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Security On the United States-Mexico Border

For years the United States-Mexico border has been a topic of discussion among
politicians both Republican and Democrat. The problem is both sides cannot find a middle
ground to agree upon. Democrats believe that having an open border with less security is healthy
for the American economy and that we should not deny immigrants entry into this country
because we were once immigrants. On the other side of things, Republicans believe that having
open borders paves the way for dangerous people to enter the United States without having to go
through some sort of security checkpoint. Though it would be nice to think that everyone is kind
and means no harm is just wishful thinking. Security is necessary to protect not only those who
live here, but also those who want to live here as well.
The United States-Mexico border covers a large area that spans from Texas to California.
The length of the border is around 1,933 miles of rough terrain. Most of this land has areas that
are dangerous and are not accessible to agents on foot or by vehicle. These areas are used by
illegal immigrants who smuggle drugs, weapons, and even people, to the other side of the border.
This is a major security hazard. Though these areas are hard to keep track of, there is a way to
keep them in check. The Border Patrol use a motion sensor system that covers the remote areas
along the border. If there are people trying to cross the border without going through the
checkpoints the motion sensors will notify Border Patrol. Motions sensors are heavily relied
upon in detaining illegal immigrants, but the system that is currently being used is

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outdated, and its not just the motion sensors, the cameras in use are also outdated. For
something as important as the border between two countries this should be unacceptable. There
was a plan proposed by President Obama to update the borders technology, but it was delayed
and has not been brought up again. This is no surprise considering he is for an open border and
reliable technology that helps keep illegal immigrants out is not what he believes in. But it
should not go unchecked. The amount of motion sensors that are currently in use is a system
containing 12,800 motion sensors. This system is slowly deteriorating. The same system that is
used to assist Border Patrol Agents was also the cause of death for a Border Patrol Agent. Three
Border Agents were checking on a tripped motion sensor when they opened fire for some
unknown reason. Nicholas Ivie was killed and another agent was wounded. The motion sensor
was declared to be faulty and put the three agents in danger. This could have been avoided. If a
network of this size is deteriorating, then more agents could be endangered. Even a Democrat
recognizes the dangers which this can impose, Must replace outdated sensors with more
modern, effective technology that can assist the Border Patrol in securing our border while not
sending agents into the field unnecessarily (Rep. Bennie Thomson, Dem. Miss). A plan was
launched in 2011 to update the borders technology called the Arizona Border Surveillance
Technology Plan. Faulty technology is not a recent problem. The Department of Homeland
Security Inspector General reported back in 2005 that 96% of all motion detections were false
alarms. Only 4% of detection were actual incursions (Border agents relying).
Technology is a huge part to the borders security. Faulty equipment leads to more
security hazards, and one of these hazards is smuggling. Mexican cartels smuggle drugs,
weapons, and people to the United States because they tend to make more money from their

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product in the U.S. then Mexico. The border check points have made it increasingly more
difficult for smugglers to get through to the other side. This is a good thing because it helps
protect Americans from what these criminals have to offer, but cartels and smugglers have found
a way around the checkpoints. To bypass border security smugglers, build tunnels that start in
Mexico and reach into the United States. These tunnel can have lengths as shorts as a few
hundred feet or they can reach up to a quarter mile long. In Arizona, a tunnel had been found
exiting into a storm drainage system (How cartels use). Tunnels make it easier for smugglers
to transport bigger items, such as marijuana, which is a bulkier drug compared to others.
Marijuana is also a common drug found crossing the border, and from 2005 to 2011 Border
Patrol seized over 13.2 million pounds of marijuana (Cironline). Smuggling tunnels are such a
hazard because they are hard to find. Since 1990, only 170 smuggling tunnels have been found
and closed off (How cartels use). All of them being completely different from the other.
Some are small dug by hand and shovel, while others had millions of dollars spent on their
construction. These tunnels are paid to be built by cartels who hire engineers and miners to make
them more sophisticated. These tunnels have been found with supports, electrical systems, and
even railways. Because they are hard to find and are built in remote areas, Border Patrol use
motion sensors to track the movements smugglers coming and going from these tunnels, but
since the technology has been proven unreliable finding smuggling tunnels have become much
more difficult.
Tunnels are not just for the use of drug trafficking. People are also trafficked across the
border. Many different types of people come to America illegally through these tunnels. These
illegal immigrants have good intentions when coming to the United States, like wanting a better

