Essay About Border Security And Illegal Immigrants

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Is It Enough?
As we move closer to this year\s mid-term elections, one issue that seems
to continue to pop up is that of border security. This hot topic has become one
of the major factions among the nation, especially among those of us who reside
in border states. Politicians are debating as just how much security is needed on
our Mexican borders, and how much more they need to do when it comes to
airport security. These are just a couple of issues that are televised day and
night. The big question is this: Is our government doing enough? I believe the
answer to that question is yes, and I will provide enough information to prove it.
For years, the Mexican-American border has been an easy crossover for
anyone wanting to get into the United States without getting caught. There are
millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. today, and the scary thing is, we don\
know how many could be terrorists corroberating with correspondents in the
Middle East. Despite this frightening information, the government has made one
major step towards securing our borders. According to CNN.com, the House
passed a bill on Sept. 15 that would allow for a 700 mile long fence to be built
along the border, and the Senate, in an overwhelming majority, voted for this bill.
Along with the bill, Congress is including $380 million dollars to go towards hiring
1500 border patrol members and building a new detention facility for holding
potential illegals until they can be deported back to their country. This is a big
step in not only protecting our borders from potential terrorist, but it will also cut
down on the number of illegal immigrants. Not surprising
or unknown is that
immigrants are not the only things coming across our border, and someone has
to moniter everything that is coming into our country.
The organization that is responsible for guarding all of our borders is the
United States Customs and Border Protection. This government agency is in
charge of looking after our ports, land borders, and even immigration. Since the
September 11th attacks, efforts have been made by CBP to further defend our
borders. Says CBP.gov, in 2001, pre 9/11, the CBP had approximately $259
million to go towards protecting our ports. During the post 9/11 years, CBP\s
funds increased to $1.6 billion in 2005. That\s over 700 percent increase. With
this incredible jump in funds, CBP is utilizing the concept of using cutting edge
machinary, such as large-scale X-rays and gamma rays and also radiation
detection devices to screen packages that enter into the states. Also, the classic
canine detection is put to use to discover narcotics, people, or even chemical
weapons. Along with the high powered security measures, there is also the
basic manual inspection. One other form of screening used is the C-TPAT, or
the Customs Trade Partner Against Terrorism. The Customs and Border Patrol
created a partnership with 6000 businesses where the businesses, along with
CBP, improve security standards for that company\s container security. But sea
is not the only way terrorist can cross over into our nation. There\s also air, and
that\s where the Tranportation Security Administration comes in.
Ever since that fateful September day in 2001, airports, especially
international ones, have seen a dramatic change as far as security is
concerned. Now, specially trained screeners are located at every international
airport in the country and their job is make sure no suspicious characters get
on the plane until they do a little investigating. According to the Government
Accountability Office, the TSA has \”made progress in managing, deploying, and
training a federalized aviation security workforce, including FSDs (the lead
authority at U.S. airports) and TSOs (formerly known as screeners).\” There
has also been stronger punishments towards those who bring a \”prohibited\”
item on the plane. People who are found to be in possession of one of these
items can end up being arrested and going to jail if it\s found that the incident
was intentional. Along with stricter possession
policies, there is also a stricter
identification verification process. A person must go to tsa.gov and print out
a Traveler