U.S. Border Security - Essay Example

Contents I. Introduction. Events of 9/11 as a reason for increasing the U.S. border security II. The United s Mexico barrier III. United s-Canadian border IV. Border security nowadays 1. Visa control 2. Immigration control (advantages and faults) V. New policies and technologies directed to improving border security 1. "Smart border" policy 2. Electronic passports 3. US-VISIT program V. Conclusions U.S. Border Security as it relates to terrorists entering the country Introduction The September 11, 2001 attack by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda astonished Americans. Although not the first such assault in this country-an effort had been made to destroy the World Trade Center just eight and a half years earlier-the deaths of 3,000 people going about their daily lives, and the destruction of one of the most important symbols of American economic power, made it different in kind from other terrorist attacks. "A democracy that feels seriously threatened must decide how it will protect itself. Equally important, though, is how it will at the same time preserve its liberties. For Americans, this is an especially agonizing dilemma. We pride ourselves on our profound and almost unique commitment to liberty, and the legal institutions and civic culture that have made America probably the freest society in history" (Herman Schwartz, Security and liberty in an age of terrorism). Immediately after September 11, President George W. Bush proclaimed a "war on terrorism" that would be global struggle and would continue far into the future. After hours of the attack, Attorney General John Ashcroft made the Department of Justice prepare legislative proposals. Prosecutors denied their old wish lists and created a large proposal, which, with other provisions, became the 342-page USA-Patriot Act. When it was forced through just six weeks later, not many members of Congress had read this bill, and many voted for it with doubts. So great was the pressure to take some protective action against terrorism, however, that only one senator and 66 House members voted against it. The most important point of the proposal was dedicated to United States Border Security; and after the eleventh of September some measures have been taken. The author of this research is going to descry the situation of United States border security, clarify the advantages and weaknesses of American security system. I would like to concentrate on United States Mexico and Canadian borders. The United States Mexico barrier The United States Mexico barrier is in fact several separation barriers planned to prevent illegal immigration into the United States from the territory of neighboring Mexico. Its key target is Mexican nationals and other Latin Americans, though in recent years other groups (for instance Asians of different nationalities) have also been using the porous Mexican border to make safe access to the USA. The barriers were designed as part of three larger "Operations" to prevent illegal immigration, Operation Gatekeeper in California, Operation Hold-the-Line in Texas, and Operation Safeguard in Arizona. The purpose of these barriers is to make immigrants cross the border with numerous difficulties, in order to reduce migration. Several scholars, who scrutinized this subject, state that these operations are just a public relations strategy used to persuade U.S. citizens that the border is "secure", while the economy benefits from the continuing flow of cheap labor across the border. The 3140 km (1,951 mile) border between the United States and Mexico crosses a variety of terrains, including urban areas and deserts. The barrier is situated in the urban sections of the border; actually the great number of migrations took place in this location. These urban areas include California, Texas, San Diego and El Paso. The success of the barrier led to a noticeable increase in the number of people trying to cross the Sonoran Desert and the Baboquivari Mountains in Arizona. Such migrants have to cross 80 km (50 miles) of 'inhospitable' and even dangerous territory to get to the first road, which is placed in the Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation. Between October 1, 2003, and April 30, 2004, the United States Border Patrol arrested 660,390 people as they made an effort to cross the border illegally. Between 43 and 61 people have died trying to go through the Sonoran Desert during that same time period. United States-Canadian border Officially known as the International Boundary. Frequently mentioned as the world's longest undefended border, the International Boundary is in fact defended, but by law enforcement and not military personnel. Comparatively low level of security measures stands in strong contrast to that of the Mexico-U.S. border (1/3 as long as the Canada-U.S. border), which is actively patrolled by U.S. customs and immigration personnel to control immigration from Mexico. It is important to note that since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, border security along the International Boundary has been noticeably increased by both nations in both inhabited and rural areas. American and Canadian citizens owning property neighbouring to the border are demanded to report construction of any physical