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Running Head: BORDER SECURITY

Illegal Immigration and its Influence on the US Border Protection

Name

Institution

BORDER SECURITY

Abstract

The issue of illegal immigrants and border security has for several years become a hot

political topic for debate in the United States. Several states have in fact experienced a mass

increase in their population from both legal and illegal immigrants settling in their societies. The

recent immigration has forced the Congress to consider passing some bills to restrict and control

illegal immigration. This is common in the southern US and Mexico borders (Caponi & Plesca,

2014). One of the US states, Arizona, passed a bill in 2010 allowing the law enforcers to

investigate and even detain any suspected illegal aliens. This is in SB1070 with 16 more states

considering adopting a similar move. Two main issues surrounded the illegal immigration

reforms; How to deal with the more than 11 million undocumented aliens living in the US and

how to secure the US borders from terrorist-related activities from illegal immigrants.

Several groups continue to take sides on the topic. One group proposes the idea of

securing the US borders and expelling the illegal aliens. Their stand is that the nation cannot

develop and implement an effective immigration policy until the nation has achieved a high level

of security. Their opposers claim that most of the illegal aliens are very productive and are

paying taxes as they have good jobs. Although it is vital that we secure our borders, can we be

able to identify each of the 11 million illegal immigrants living in our nation and deport them

successfully? Such task would be absurd, insurmountable and even cost prohibitive (Caponi &

Plesca, 2014). There should be hence a distinctive way of separating the issue of immigration

policy and border control as they are both significant.

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Introduction

The Congress has, moreover, funded border security on a piecemeal basis in spite of the

introduction of immigration reforms. The Department of Homeland Security is on the verge of

implementing additional security measures at various locations of the border. This is normally

done on a cost-benefit basis. This is where there is the greatest number of illegal immigrants into

our country such as the Mexican border receiving the most enhanced security measures. It is

however currently envisioned that ion will soon obtain total border security. Security is often

provided by a combination of physical and electronic barriers (Dick, 2011). Although the

Department of Homeland Security focuses more on the border security, it is worth noting that

immigration policy is intertwined with it and hence cannot be neglected.

Thesis Statement

Over one million of illegal immigrants have deceitfully entered or even crashed the

borders of the United States. Most move into the US with the hope of a better life which the

nation can provide. Although most of the immigrants are often in dire situations regarding

economic and political situations, they occasionally pose a national threat regarding border

security. Some terrorism activities have even been noted to be associated with some of the

immigrants. A proposed system should, therefore, exist that will ensure that in any way the

security of the American should not be put in jeopardy because of the existence of the illegal

immigrants.

Border Security Issues

The US borders are rather extensive and this makes it rather difficult to control its orders.

The nation shares a border with Canada on the north with a length of about 5,500 miles. It also

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shares about 2000 miles in length, of the border with Mexico to the south. In addition, the United

States contains more than 26,000 miles of navigable waterways and rivers and more than 12000

miles of coastline. The United States also serve more than 120 million passengers entering and

leaving and also boast of 4,000 marine ports and terminals. Also, this makes the task of securing

them a magnificent one. Some programs have been implemented by the government to

accomplish this task (Caponi & Plesca, 2014).

AS noted before, there is considerable controversy over the number of people entering

the country as illegal immigrants. Homeland security agents have for a time given evidence of

illegal immigrants entering the United States from Canada and Mexico. Mexico, for instance,

have been in the limelight for a given time now for being the primary source of the illegal

immigrants. The United States border security agencies have been apprehending more than one

million immigrants each year mostly on the Southern border. There has been a people smuggling

ring that has been noted to extend from Mexico to Southern America. The individuals from

nations such as Brazil and Colombia travel up to Mexico and once there the smuggling operation

secures a passage into America. Once in America, they often tend to travel to some noted

location and later link up with other terrorists and later become integrated within the society.

The nation of Canada comprises of less stringent immigration policies as compared to the

US. This results to a possibility of terrorists immigrating to Canada and later in the US after

obtaining traveling immigration.

Border protection philosophy after 9/11

The issue of border security took a different turn after the 9/11 attacks on the US soil.

The new philosophy that was adopted has had two main components. One of the ways of

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intercepting the possibility of illegal immigrants into the US is by introducing the security

measures in the nations where the immigrants are coming from. For instance, if the immigrants

are coming from Mexico, the security measures are adopted in Mexico before the US-bound

passengers leave Mexico. This will even prevent entry of drugs, contraband and even weapons

entering our country. These are primarily intended to counter any threat before it reaches the

shore. Furthermore, this will help in decreasing the bottleneck of people and goods awaiting

inspection at the borders.

