erecting the fence on privately-owned land in Arizona on Saturday, saying it is “doing the job the federal government will not do”.

Via quien vigila al vigilante, see networked_performance and space and culture for an english version of the story.

Image from Border film project.