Washington rejects any virtual wall proposals
If a company’s proposal for President Trump’s border wall relies on artificial intelligence, drones and sensors — but leaves out a physical, tangible barrier — then the federal government is not interested.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials advised bidders this week that “technology alone would not meet the requirements of the solicitations,” according to an amendment on the government’s request for proposals.
Several Bay Area companies submitted proposals to the agency to construct a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The deadline was originally Wednesday but was extended to April 4 because of the high volume of applications received, an agency spokesman said.
Rejecting proposals for virtual walls would disqualify companies like Richmond’s Simularity. The company said it wants to build a non-
physical barrier out of drones, artificial intelligence and sensors.
CEO Liz Derr said that to not even consider tech-driven proposals is a naive move by the government — especially in light of how much technology has advanced since the last time a barrier was constructed along the border.
“Our technology can supplement a physical wall,” Derr said. “It seems that the physical wall is most likely not going to get funded — so they need to look at other solutions.”
David Inserra, policy analyst for homeland security and cyberpolicy at the Heritage Foundation, a think thank that has a focus on defense policy, said combining a physical wall with technology would be the most effective barrier.
“Even if you did install a very robust tech system, I still think there are areas where additional fencing is called for,” Inserra said. “There are areas where you just need to go beyond the tech.”
Quanergy, a company that makes lidar sensors, a laser version of radar that can detect objects, proposed using that technology and artificial intelligence either as a virtual wall or in conjunction with a physical wall or fence.
It is unclear whether the Sunnyvale company’s proposal will meet government specifications, which call for a barrier made either from solid concrete or alternative materials. Among other requirements: It must be at least 18 feet tall, 6 feet deep and strong enough to withstand attacks from tools such as a sledgehammer, car jack or pickax.
The wall still lacks funding. The White House proposed budget cuts Tuesday to pay for the wall; experts say the cuts are unlikely to pass Congress.
While advocates for virtual walls say they will reduce the cost of the project, the idea would not match Trump’s chief campaign promise of building a “great, great wall,” said Theresa Brown, director of immigration policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank.
“This idea of a wall is as much symbolic as other things,” she said. “Whether or not it will actually have an effect is beside the point.”