The second way may involve profiling the people and goods at their point of origin.

Initially, profiling was viewed as a way of decreasing the distractions and the workload from a

large number of people and material at the entry point. The intelligence has identified safe

originating points and those that have a high level of insecurity. For example, it is easier for a

person from Africa to be an illegal immigrant as opposed to a person from England or Germany.

This is because a nation like England has a high level of intelligence and it would hence be

difficult for a person to leave the nation as an immigrant. This is contrary to immigrants from

third world countries such as Africa whose intelligence is low and hence higher chance of the

citizens finding ways of going into the United States America to search for greener pastures.

Although profiling exists, the safe points are not neglected just because they are safe, but

security measures continue to play a key role in securing the borders.

In securing our borders, prevention continues to play an important part in subjugating

aggression and terrorism. One of the critical ways is to deploy resources to hinder an enemy

from attacking the defense and protecting significant assets of paramount importance. The US

Border Control system even goes a step further in deploying resources to prevent any possibility

of illegal immigrants entering the nation. The Department of State works with bordering States

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in controlling the number of illegal immigrants leaving a particular nation. It is one of the crucial

and integral parts of the US border protection strategy. For instance, the CSA PATRIOT Act

avails the border security agencies with the necessary manpower to ensure there is no cases of

illegal immigrants.

New policies were implemented in 2001 aimed at changing the immigration policies.

These policies permitted the law enforcement agencies in the Immigration Department to detain,

deny entry, prosecute and even deport any individuals suspected to be in the US illegally. This is

in mostly in the cases where they are the threat to the security of the nation. Databases have been

for a time used to do a location and apprehension of any suspected persons who mostly are

illegal immigrants. The USA and Mexico work together to develop a fully compatible screening

protocol within the borders. This is as required by the North American Complementary

Immigration Policies. All these protocols enable the process of identification of people who

could cause harm to the United States as they enter the nation from either Mexico or Canada

(Lachica Buenavista, 2016).

Part of the problem was outlining prevention. Prevention became operationalized as

interdiction or physically stopping people, specifically terrorists, from entering our country.

Prevention also consists of interdiction and deterrence. Interdiction is trying to stop a plot once it

has begun. Deterrence, on the other hand, occurs when potential terrorists suppose that defenses

are insurmountable and therefore do not attempt an invasion. Deterrence cannot be easily

measured, as discussed in Chapter 3: subsequently, agencies become less interested in it.

Although the essentials of prevention, interdiction, and deterrence are encompassed in our

current policies, they are piecemeal and no comprehensive system currently is in place.

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Secure Border Initiative

During the 1990s, the LT.S Border Patrol changed their strategies. The agency began to

stress deterrence over apprehension. Several programs were affected, including Opera lion Hold

the line, Gatekeeper, and Safeguard. These programs placed personnel and equipment as dose to

the border possible, and their primary goals were to deter or prevent illegal crossings and to

break up smuggling rings as opposed to arresting illegal aliens after they crossed the border,

which previously has been the policy. The deterrence strategy resulted in a decrease in illegal

border crossings as measured by apprehensions. Moreover, the programming resulted in higher

levels of public backing on the part of American border residents (Lachica Buenavista, 2016)

The shift in strategy brought criticism from conservatives who thought the programs were

too weak; they resulted in (fewer apprehensions, and they mistakenly regarded apprehensions as

the best measure of security. Liberals critiqued the programs because they were too interfering

with community affairs. Others believed that the programs went outside the Border Patrol's

mandate-the Border Patrol should not be involved in immigration issues. As a result of the

criticisms and politics, programming became less vigorous. Our policies again began to stress

apprehension as opposed to prevention and deterrence. Disbanded smuggling procedures again

became operational, and there was an increase in the number of illegal aliens crossing the border

(Bach, 2005).

The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon resulted in a renewed

interest in border security. However, the agency again focused on interdiction, not deterrence or

prevention. That is the number of apprehensions measured organizational effectiveness. The

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agency also concentrated on tracing illegal immigrants and removing them once they were

prosecuted. It is without query that interdiction leads to an extensive public notice and media

recognition, but it is not as efficient as prevention. Also, the costs related to identifying, tracking,

prosecuting, and deporting illegal aliens are quite high, costs that aren't associated with an

effective prevention program. A comprehensive prevention program comprising cooperation

with the Mexican and Canadian governments is by far the most promising strategy.

Unfortunately, such an approach hasn't come to full fruition.

