It will take more than hundreds of federal workers to beef up security at the U.S.-Mexican border; it also will take technology. That's why the Department of Homeland Security announced this week that it's sending hundreds of new employees to the border and investing millions of dollars in technology to screen traffic at the border crossings.

It also will invest $95 million in biometric identification machines to identify and arrest Mexicans who have committed crimes in the U.S. The actions are a response to the war among drug cartels and law enforcement organizations that killed nearly 6,000 people last year in Mexico. The U.S. is worried that some of the violence in Mexico could spill across the border into the U.S.

"This issue requires immediate action," said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. "We are going to do everything we can to prevent the violence in Mexico from spilling over across the border."

For more on technology to fight the border violence:
- check out this Federal Times article