border crossing on their land to their respective governments. If it is necessary, they are enforced to use fences or vehicle blockades. Each person crossing the border is required to report to the respective governmental organization. In the distant areas, "there are hidden sensors on roads and also scattered in wooded areas near crossing points and on many trails and railways, but there are not enough border personnel on either side to verify and stop coordinated incursions" (Wikipedia, United States-Canadian Border). Parts of the International Boundary are situated in the hilly terrain or heavily forested areas, but major portions also cross remote grassland and the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River, in addition to the maritime components of the boundary at the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans. Canadian border personnel are much less than 1,000 in total, and nearly 7, 000 people are employed at the Mexican border. As one can see, Mexican border is considered more dangerous relating to the fact of permanent illegal immigration from the present country. Border security nowadays The United States has about 5,000 miles of Canadian border, 2,000 miles of Mexican border, and 95,000 miles of shoreline. Every year, over 500 million people cross these borders, and over two-thirds of them are non-U.S. citizens.U.S. borders are viewed as quite 'porous', as there is only about one border agent patrol for every five miles of border. Nevertheless "the problems with America's borders are not insurmountable, and it is indeed possible to avoid adverse impacts on tourism, trade, and immigration by "securing the borders" (William Langewiesche, Border and transportation security). Border security in the United States has traditionally consisted of the similar problems of immigration control and visa control.Immigration control is the older and more puzzling problem of these two, while visa control is a set of regulations, lotteries, waivers, and TMOV (Transit Without Visa) loopholes. America is basically the country of immigrants; lots of people escaped from restricted freedom to find a new homeland which would be based on liberty. Nevertheless, Constitution was never designed for automatic granting to foreigners the right for to migrate and enter this country. It is important to notice that America has an old tradition of welcoming immigrants, yet it is a country with a large number of ports of entry (317 official ones), which the government is concerned about.So the job of a new homeland security agency called CBP (Customs Border Protection Protecting) is protecting those ports and the borders from terrorism. The organization has over 41,000 employees, who are involved into patrolling borders. At the ports, CBP staff also controls import/export laws, immigration laws, and run agriculture inspections. CBP also checks highways leading from border areas, and can perform investigations anywhere else in the country. Modern U.S. border security includes more than enhancing enforcement (asking more questions), enhancing inspections (searches), and enhancing management (putting special agents in charge as each port director). CBP's main task is intelligence-driven homeland security, in particular to identify terrorists and terrorist weapons and prevent them from entering the United States. A well-developed intelligence system called ATS (Automated Targeting System) raises red flags on vehicles and ships before they even reach the border, and then any anomalies can be detected by the modern X-ray devices. Most of the seizures are the results of 'cold hits' made by CBP alone, though the present organization shares intelligence with many other agencies. More than 60 million people have legally crossed the borders of the United States since their 'birth', and about 10 million in the last ten years. The present figure is considered high but it includes approximately 3 million undocumented aliens who were given amnesty at the end of the 1980s. The definition of immigrants, designed by the U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service is following: immigrants are persons lawfully admitted for permanent residence. They enter United States with permanent visas that have been applied for and arranged abroad, or they adjust their status from temporary visitor to permanent resident. Visas are received from any American consulate of any foreign country; they are usually stamped in a passport and are considered official documents of U.S. State Department. Visas are obtained either for temporary status (such visas are called 'nonimmigrant visas') or permanent status ('immigrant visas'). There are certain definitions for different groups of those foreigners who enter United States: "1) immigrant = permanent residence by visa or visa adjustment 2) alien = not born in the U.S., but may be a citizen or national (Philippines) 3) citizen = entitled to protection and the rights of citizenship (Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, U.S. territories) 3) national = allegiance to U.S., entitled to protection, but no citizenship (American Samoa, Swains Island, outlying U.S. possessions)" (William Langewiesche) United States immigration law is based on a quota system that gives preferential treatment to persons who have family