Border Patrol agents talk with an illegal immigrant

The governor of the southern U.S. state of Texas has announced a plan to set up surveillance cameras along the border with Mexico.

Governor Rick Perry says the images from those cameras will be put on the Internet for viewers to help stop illegal crossings. He says the five-million-dollar "virtual border" was born of frustration at what he terms federal inaction on border security.

His plan calls for hundreds of video surveillance cameras equipped with night vision capability to transmit the images in real time to local, state and federal officials. The public also will be able to view the images and will be encouraged to call a toll-free number.

Governor Perry likens the program to neighborhood watch committees, in which the public monitors local activity and alerts police to suspected criminal acts.

Texas shares more than 1,600 kilometers of border with Mexico.

The U.S. Congress is in the midst of creating federal plans for immigration reform and border security.