Border Security Measure - Essay Example

? Research Method 4 February Research method The events of 9/11 compelled some American politicians and citizens to address homeland security more intensively and extensively. Several of the direct impacts of 9/11 are felt in increased demands for immigration and border controls (Lobreglio, 2004, p.936). When the USA PATRIOT Act (generally known as the "Patriot Act") has been passed, some people would think that they are safer than ever, but others would disagree about that. Time International correspondents Barlett et al. (2004) reported: “The U.S.’s borders, rather than becoming more secure since 9/11, have grown even more porous. And the trend has accelerated in the past year.” Deputy Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector Reynold Garza (2005) said that criminals continue to cross the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. Several sources indicated the need for greater border security through a wide range of technological, legislative, and military interventions (Antal, 2010; Meyers, 2003), as well as global agreements (Taylor, 2005). Aside from the need of securing the borders, there are also calls for the consideration of ethical and human rights dimensions of border security (Arreolo, 2010). The U.S. government is called by the international community to consider the rights of poor workers and people searching for an asylum to migrate to the U.S. In addition, some sources argued for the weight of understanding cultural geography, when finding and evaluating solutions to border issues (Arreolo, 2010; Hemphill, 2009). This essay discusses the issue and arguments surrounding border security. Furthermore, it explores the two most common research designs in criminal justices studies, which are considered in conducting the research for this issue. Finally, it explains the chosen research design and its possible problems and ethical solutions. Statement of the Issue The main issue is that border security measures that are currently employed by the U.S. government are insufficient in responding to the complex issues of legal and illegal migration. The U.S. already employs a wide range of technological, legislative, and military interventions (Antal, 2010; Meyers, 2003), as well as bilateral agreements (Taylor, 2005), but border security issues continue to persist (Antal, 2010; Barlett et al., 2004; Meyers, 2003; Wein, Liu, & Motskin, 2009, p.699). Discussion of the Issue It is important to understand how different parties perceive border security’s issues and the solutions to them. In general, two of the opposing arguments revolve around what the real problem is and how it should be properly resolved. On the one hand, some parties support greater military and physical/technological interventions to secure the borders. On the other hand, others argue that these interventions are not enough, because they do not reflect a deeper understanding of its causes and so they do not respond to the underlying issues of border migration. Supporters of enhanced military and physical/technological interventions argued that the real problem with border security is that it lacks visible and immediate impediments to illegal immigrants (Antal, 2010; Marek, 2007). Antal (2010) described physical barriers to immigrants to deter them from illegal immigration or to catch them, if ever they do successfully go through existing barriers. Marek (2007) reminded people of the criminal elements in Mexico, who can easily spillover to America’s border states and imperil the safety and security of the people in these states. These arguments underscore that when there are more physical barriers established at the borders, illegal immigrants and people who help them will be less motivated to unlawfully enter the U.S. This thinking is similar to the situational ways of solving crimes, by putting up barriers that will increase the difficulty of conducting the crimes and also boost the chances of being caught. In addition, supporters of these means of border security asserted that the criminal elements’ dimension of migration deserve military and physical/technological interventions. Numerous illegal crossings into the U.S. involved drug smuggling, transportation of illegitimate goods, and human trafficking (Antal, 2010, p.55). Drug exports are some of the gravest concerns of the Border Patrol. In August 2010, CNN stated that the death toll of Mexico's drug wars for the past few years was estimated at 28,000, which is equal to almost fifty percent of the number of Americans killed during the Vietnam War (Antal, 2010, p.53). Seven to eight large drug cartels are fighting one another and the Mexican government and one can only imagine the political instability and violence that threaten to overflow to American soil (Antal, 2010, p.53). Criminals do not deserve protection; they should be controlled through appropriate military and physical/technological interventions. Supporters of said interventions also mentioned the need of protecting the people for health and economic problems brought about by illegal migration. Opponents of illegal immigration stressed that it depresses wages and steals work from American workers (Hemphill, 2009; Huemer, 2010). Erecting greater physical borders can decrease illegal migrants, and in the long run, can positively raise wage levels once more. Health concerns are also part of security measures, such as preventing the spread of human and animal diseases from other countries to the U.S. (Taylor, 