in the U.S., people with needed job skills, and persons who have a status of refugees.The annual report shows that the United States accepts about 675,000, and there are nearly 925,000 approvals for permanent residence. The list of measures, which have already been taken in this area, is given below. The Department of Homeland Security control immigration through the CLASS (Consular Lookout and Support) system. It supplies consular officers throughout the world with the best information on people whose entry into the U.S. is not desirable.It applies the most advanced foreign language algorithms to guarantee that transliteration and common names are not overlooked, and each visa is to pass the name-check system test before being printed. It basically includes integrated watch list databases, though there are a lot of other databases, for instance IBIS (Interagency Border Inspection System), which is connected with law enforcement, databases such as NCIC.As a rule, CLASS and IBIS checks are mandatory for everyone who qualifies as an immigrant. Though border control and immigration authorities have worked diligently to prevent illegal entry of persons and weapons into the United States, more measures must be taken to stop those who wish to do harm to the United States and its citizens. A recent report prepared by Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee, "Transforming the Southern Border: Providing Security and Prosperity in the Post-9/11 World," suggests to pay attention to the certain areas. In particular, our southern border is still porous and could be broken by terrorists. Current research discovered that vast areas of the southern border have ineffectual law enforcement presence to stop illegal immigration. Over 24,000 illegal immigrants from Mexico and adjacent countries were detained last year, but were released into the United States as there was a lack of space at detention facilities. Also the research showed that the databases used by the border personnel are not interoperable, so police have to use eight different databases to identify a suspect person. The Secure Borders Act would build an advanced infrastructure investment fund to provide security and commerce at our ports of entry, double the number of law enforcement at and between ports of entry, install technology to control the southern border 24 hours a day, develop detention and confiscation operations, and demand Spanish language skills and other specific training for the border personnel. New policies and technologies directed to improving border security The United States is about to launch a new "smart borders" policy. It consists of "biometric identification systems, and compatible immigration databases and cargo processing systems"("Border security"). The present policy is to provide greater cooperation among border management agencies and increased awareness concerning the persons and materials entering and leaving the country. - US-Canada Smart Border Declaration. Approved by the United States and Canada in December 2001, this is a 30-point agreement for making changes in northern border security. The declaration has four parts: securing the flow of people, securing the flow of goods, securing infrastructure, and coordinating and sharing information in order to effectively meet the three prior objectives. The main innovations of the declaration include biometric identifiers within travel documentation and. training standards and security control for aviation security. - US-Mexico Smart Border Action Plan. This 22-point action plan resembles the US-Canada Smart Border Declaration. It is focused on three main areas: securing the flow of people, securing the flow of goods, and securing infrastructure. Key aspects contain growth of efforts to prevent smuggling and contraband. - Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act. The present law was signed on May 14, 2002. This act "calls for greater information sharing between INS, the State Department, and intelligence agencies concerning visa issuance or alien admissibility. It also increases INS investigative personnel between FY2003 and FY2006 and mandates updated INS data systems"("Border security"). - HR 5005, Homeland Security Act of 2002. The House approved this bill on July 26, 2002. It sets a Department of Homeland Security responsible for border security. In addition, over the recent years there has appeared a new high-tech approach towards United States border security. A State Department is introducing electronic passports, as the government is concerned about protecting Americans at home. On the other hand, such passports may lead to a large risk for their owners. Some privacy advocates and travel companies emphasize that criminals or terrorists out could scan a remotely readable chip in the passports to target Americans. According to current plans, the chip, called a radio-frequency ID or RFID chip, will include the same identifying information as is printed in the passport--name, date and place of birth, passport number. Also it is planned to use facial recognition technology; and the data will include a digital picture. As such a chip is read-only and digitally signed, it is predicted to prevent forged passports. Border officials would examine it using electronic readers tuned to the chip's