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life for their family, but they bring with them lots of problems as well. Like many people living
in the United States they just want to find greater opportunities to better themselves. Maybe this
could be allowed if a lot of the families, and individuals, did not bring with them criminal
intensions. There was a case in San Francisco, where 32-year-old, Kate Stienle was shot and
killed by an illegal immigrant. This illegal immigrant who is, Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez,
had previously been deported from America five times. He gave no reason for killing her while
on trial. If one man can come back through the American border five different times after being
deported five other times, then this just goes to show how unsecure our borders really are.
Native workers have a right to the jobs that are offered in America. People have always
complained about how bad unemployment is, and it is sad to see all of these people without jobs,
but maybe its not about people not wanting to work and more of they cannot find work because
they are already taken. Jobs in the United States tend to pay better than the jobs in Mexico. So in
order to get a job, the illegal immigrants, will usually work for lower amount of pay. This is
when problems start to come up. Native workers looking for jobs have to compete with people
who are here illegally, and because they work for a lower price, employers, will more often than
not hire the illegal immigrant. Now this can also be a problem for employers because in 1986 a
law was enacted deeming it illegal for employers to hire undocumented workers. People now
days, and this is believed by those on the left, dont see this a problem. Their excuse is that the
immigrants only take jobs native worker dont want. This is false because the jobs that nobody
wants are comprised of maids, taxi drivers, construction workers, janitors, etc. All of these jobs
have a majority population of over 50% native-born Americans. So its not a problem of people
not wanting the jobs, but with employers hiring illegal cheap labor. As of right now there are

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11.3 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Of the 11.3 million, 8 million of these
immigrants are in the workforce. All of these jobs could have been opportunities for those here
legally or for native workers who need them. Instead they are taken by people who should not
even be here, but nothing can be done about this. In due time if President Obama gets his way
these illegal immigrants will be granted amnesty without having to go through the proses of
becoming a citizen (Illegal Aliens Tsking).
The problem starts with the outdated and decaying technology at the border which opens
up security breaches at the border. When the border was at risk in the past what had the United
States done to protect and secure? In the early 20th century Mexico was at conflict with itself.
The Mexican Revolution started in 1910 and carried on for ten years. The Mexican government
was completely unstable. Many times during the revolution the power would switch from person
to person. Of course everyone in Mexico believed in a different leader, so when leaders rose to
power conflict would follow in the form of Mexicans fighting Mexicans. The fighting was so
close to the United States-Mexico border that the United States Army had to take action and put
soldiers in border towns to secure the safety of American citizens and property. This became
known as the Border War because fighting was so close to home. To ensure that the fighting
stayed on Mexican soil, in 1913, the Army established twelve forts along the border. Today,
relations with Mexico for the most part okay, but during this period of the Mexican Revolution
and Border War is when our relationship became unstable. In 1914, Mexican soldiers started to
attack U.S. sailors. This was known as the Tampico Affairs. Congress allowed for the United
States to get involved in the Mexican Revolution by sending the Navy down to invade Veracruz
(Border War (1910-19)). This is point when relations with the government and the people

