Border_Wars

Mexican-American Border Fence Feud Candace Williams ENG 122 Alisa Moore 04/18/2011 Drug trafficking in America is a source of concern for its citizens. It breaches the security of our borders and influences the economic constraints already in place. It is illegal and costs the American taxpayer and their states both lives and dollars. Law enforcement finds itself outnumbered and out funded by illegal immigration from whence the majority of drug trafficking apprehensions occur. Drug trafficking ,once a minor border excursion ,has blossomed into a full mainstream activity spanning both the Southern and Northern borders of this country. Post 9/11 efforts have centered on how to counter this new type of terrorism that uses the former corridors of illegal immigration as port of entries. This counter-offensive has necessitated a tougher immigration policy and a stronger physical presence at the borders of the United States. Along the entire Southwest border of the United States lays a partially visible but mostly invisible security fence separating our country from Mexico. Four states are named as southwest borders states. These are California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The Southwest border covers almost 2,000 miles of rugged, rural, and arid desert land. It is protected by surveillance from several government agencies including the new immigration agency CBP Border Patrol as part of the Department of Homeland Security. The Border Patrol’s main purpose is to prevent the unlawful entry of aliens (noncitizens) into the United States. Border Patrol works to intercept illegal drugs being smuggled into the country (“Border Patrol, United States”, 2011). The border itself is not a continuous wall but rather a series of short walls in each state that rely on sensors and monitors to patrol the non-walled areas (NOW/PBS, 2008). These high security measures bring the fence into the twenty-first century of border protection. It is costly and not often well understood. Personnel must be hired and trained to use the equipment providing a mixture of civilian and military backed technicians. Homeland Security is charged with the management of intelligence gathered and outsourced to other agencies for their own use. The statistics have shown that policing the border have made a significant dent in southern border drug trafficking. After ten years of record keeping however, studies show that while drug trafficking has been reduced in high-profile city areas, it is still increasing along the unmanned rural routes. It is the purpose of this research paper to offer both sides of the debate of the efficacy of the fence as a defining border and a successful barrier. My research showed that illegal immigration contributes to the increase of drug trafficking and that controlling the border with Mexico is paramount to reducing such trafficking (Spagat, 2009). Other research identified the border fence as a minimal deterrent that only serves to disrupt daily border life without any real progress in lessening criminal activity. Today, the border fence issue is clearly one that affects not only the Southwest United States but also the overall welfare of the rest of the country. By reining in the Mexican cartels criminal activities, Homeland Security believes it makes for an effective use of security forces mandated by the recent Patriot Act. These cartels are the main source of drug trafficking from Latin America through Mexico via ports of illegal immigration entry. From these border points of entry, the drugs filter their way across the United States by well-organized criminal associations. This drug trafficking impacts on the quality of life in such border cities as El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California and points in between. Both rural and urban areas show the effects of the border fence. A published report known as the Sandia report recommended several measures that would increase the level of difficulty of illegal entry including the installation of physical barriers and the use of advanced electronic surveillance equipment (Cornelius, 2001 p.662). This report was the basis for the beginning of the border barrier or “virtual fence” as it is known today. In March 2010, President Obama stopped completion of the border by reallocating money from the “virtual fence” to upgrading presently used technology. Today, continued debate pushes the correlation between immigration policy, drug trafficking and economic survival to its limits. Research for this paper consisted of using information gleaned from articles both on the Internet and those found by ProQuest queries in Ashford University’s Online Library System. Also reviewed were articles from JSTOR and Elibrary again from Ashford University’s Online Library. This reference library accessed articles from journals that have been peer reviewed and contained citation referenced formats that were very helpful in establishing the reference page for this research paper. Of particular help was the PBS series NOW which in August of 2008, aired a show entitled, “The Border Fence” which covered the building and impact of the partially completed border. Other interesting information was gleaned from several recent meetings of specific House Committees as evidenced by Congressional Quarterly Transcriptions articles of the past year. These transcripts monitored conversations between state representatives and parts of Homeland Security with the hope of securing more funding for technology and manpower to support border operations as needed. These were very informative and were backed by data and statistics from other agencies studies. The World Book Advanced Online Encyclopedia gave brief background as did several newspaper articles that showed up on a Google search. These were all checked for credibility and found to be worthwhile reading. Together, they helped form a detailed background to explain the various views held by different groups across the country. These groups had voiced their opinions and backed them with statistic backed studies. Immigration policy has continued to evolve since it was rewritten in 2008 by President Obama from past President George W. Bush, the original backer of the border fence. There were official government reports that wrote about deterring illegal immigration while reducing drug