2005, p.579). The spread of AH1N1, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and various other flu viruses from human beings and livestock instigate fears and justify the need for rigorous border security measures, including physical and technological tools. Opponents of these border security measures believed that these are temporary and ineffective solutions, because they do not address the underlying socio-economic, cultural, and political concerns of illegal migration. Illegal immigration is not fundamentally and predominantly a criminal and terrorist manifestation. Illegal migrants are mostly made of people from poorer or war-torn and conflict-ridden countries, who seek greener and more stable pastures in the U.S. (Marek, 2007). Though their migration may have impacts on wage levels and employment of American citizens, they also contribute to economic growth. Companies and businesses benefit from illegal immigration, because it reduces labor costs, and they frequently lobby for laxer laws or laws with small penalties for using illegal immigrants as part of their work force (Hemphill, 2009; Huemer, 2010). Illegal migration also has a cultural component. Leslie Marmon Silko, a Native American novelist, poet, and short-story writer, claimed in her essay, “The Border Patrol State,” that Mexicans, with Native American roots, are only going back to their original homeland. She ended her arguments with a Native American story: “Aztlan is the beautiful land to the north, the origin place of the Aztec people. I don't remember how or why the people left Aztlan to journey farther south, but the old story says that one day, they will return.” Furthermore, there are political concerns that should be considered, such as how policymaking responds to the needs of refugees and illegal immigrants. Opponents also argued that international accords are needed to supplement bilateral agreements with nations at the U.S. borders. Sources argued that border issues are multilateral concerns and so unilateral and even bilateral efforts may not be enough (Lobreglio, 2994; Taylor, 2005, p.575).The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees emphasized that global solutions can provide answers to the difficulty of asymmetrical population movement so that countries can effectively assist “people in need of international protection find it, people who wish to migrate have appropriate opportunities to do so, and abusive manipulation of entry possibilities is curtailed” (cited in Taylor, 2005, p.575). Still, “there is no global institutional framework within which to address the full spectrum of international migration issues in a comprehensive and systematic manner” (UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs cited in Taylor, 2005, p.575). The U.S. government should also consider working with countries where immigrants come from, so that global responses to immigration can be identified and implemented. Opponents further contended that human rights and ethical considerations must also be integrated into the study and resolution of border security issues. Sources argued that people have the right to migrate (Hemphill, 2009; Huemer, 2010; Meyers, 2003, p.29). An article asserted that that immigration control is a “prima facie rights violation” (Huemer, 2010, p.431). A prima facie rights violation is an action of that, as a rule, violates someone’s rights (Huemer, 2010, p.431). The state has a duty to its citizens indeed, but the state also has a moral obligation to helping the least advantaged (Huemer, 2010, p.444). Refugees, furthermore, have the right to seek asylum in other countries and states that are party to international refugee policies are expected to acknowledge refugees and help provide basic needs, which may include future resettlement in countries of origin (Huemer, 2010, p.450). Border security measures should consider human rights implications and not neglect international human rights. My personal position is that border security requires a wider range of solutions that go beyond traditional options. The U.S. can wall the whole nation, but illegal immigrants can still find ways to enter and justify their actions. The issue of border security is complex and has to be broken down into its various socio-economic, cultural, and political dimensions, as well as other contextual factors. A complete understanding of why there is illegal immigration can provide a deeper perspective on how to generate and implement diverse solutions. The U.S. cannot solve poverty and violence in other nations, but it can, to some extent, provide the needed measures to improve border security with consideration for ethical solutions. Two Most Common Research Designs in Criminal Justice Studies Research design is either qualitative or quantitative or a mixture of both. There are numerous other designs that fall under each category. The two most common research designs in criminal justice studies are survey research and record studies. Pure experimental designs are not common, because of the nature of criminal justice studies, which concern understanding human behavior and attitudes (Vito & Tewksbury, 2008, p.1995). Survey research entails conducting research through surveys or interviews (Dantzker & Hunter, 2006, p.16). Survey research is recommended for descriptive, exploratory, explanatory, and applied research (Maxfield & Babbie, 2009, p.171). Record studies are used when researchers evaluate and analyze official records for collecting data (Dantzker & Hunter, 2006, p.17). For instance, they may study trends in crimes to identify criminal profiles. Chosen Research Design The chosen research design is exploratory, qualitative research. I seek to make an exploratory study of an under-researched area of the ethical implications of border security (Blanche, Durrheim, & Painter, 2006, p.44). While there are many studies that describe and criticize border security, not many have explored it from the views of border security personnel and civilians. I chose a qualitative research, because I want to focus on acquiring more details and depth about border security. I seek to attain a deeper understanding of the deeper ethical issues of border security and how this approach can lead to more sustainable border security measures (Marshall & Rossman, 2011, p.3). The design integrates survey research and secondary research. I chose a combined methodology to improve the depth of research results, which can also enhance internal validity. Furthermore, conducting secondary research can also enhance the reliability of the interview questionnaire. Secondary research collates and synthesizes existing studies. This will be used to improve details and gather additional information about the topic that the sampling may not be able to provide. Interviews will be done, because they can provide greater detail that will be needed to explore the topic (Blanche, Durrheim, & Painter, 2006, p. 44). Sampling Strategy The target individuals are border security personnel and civilians. The sampling strategy is convenience sampling. Convenience sampling is used in exploratory research, where the researcher is concerned in getting an economical approximation of the truth (Anderson, Sweeney, & Williams, 2009, p. 290). The sample is selected, because they are convenient, and this nonprobability method is regularly used throughout groundwork studies to get some approximation of the results, without incurring high costs and spending considerable time on choosing a random sample (Anderson et al., 2009, p. 290). The advantages of convenience sampling are simple selection of sampling and data collection (Anderson et al., 2009, p.290). The disadvantages are it can decrease the validity of the results, because it is likely that the convenient sampling does not precisely reflect the characteristics of the population and there must be carefulness in interpreting the generalizability of convenience samples (Anderson et al., 2009, p. 290). I will call Border Patrol and attempt to get a telephone interview with at least five people. I will also interview 5 college instructors and students. I will choose people who are knowledgeable with border security. Possible Problems Time limits. I may underestimate the time needed to complete the interviews and writing of the paper. This can delay the writing and completion of the paper. This can be resolved by communicating closely with participants and time management. Resources. The research is personally funded, and there might be budget limitations. Hopefully, all research can be done with the least travel and miscellaneous expenses. Difficulty of conducting interviews. Some of the sampling might be wary of sharing information and insights. This can affect the internal and external validity of the research. Completeness of questions. I may have not considered all necessary questions for the interview. Some important questions may be left unanswered. Generalizability of results. Exploratory research focuses on details. The small sampling and research approach may not yield completely generalizable results. Ethical Considerations Honesty of answers. Some of the participants may not be entirely honest. They might protect the organizations they belong to. Privacy. Participants may have privacy concerns. I will assure them that their identities will be protected and that the information will be used for academic purposes only. Conclusions Border security is an urgent, international issue. It is not a unilateral or bilateral concern only, but an imperative socio-economic, political, geographic, and cultural phenomenon that requires diverse multifaceted responses. This paper argues for a more comprehensive approach to analyzing and resolving border security. It aims to conduct qualitative and exploratory research, in order to contribute to the research gap of the ethical implications of border security (Blanche, Durrheim, & Painter, 2006, p.44). The results of the research can provide a deeper understanding of the complexity of border security and how an ethics-minded approach can lead to more sustainable and humane border security measures. References Antal, J. (2010). Border battles: The future of border security technology along the US - Mexican Border. Military Technology, 34 (11), 53-62. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from Advanced Placement Source. Anderson, D.R., Sweeney, D.J., & Williams, T.A. (2009). Statistics for business and economics (10th ed). Ohio: Thomson. Arreola, D.D. (2010).The Mexico-US borderlands through two decades. Journal of Cultural Geography, 27 (3), 331-351. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from Advanced Placement Source. Barlett, D.L., Steele, J.B., Karmatz, L., & Levinstein, J. (2004, September 20). Who left the door open? Time International, 164 (12), 49-63. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from Advanced Placement Source. Blanche, M.T., Durrheim, K., & Painter, D. (2006). 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