Balance Between Protecting Against Violence and Protecting Rights

Table of Contents

Introduction3

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services3

The goals of the Patriot Act4

Strategic alliance between DHS and USCIS5

Perceived dangers of restricting freedoms5

Personal Assessment6

Conclusion7

References8

Balance Between Protecting Against Violence and Protecting Rights

Introduction

The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre did not only change lives of millions in the US but has also brought to light the most important issue in international politics - the need to fight terrorism. For this reason, the US Federal government formulated the United States Department of Homeland Security with the underlying objective of protecting and safeguarding the US territories. These can include man made accidents, attacks from the extremists, as well as national disasters. The department was allocated a humongous budget of $98.8 billion for the purpose in the preceding year. It is working in partnership with different public and private agencies to combat terrorism and provide the feeling of safety to US residents that they deserve (The New York Times, 2007). The paper discussed the role played by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a partner agency, in maintaining a balance between protecting against violence and protecting rights.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services also known as USCIS is one of the important agencies working for Department of Homeland Security. Many of the administrative functions of Department of Justice are carried out by USCIS. These were performed by United States Immigration and Naturalization Service earlier. The component is working with the aim to improve the customer service being provided, promote national security and solve any backlog issues with immigration. The unit was established in the year 2009. I have chosen this agency because it is an active member of the Department of Homeland Security and is contributing towards meeting the goals of the Patriot Act (DHS, 2012).

The goals of the Patriot Act

Border security is one of the most important goal of the Patriot Act. As per the objectives of safeguarding the country from illegal immigrants entering through the borders of US, the number of patrol officers on the borders was increased manifold. In addition, the number of personnel working in the customs department has been increased. The amount and type of information available with The Department of State has also been increased. Under the same act, there are certain immigration benefits that are reserved only for people who have been victimized by the extremists or the terrorists. This includes any person who has had such an experience firsthand or the family of any such person.

The current age is the age of terrorism. Keeping this in view the immigration policies have been revised and have become more stringent than they ever were. This means that now only the most eligible people will have the right to enter the US. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is working in collaboration with Department of Homeland Security and has worked to solve national security problems. The department has 18,000 people working for it across the ...