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started to falter. Many Republicans want to put additional assets on the border, and that may help
considering the how much crime takes place at the border and how much of it gets through into
the communities of American towns and cities. Looking back at Kate Stienle, Juan was deported
five times and was able to get back illegally, and those of the left dont see this as a problem?
Not everything that can be done for our border has to include involving the military or
assigning more assets to guard it. The Merida Initiative focuses on a more, less, confrontational
way of securing the border. To do this, the Merida Initiative, provided bilateral security
cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico to stop the flow of drugs and weapons. This forces
more communication between U.S. Border Patrol and Mexican Border Patrol. With more
communication there is a lower chance for confusion if an urgent situation does come up. In the
Merida Initiative, there are four points that separate the main points and breaks them down. This
is called the Four Pillars. The third pillar out of the four discusses in what ways can the
border become more secure. Under the third point it talks about creating a 21st century border
structure. This includes adding an additional 300 canine units to assist Border Patrol in finding
weapons and narcotics that maybe on a person or in a vehicle passing through a border
checkpoint. There is also the N.I.I.E. or Non-Intrusive Inspection Equipment. These are x-rays
machines that detect if a person has any foreign objects on them. Since the Merida Initiative has
been around, 112 million dollars has been spent on technology for security and training for
Border Patrol (Merida Initiative).
Not everyone will like the idea of building a wall on the border. Some people believe that
a wall is a sign of isolation, but those same people are okay with the idea of having a different
form of physical barrier like a fence. In 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the

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Secure Fence Act of 2006. This authorized the construction and reconstruction of fencing along
the United States-Mexico border. Along with additional fencing, the act also authorizes other
physical barriers such as vehicle barriers, checkpoints, and lighting. When signing the act into
law President Bush said, This bill will help protect the American people. This bill will make our
borders more secure. It is an important step toward immigration reform. Even though fencing
was used not all of the border was completely lined with it. There are only 700 miles of
prioritized fencing up today. Along with fencing, President Bush, allowed for the use advanced
technology to help Border Patrol in their job of securing the border. The use of unmanned-ariel
vehicles or drones. Drones are a huge help when the Border Patrol are trying to keep track of
miles of remote areas. They can cover and survey miles of land fast then a person can on foot or
on a land vehicle. What the Secure Fence Act also did was double the amount of funding the
border received. Originally, funding was below 6 billion dollars. After the act was signed, the
amount of money that went toward funding doubled to 10.4 billion dollars (Fact Sheet:
The). Even with these additions to security and funding it was still not enough to stop the rise
in illegal immigration when President Obama started his presidency.
The only way border security can get better is if people continue to push more ideas that
can help in a positive way. Of course many of the ideas that are pitched to Congress and the
President do not make it into law, and some continue to wait until they die. One act that is still
pending is the Secure Our Border First Act. This act is being sponsored by a Republican Michael
McCaul from Texas and was introduced in January of 2015 (H.R. 399:Secure). At the
moment the act is waiting for a committee to pass it onto the House. Similar to most Immigration
Reforms dealing with the border, the Secure Our Border First Act wants to add addition assets to

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be deployed to the border. Like the Secure Fence Act, this wants to finish construction on the 700
miles of prioritized fencing. The issue with most of these bills is that they have too many of the
same similarities. In Ted Cruz Immigration Plan, it details a lot of the same things, more Border
Agents, replace old technology with new state of the art technology, dedicate resources, and
aerial surveillance (Ted Cruz Immigration Plan). These are the things that should be addressed
and fixed now. Not pushed off until secure becomes an even bigger problem. New issues are not
going to come up. The ones that are evident now are only going to get worse. So if a lot of the
bills look to be similar, its because they are, and the more bills that come around, one or two are
bound to get passed. Even if they are similar to others.
The border has a lot of problems that can be improved. Security is not where it needs to
be. The technology is outdated and proves to be a burden to Border Patrol instead of an asset.
With technology that is unreliable it is easier for illegal immigrants to get into America and for
smugglers to get weapons and drugs across into the communities of the United States. The poor
secure ultimately brings dangers to U.S. citizens. People like Kate Stienle, who are just going
about their normal day, end up dying because the current immigration system failed them. The
safety of Americans should be number one priority and motivation to get on top of the
immigration problem. The administration needs to protect Americans instead of illegal
immigrants who had been deported multiple time and still found a way back into the United
States. Its not that we dont know how to solve illegal immigration. What is missing is the
political will to get it done. And, as president, I will get it done. We will secure the borders, said
by Ted Cruz during the 2016 presidential race (Ted Cruz Immigration Plan).