Fact-Checking Key Assertions in the State of the Union Address

The deployment of technology at U.S. borders to prevent illegal immigration is experiencing limited success.

The Department of Homeland Security in December installed a pilot 28-mile electronic fence along the Arizona border that uses cameras, radar and ground sensors to intercept illegal crossers, but it was six months late and requires additional testing. The department has not said whether the projected multibillion-dollar system is ready to be expanded as scheduled this year.

In his speech, Bush repeated an assertion that the border cannot be secured against illegal crossers unless the United States increases channels for foreign workers to enter legally, but he did not make any specific new proposal for them to do so.

-- Spencer S. Hsu

FOR THE RECORD: AFGHANISTAN

"In Afghanistan, America, our 25 NATO allies, and 15 partner nations are helping the Afghan people defend their freedom and rebuild their country. Thanks to the courage of these military and civilian personnel, a nation that was once a safe haven for al-Qaeda is now a young democracy. . . . These successes must continue, so we are adding 3,200 Marines to our forces in Afghanistan."

ANALYSIS: President Bush did not mention the large dispute within NATO over how to fulfill the Afghan mission, including discord over the number of forces that each nation should contribute and where and how they should fight.

He also did not mention that a White House assessment last year concluded that wide-ranging strategic goals that the Bush administration set for 2007 had not been met. The extra Marines are, according to senior officials, being sent not to build on success but to prevent failure.

Only a few NATO countries engage in fighting -- especially the British, Canadians and Dutch -- while the rest focus on reconstruction. The United States already provides more than half of the 53,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, but the additional Marines were deemed necessary because no other NATO country was willing to commit new forces to the southern provinces where the Taliban has made a comeback.

Meanwhile, the economy and security situation in Afghanistan remain poor. Kidnappings and suicide bomb attacks have become more common in some regions, even in Kabul, where the city's top hotel was recently bombed. Opium production has risen, and many experts say programs to provide rural Afghans with alternative income are underfunded and poorly coordinated. Polls show a growing portion of the citizenry is losing faith in the government headed by President Hamid Karzai.

According to a survey released last year by the Asia Foundation, for example, 79 percent of Afghans said the government does not care what they think, while 69 percent said it is not acceptable to publicly criticize the government.

-- Glenn Kessler