trafficking. This was named as the main reason for border building becoming a national security issue. The Southwest States are still the major stakeholders. Constituents from these Southwest states are powerful voices in determining the outcome of the border barrier. It is their homeland that bears the brunt of the war at the border. Today though, building the border has stopped except for required maintenance and upgrading. According to a Congressional transcript dated December 2010, upgrades and redeployment of the National Guard units are sufficient enough at this time to curtail the cartels. Along with the CBP agents, National Guard units using unmanned surveillance and local intelligence can effectively supplement local authorities in each state. According to Andreas (2003,p.90-92), “At the US-Mexico border-the most important entry point for the smuggling of drugs and migrants into the country-the main policing strategy has been to concentrate enforcement resources and personnel at major urban areas…and media eyes.” Federal and state funding to continue these actions was the main point of discussion at the meetings of involved government members. It was based on the fact that while drug trafficking has been reduced by the apprehension of illegal aliens, it is not sufficient enough to warrant full-scale show of force. “The most commonly used indicator of the efficacy of border controls in the United States is the number of apprehensions being made by the Border Patrol along the Southwest border” (Cornelius, 2001 p.664). Some feel however that the numbers are not true because there are repeated “recaptures” that tend to skew the numbers being reported. Retaliation by the Mexican drug cartels and ineffective policing by Mexican authorities also continues to hamper on-going efforts which more money would hopefully help to deter. However, with the state of economy in the United States as it is today, appropriation committees are hesitant to increase the funding that is sorely needed. Even compromises based on political affiliations do not help the situation. A divided Congress cannot successfully pass legislature that would appropriate the necessary dollars being requested by Homeland Security. It is necessary for Congress to budget more funds so that unmanned surveillance and other updated technology can be used efficiently to combat the infiltration of Mexican cartels. These funds could help halt illegal immigration and thus secure our border while reducing drug trafficking. Combined efforts of all policing agencies and better relationships with Mexican authorities should help us prevail in this on-going war that is so detrimental to our American way of life. It was the intent of this research paper to show with facts that the border fence is doing the job it was intended for in its original intent. The fence acts as both a border and a barrier if left to its original purpose. The sad part is that research also shows the hopelessness and despair that comes from the border’s enforcement policies. Not only are illegal aliens detained but so are those that have a legal right to cross the borders for business or pleasure. This is evidenced by the long wait lines and tiring searches at border crossings. It also translates into the loss of life that accompanies those who try to cross with the help of “coyotes”, paid transporters that smuggle both legal and illegal aliens into our country. Loss of life remains by far the most haunting aspect of border patrolling with bodies discovered every day somewhere near the border. The other concern is the crossover of Mexican gangs into border towns to steal from homes once thought secure from any foreign harm. No longer are the citizens of the Border States immune from drug trafficking and its clandestine world. While effective immigration practices have reduced drug trafficking overall, in some areas it has risen to new heights. Stopped at major cities, the smaller rural towns are being exploited more and more as time goes by. Due to a lack of police, the smaller towns are at the mercy of these random acts of greed and terror. The Mexican cartels want to expand their territory to makeup for losses sustained elsewhere (Rosas, 2007). They are willing to go to any lengths to do so it seems now. This then is what the debate about the border hinges upon, that money for perceived future threats to our states’ security must be a national priority. There are always two sides to a story and the border barrier has its tale too. Research has shown that drug trafficking has been reduced but at what cost and for how long' Immigration policy has addressed the situation but at what cost of life' The economy that so desperately needs to be free of criminal infiltration and wasted dollars must find someway to meet these challenges. The border barrier is still needed and more research will bear this fact out while proving that limiting funds and personnel will only be detrimental to both the Southwest states as well as the whole of the Unites States. We need the border barrier to insure our children’s future security and to effectively protect our citizens and the American way of life today in this twenty-first century. REFERENCES 1. Andreas, P (2003) Redrawing the Line: Borders and Security in the Twenty-First Century International Security, Vol 28, No.2 (autumn, 2003) pp.78-111 Published by The MIT Press 2. Border Patrol, (2011) United States World Book Advanced World Book 2011 Retrieved 18April 2011 from http:/www.worldbook/Advanced.com 3. Congressional Quarterly Transcriptions (2011) Tuesday, March 15, 2011 Retrieved from the web JSTOR, government source 4. Cornelius, W. (2001) Death at the Border: Efficacy and Unintended Consequences of US. Immigration Control Policy. Population and Development Review Vol 27, No.4 (December, 2001) pp.661-685 Published by: Population Council 5. Rosas, G (2007) The Fragile Ends of War: Forging the United States-Mexico Border and Borderlands Consciousness Social Text, No91 the Ends of War (summer, 2007) pp.81-102 6. Spagat, E (2009). Federal authorities say seizures of guns, cash increase sharply at U.S.-Mexican border. (3 November 2009.) The Canadian Press Retrieved April 18, 2011, from CBCA Complete. (Document ID: 1892983831). 7. “The Border Fence”. (2008) NOW on PBS. 08/15/08 Retrieved April 18, 2011 from http:/www.pbs.org/NOW/show/432