radio frequency. Some Americans are worried about the potential risks of electronic passports relating to the threat of terrorism. For instance, an engineer from San Francisco refuses to make an electronic passport for himself and explains his point of view in the following way: "I guess my concern with the electronic passport is that, given other less worrisome but equally effective technology alternatives, the government has not presented compelling reasons why RFID is the best solution for its citizens." (Erik Larkin, Electronic passports may make traveling Americans targets, critics say). According to the official information, the State Department are not going to force people to receive electronic passports before their old ones expire, but American travellers might be required to use them in other countries before their old passport becomes invalid. There is a similar innovation called US-VISIT. "In a February 18 address at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning, Border and Transportation Security Stewart Verdery gave a broad overview of U.S. initiatives to enhance security while preserving the free flow of legitimate travel and trade" ("Innovation, technology, partnerships improve U.S. border security"). Verdery reported that the new Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) had been successfully set at 115 airports and 14 seaports. US-VISIT helps verify the identity of external visitors, record the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens into and out of the United States, and validate compliance with visa and immigration policies. "We very much want people who are coming here for travel, for business, for family reasons, for study to come, and we are trying to take a comprehensive review of the various security programs that have been put into place to see do they really work," said Verdery ("Innovation, technology, partnerships improve U.S. border security"). He said his office is taking on a complete review of visa policy, working in close partnership with the U.S. Department of State. "We think some of the problems have been getting better in terms of delays in issuing visas and port of entry issues. We think we are making progress," added Verdery ("Innovation, technology, partnerships improve U.S. border security"). Though the government has already budgeted about $1 billion for the US-VISIT program, the new system is being based on computer databases and software that were concluded more than two years ago and now are out of date; the system shows itself as ineffective. For example, the fingerprint system does not fit governmental biometric standards. As a result, millions of dollars are spent this year for upgrades, as it is shown in budget documents. The technology problems reduce the current effectiveness of US-VISIT, as the audits and government documents show. Today, only a small part of foreign visitors -- less than 1 percent -- is completely screened by the existing system. Conclusions To sum up, it is necessary to underline the main problems of American security system: Aging database Lack of space at detention facilities New technologies are usually costly and difficult to imply Implementation of electronic passports might be risky for American citizens Little attention is paid to protecting some areas of borders from illegal crossing On the other hand, some steps to improving the situation have already been made - such as new laws approval. Also it is necessary to mention that there has been a significant increase of American citizens safety since the events of September, 11, as border control authorities have built a new approach and understanding of the present subject. Anyway, it is still difficult to talk about complete safety, as the presence of serious faults in security system regulation is apparent. One of the primary responsibilities of a sovereign nation is to protect its borders and the government must never ignore the duty to secure Americans. Bibliography 1) "Bill Seeks to Improve U.S. Border Security", http://www.house.gov/skelton/col041010.htm 2) "Border security" , http://www.armscontrolcenter.org/terrorism/issues/bordersecurity.html 3) Higham Scott, O'Harrow Robert Technology Problems Limit Effectiveness of US-VISIT Program to Screen Foreigners, http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.htmlp=washfile-english&y=2004&m=February&x=20040218184157aawajuK0.970669&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html 4) "Innovation, technology, partnerships improve U.S. border security", http://usinfo.state.gov/displaytech in security.htm 5) Langewiesche William, Border and transportation security, http://faculty.ncwc.edu/toconnor/431/431lect08.htm 6) Larkin Erik, Electronic Passports May Make Traveling Americans Targets, Critics Say, http://pcworld.about.com/news/Apr112005id120292.htm 7) Schwartz Herman, Security and liberty in an age of terrorism, http://www.cosmos-club.org/journals/2004/schwartz.html 8) "Securing the U.S. border", http://insct.syr.edu/Publications_2004.htm 9) Wikipedia, United States-Canadian Border, http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-canadian-border 10) Wikipedia, United states Mexico barrier, http://www.answers.com/main/ntquerymethod=4&dsid=2222&dekey=United+States+Mexico+barrier&gwp=8&curtab=2222_1 Read More