Border security turned out to be an explosive political issue as many illegal migrants

flooded across our southern border. An example, in 2005, Governor Bill Richardson of New

Mexico and Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona announced a state of emergency as a result of

the number of illegal immigrants crossing their borders. Arizona, in 2010, passed a stern

immigration law intended to control illegal immigrants. Chair of the House Armed Services

Committee Duncan Hunter suggested building two twin walls extending from the Pacific Ocean

to the Gulf of Mexico, even though Michael Chertoff, then secretary of the Department of

Homeland Security, advised that such a fence would be high-priced (Global Security, undated-

A). Some have referred to this primary sense as the "great wall of Mexico" (Global Security,

undated-b). The cost and debate ensued in a compromise whereby physical barriers and Customs

and Border Protection agents were increased, and other forms of border monitoring were

deployed. The main programs executed by the Department of Homeland Security to secure our

borders have been the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), which is a multiyear project that tries to

secure our northern and southern borders. The SBI is anticipated to be comprehensive,

addressing some deficiencies that have led to increased illegal immigration. According to the

DHS, the primary components of the SBJ include the following:

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I. More agents to guard our borders, secure our ports of entry, and enforce

immigration laws;

II. Expanded detention and removal capabilities to eliminate "catch and release"

once and for all;

III. A comprehensive and systemic upgrading of the technology used in controlling

the border, including increased manned aerial assets, expanded use of UAVs, and

next-generation detection technology;

IV. Increased investment in infrastructure improvements in the border-providing

additional physical security to sharply reduce illegal border crossings.

Before the 9/11 attacks, the Border Patrol was woefully understaffed given that the

agency was responsible for securing about 7,500 miles of the border. The Customs and Border

Protection agency acknowledged funding to increase the number of agents to about 3,000 in the

year 2005. Additionally, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (lCE) agency received

funding to increase the number of investigators by approximately 250 agents. The funding

increase also resulted in the hiring of 400 new Immigration Enforcement agents and 400

detention officers. These agents and officers are involved in investigating illegal immigrants

within the United States. The ICE fugitive teams collect apprehended illegal aliens for

deportation. Even with these increases, it remains questionable if there are ample agents for

securing our borders given the vastness of the problem adequately.

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Expanded Detention and Removal Capabilities

In the past, ICE has not had the personnel or facilities to hold and process all the illegal

aliens who were apprehended. To some degree, as a result of these shortages, the bureau had a

policy of catch and release. This resulted in few apprehended illegal aliens returning to their

home countries. Funding was provided to increase the bed space in detention facilities by 2,000

to a total of approximately 20,000 beds or spaces. The Department of Homeland Security has

been working with other federal, state, and local agencies to develop innovative strategies to

increase holding or bed space, for example, holding detainees in local jails. The increased

capacity prevents detainees from being released before deportation. When detainees are released

before deportation, many amalgams into society, fail to appear at their deportation hearings and

remain illegally in the United States (Orrenius, 2014).

Another impediment to controlling illegal immigration has been the length of time it has

taken to deport or remove illegal aliens. Deportation has taken months and even years in some

cases. Extended detentions result in occupied bed spaces at holding facilities, reducing the

number of detainees that can be held. The SBI gave the Department of 1-Homeland Security

legislative authority to expedite the deportation of some classes of illegal aliens. For example,

anyone apprehended within the previous two years is subject to expedited removal. The

Department of Homeland Security has executed this policy at all ports of entry and between

ports of entry only along the southwest border for aliens apprehended within 100 miles of the

border (Orrenius, 2014). The program was applied to the southwest border because this area has

the highest levels of illegal immigration. Expedited deportation has resulted in less strain on the

system.

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Improved Technology

Given that the United States has about 7,500 miles of the border, it is impossible to

protect them solely with personnel. The Department of Homeland Security has implemented two

strategies to improve border security: increased number and effectiveness of infrastructure

barriers, discussed later, and electronic surveillance commonly referred to as SBInet. SBInet

entails the deployment of radar, unpiloted aircraft systems, ground surveillance radar, unattended

sensors (magnetic, acoustic, and motion), and camera towers to track the movement of people

and vehicles at the borders. SBInet represents a virtual wall to be used in less populated areas

(Lachica Buenavista, 2016)

The first stage of SBInet was named Project 28 and encompasses a 28-mile stretch of the

Arizona border. Once implemented, other regions will be guarded by SBInet technology. Project

28 has resulted in the installation of a virtual fence. When people and vehicles endeavor to cross

the border, cameras and other sensors are used to perceive the transgressions (Orrenius, 2014).

Communication towers will broadcast any real-time electronic formation and images to an

intelligence hub. Once a possible intrusion is detected, the cameras are physically coordinated,

which will allow the operator to zoom in and adjust angles on the intruders, collecting relevant

data for law enforcement agents. The information, including images, is broadcasted to guarding

agents via computer (Richey, 2007). The scheme is designed to permit, border agents to seize all

the people attempting to cross the border illegally.

