Riley Timmerman

Government 4
Mr. Davis
20 October 2015
Control The Borders
The United States and Mexico border is one of the most dangerous places in the
world. Countless crimes are committed in its vicinity everyday and it poses a threat
towards the safety of the United States. In order to help put an end to illegal trade
between the two countries, the United States Border Patrol was created. Illegal cargo is
constantly being brought into the United States from Mexico, such as illegal aliens and
narcotics. This illegal cargo that comes into the United States is a direct threat towards
everybody living in America today. Although the border control system seems to be
working, there are many flaws that go unnoticed. Increasing border security will benefit
the United States by reducing the amount of illegal drugs that enter the United States
from Mexico, preventing illegal aliens from living in the United States, and ensuring a
safer environment for all Americans.
Illegal narcotics are brought into the United States from several countries, but one
country that brings in one of the highest amounts of drugs to America is one of our
neighbors; Mexico. Mexicos deadly drugs wars border the United States of America, so
it is not uncommon for drugs to be smuggled into our country from Mexico. According to
the DEA, approximately one billion dollars worth of illegal narcotics are seized per year
from Mexico. That is only a fraction of the 65 billion dollars worth of drugs that the
American population buys per year. (DEA / Money Laundering). Smugglers take

whatever route is the smartest in order to get product from one side of the border to the
other. The current U.S. Border Patrol makes it easy for smugglers to pass back and forth
between the United States and Mexico, Security gaps along the border make the United
States increasingly vulnerable to terrorists, who can take advantage of the thousands of
existing smuggling routes on federal land. (Securing Our Border). Once smugglers
discover these routes, they have unlimited access to sending as much product over as they
can possibly send. The U.S.-Mexico border is a very dangerous place, and always has
been. Its home to criminal operations of every stripe smugglers, drug lords, fugitives
and crooked cops and to some of the most unforgiving natural surroundings in either
country. (Ellington 4). Mexico is home to some of the most dangerous people, including
drug lords, smugglers, etc. El Chapo Guzman is one of the largest drug lords in the world
today. (How El Chapos). He was born and raised in Mexico. His net worth is believed to
be over one billion dollars solely from drug trafficking. El Chapo runs the Sinaloa cartel.
This cartel is the most powerful importer of drugs to the United States. Because of this
lack of security, El Chapos drugs are constantly entering the United States. In order to
decrease the amount of illegal narcotics that enter the United States, the first step we need
to make is to increase border patrol security along the border of Mexico and the United
States.
Drugs are not the only illegal things coming into the United States from Mexico.
Another huge problem that the United States faces is dealing with the amount of illegal
aliens that come from Mexico to the United States looking for the American Dream. Just
like illegal cargo, undocumented workers would attempt to hide among and within goods
transported through legal crossings.(Something There Is). Illegal aliens come to our

country and take our jobs, money and land. In some cases, they even bring the danger
from Mexico over to the United States. Along the U.S.-Mexico border, 700 miles of it is
unsecured by the United States Border Patrol. This provides much easier access into the
United States from Mexico than there should be. According to the Department of
Homeland Security, An estimated 11.4 million unauthorized immigrants were living in
the United States in January 2012 compared to 11.5 million in January 2011.(Estimates
of the). Just a few years ago our country had over eleven million illegal aliens residing in
the United States illegally. This number has not changed much over the past three years.
Reducing the amount of drugs and illegal aliens residing in the United States are two very
important subjects that would benefit the United States in many ways, but they are not
any more or less important than improving the safety of the people who live in nearby the
dangerous border.
The Mexico drug wars are some of the most dangerous conflicts in the world.
Each year, the amount of casualties increase. Not only are the civilians of people living
near the border are affected; even the United States Border Patrol has causalities. Border
Patrol agents were assaulted on 548 occasions in fiscal year 2005, 513 in fiscal year
2004, a drastic increase from 200 assaults in fiscal year 2003.(Weak Bilateral Law). The
causality rate is rising and will continue to rise if the security along the border is not
strengthened. This year's death toll from drug-related violence in the north Mexican city
of Ciudad Juarez has reached 3,000 - 10 times the figure recorded in 2007.(Ciudad
Juarez's Drug). The city of Juarez has one of the highest murder rates in the world with
3,000 casualties per year. This poses a direct threat towards the United States because
Ciudad Juarez borders the United States. With increased border security, the people who

live nearby the border will never have to fear of danger from the border ever again.
There are not many reasons why border security should not be increased. One
reason why we should not have more border security is because it would be expensive
and the money used could be used for other more important causes. In reality, the amount
of money saved from not implicating a more secured border would soon balance out with
the amount of illegal drugs that enter our country. Another believed reason why we
should not secure our border more is because illegal crossings are going down. This does
not mean that we should lessen security because the amount of people attempting to
access the United States from Mexico is slightly lessening. There are still illegal aliens
out there crossing the border right now that need to be stopped and with increased border
security, they will not stand a chance.
Mexico poses a huge threat towards the United States. They bring in illegal drugs,
illegal aliens, and its deadly drug wars border the United States. Each year, billions of
dollars are spent in the United States on illegal narcotics from Mexico, new illegal aliens
enter the United States, and innocent families are put at risk of becoming a casualty of the
deadly war on drugs. The only way to reduce the chance of these risks is to step up the
United States Border Patrol task force.

Works Cited
Web
1. "DEA / Money Laundering." DEA / Money Laundering. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct.
2015.
http://www.dea.gov/ops/money.shtml
2. "Securing Our Border on Federal Lands: Problem Overview." House
Committee on Natural Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
http://naturalresources.house.gov/info/borderoverview.html
3. "Ciudad Juarez's Drug War Death Toll Hits 3,000 - BBC News." BBC News.
N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-11998751
4. "How El Chapo's Sinaloa Drug Cartel Spread Its Reach Across US." ABC
News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015
http://abcnews.go.com/International/el-chapos-sinaloa-drug-cartel-spread-reachus/story?id=324210545.
5. "Review: Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the
United States: January 2012." Population and Development Review 33.2 (2007):
413-14. Department of Homeland Security. Web
https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/ois_ill_pe_2012_2.pdf
6."Something There Is That Doesn't Love a Wall: Mexico and the U.S.
Presidential Campaign." The Brookings Institution. N.p., 15 Sept. 2015. Web. 22
Oct. 2015.
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/order-from-chaos/posts/2015/09/15-us-mexicorelations-border-fence-felbabbrown

7. "- WEAK BILATERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE AT THE U.S.MEXICO BORDER: TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND SAFETY ISSUES FOR
AMERICAN CITIZENS." - WEAK BILATERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
PRESENCE AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER: TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
AND SAFETY ISSUES FOR AMERICAN CITIZENS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct.
2015.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-109hhrg24608/html/CHRG109hhrg24608.htm
Book
1.Ellington,Ken."Chapter1."HardLine:LifeandDeathontheUSMexico
Border.N.p.:n.p.,n.d.N.pag.Print.
2.Diaz,GeorgeT.ContrabandistaCommunities:StatesandSmugglersinthe
LowerRioGrandeBorderlands,18481945.Dallas,Tex:SouthernMethodistU,
2010.Print.