Focus Report - Research Paper Example

The philosophy of crime prevention that I wish to push is to solve the problem at its source. Homeland defense and illegal immigration are inextricably intertwined in that much of the Homeland Defense policy of the United States has targeted illegal immigration. In a Working Paper entitled “An Analysis of Migrant Smuggling Costs along the Southwest Border” (2010) by the Department of Homeland Security, it was found that stronger enforcement mechanisms led to a rise in smuggling costs, thus effectively deterring illegal immigration across borders.

Homeland defense and illegal immigration are inextricably intertwined in that much of the Homeland Defense policy of the United States has targeted illegal immigration. Much debate has raged over immigration policies in the United States. In the past, the United States had reached out with open arms to immigrants coming from distant shores, who want to make this country their home. As a result of this, we have seen America become a melting pot of cultures, offering its embrace to the poor and downtrodden.

In many instances, however, social controversies had arisen as a result of the influx of immigrants. This is the current situation at hand. Conservative Americans say that the government has coddled illegal immigrants far too long, and given the current bleak state of the US economy, this is prejudicial to ordinary Americans citizens. Those of immigrant heritage, on the other hand, particularly the Latinos, call for less stringent immigration measures and continue to go to the US to escape the poverty and desperation in their home countries.

Immigration policies are hotly contested and draw divisive lines across the nation. Peak (2009) has colorfully described illegal immigration efforts by the US government: The UAVs use thermal and night vision equipment to spot illegal immigrants; they can detect movement from 15 miles of altitude, read a license plate, and even detect weapons. In 39 days of border surveillance, the UAVs led to the apprehension of 248 illegal immigrants and the seizure of 518 pounds of marijuana. The vehicles are waist-high, weigh about 1000 pounds, have a 35-foot wingspan, fly faster than 100 miles an hour and can stay aloft for 20 hours at a time.

A major problem that illegal immigration has created is the drug problem. Terrorism is not simply an assault on freedom and democracy; it can equally be an assault on the individual by creating drug dependence that leads to other pernicious social effects. According to Peak (2009), “more than half of all adult arrestees test positive for drug use at the time of their apprehension; their drug use prior to incarceration is typically chronic.” The problem of illicit drugs in the United States must be viewed against the backdrop of a well-oiled international drug trafficking network that has sustained the addiction of drug users and has lined the pockets of those who profit from this addiction.

Indeed, in order to address illicit drug use at its core, it is imperative to understand the workings of the drug trade – the production, transport and distribution – that takes place before eventual consumption. Many Americans assume that illicit drugs in the United States come from Latin America, without really understanding the dynamics between the drug cartels and the relationships of the players with each other. In truth, Colombian drug organizations and Mexican drug organizati