MITIGATION AND RISK REDUCTION

Mitigation and Risk Reduction

Mitigation and Risk Reduction

Evaluation of Border Security Measures

Question # 1

The problem of the border is significant in looking at the ramifications of September 11th. Because the United States is a major target, the borders have to be scrutinized. Terrorist operatives are sometimes smuggled into the states from either Mexico or Canada (Emerson, 2000). Therefore, with the threat of criminals escaping to Canada for asylum, and the threat posed by operatives sneaking into the United States by getting past the Canadian border, the U.S. borders are certainly problematic. The Mexican border is even more vulnerable. Thus far, the authorities have not been able to affect a solution, in part because there is fighting between jurisdictions in terms of who will control international crime and breaches of the U.S. border. During the past decade, small initiatives have been implemented in respect to the borders, particularly in the south.

Operation Hold the Line was implemented to take care of problems in Texas and New Mexico. Clearly, a bit by bit approach was taken to account for jurisdictional agencies. In respect to Northern Border and Coastal Initiatives it is known that illegal immigration in respect to the Northern border has been accomplished through attempts at ports of entry with the use of traditional means such as the use of false identification (Enz, 2009). Presently, a plan to address these areas that are outside the Southwest border--a region that is already over-flowing with agents--is in the final stages of completion. It is then likely that new initiatives will be seen in the Northern part of the country. To some extent, these changes may involve the U.S. military.

In May 2002, a border security bill was presented which authorized the former INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) to hire 200 new investigators and 200 inspectors as well as the bill boosts the salary of border patrol agents (House, 2002). It further requisites the old INS to establish a FST System (Foreign-Student Tracking System) that would make note of the acceptance of foreigners by educational institutions. It would also administer the student visa permits as well as the enrollment of foreigners at schools. The aforesaid proposal comes in the response of warnings about imminent attacks on the nation. Although those involved in terrorism resided in the United States for some time, and it is not easy to get control over terrorists completely, working the borders is prevalent to creating a safe nation. That is why there is a great deal of rhetoric surrounding the problem of lax border control in the United States today.

The military really does not seem to want a part of the action and elected politicians have historically pushed the Pentagon to take domestic roles in a variety of things such as the war on drugs, antiterrorism efforts and border control (Freedberg, 2002). The law pertinent to these international missions is muddy, but on U.S. soil, the Pentagon does not really even control the entire military ...