Project 28 and SBInet have confronted several problems. First, Richey notes a given

number of technical obstacles. Project 28 depicts a technically complicated system which is also

very comprehensive. Boeing, the principal contractor on the project, has encountered technical

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barriers, especially with system synthesis. The second impediment is Project 28's costs-it is

projected that SBInet will require a staggering $8 billion through 2013 with sustenance after

2013 costing more (Dick, 2011)

. Moreover, there is no certainty that there will not be vital cost coverage’s or that the

system can be as operative as originally outlined (Strohm, 2007). Although SBInet and Project

28 are ambitious, tries to protect the border, at this point, it is profoundly questionable if they

will come to fruition.

Enhanced Infrastructure Protection (Fencing)

Customs and Border Protection have been erecting and managing stops along the

Mexican border since 1991. These blocks, for the utmost part, have been confined to

metropolitan areas.

Two models of fencing have been adopted. One is the primary fencing that is situated

directly on the border in some metropolitan areas. In notable cases, the primary fencing has been

assembled from steel landing mats-army residue landing slips from the Vietnam War. The other

one is Sandia fencing, secondary or triple fencing that has been created in the San Diego area.

The proximity of two or three layers of fencing is more daunting to those who would try to cross

the border. In addition to the barricading, vehicle barriers have been erected in some areas. As of

December 2008, Customs and Border Protection planned to have a total of approximately 400

miles of pedestrian fence and 350 miles of vehicle fence completed, under development, or under

obligation along with the southwest border.

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Conclusion

There has been a noteworthy criticism of buildings, fences and walls. If you construct a

20-foot fence, illegal aliens who may be attempting to enter the United States will have to build a

21-foot ladder. In addition to climbing these fences, the illegal aliens will have to drill shafts

under them. It is profoundly questionable if a wall, especially one that stretches several miles or

several hundred miles long, can be built in such a style that it cannot be broken. Furthermore, the

value of such a fence has been approximated to be between $150,000 and $600,000 per mile.

Presently, it appears that they are somehow competent in fairly short spans in urban areas where

they are supplemented by the patrol personnel (Dick, 2011)

The adoption of latest technology and physical barriers attempts to seal our borders. Past

programs have used physical obstacles and increased border patrols in high-traffic areas.

Operation Gatekeeper was executed in San Diego, Operation Hold-the-Line along the border in

El Paso, and Operation Safeguard in Arizona. The number of illegal immigrants traversing the

border in these areas was considerably decreased as a result of the accumulated resources (Dick,

2011)

. However, there is some proof that the numbers were "made up" by Border Patrol

officials. In 1996, members of the Border Patrol union in the San Diego area filed a lawsuit

alleging that officials had ordered agents not to make arrests so as to give the impression that the

programs had reduced the number of illegal migrants. Keeping illegal aliens out of our country-

remains a conundrum.

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References

Caponi, V., & Plesca, M. (2014). Empirical characteristics of legal and illegal immigrants in the

USA. Journal Of Population Economics, 27(4), 923-960.

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00148-014-0524-x

Dick, H. (2011). Making Immigrants Illegal in Small-Town USA. Journal Of Linguistic

Anthropology, 21, E35-E55.

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1548-1395.2011.01096.x

Eliot, G. (2016). The mill on the Floss. New York: Open Road Integrated Media.

Facts, I. (2018). Topic: Illegal immigration in the United States. www.statista.com.

Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/topics/3454/illegal-immigration-in-the-united-

states/

FAIRus.org. (2018). Fairus.org. How Many Illegal Immigrants Are in the US? |

Retrieved from https://fairus.org/issue/illegal-immigration/how-many-illegal-immigrants-

are-in-us

Huiyun Tang. (2015). Conservative Immigration Reform and Illegal Immigrants. Sociology

Study, 5(12).

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.17265/2159-5526/2015.12.002

Lachica Buenavista, T. (2016). Model (undocumented) minorities and “illegal” immigrants:

centering Asian Americans and US circularity in undocumented student discourse. Race

Ethnicity And Education, 21(1), 78-91.

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248823

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Merino, N. (2010). What rights should illegal immigrants have?. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

Orrenius, P. (2014). Enforcement and illegal migration. IZA World Of Labor.

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.15185/izawol.81

Small, c. (2018). Illegal immigrants. [s.l.]: lucent books.

Hall, A. (2017). Decisions at the data border: Discretion, discernment and security. Security

Dialogue, 48(6), 488-504.

Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0967010617733668

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