Getting Proactive
- By Megan Weadock
- Oct 01, 2010
It’s true what they say: The best offense is a good
defense. And when it comes to border security, I
couldn’t agree more.
Having grown up in southern New Mexico -- and,
at times, lived within 20 miles of the Mexican border --
this type of homeland security is close to my heart. I
remember illegal immigrants stopping at my childhood
home, in the remote desert, to ask for water. As
a teenager, I went with my father to Palomas, Mexico,
to shop the market. In college, my friends and I would
walk across the bridge between El Paso, Texas, and
Juarez, Mexico, to visit the restaurants and clubs.
But today, Mexico’s violent drug war has helped
push illegal immigration out of control. And Americans
are discouraged from visiting Palomas and Juarez
altogether.
However, a range of new border security initiatives
is slowly helping to turn the tide -- and may be the answer
we’ve been waiting for to stem the flow of illegal
immigrants, drugs and contraband from Mexico.
A Bolstered Defense
The Obama administration has implemented an impressive
amount of new border security legislation as
part of the 2009 Southwest Border Initiative. Since
last year, the Department of Homeland Security has
doubled the number of personnel assigned to border
enforcement security task forces; tripled the number
of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers
working along the U.S.-Mexico border; quadrupled
deployments of border liaison officers; and begun
screening 100 percent of southbound rail shipments
for illegal weapons, drugs and cash.
President Obama also has authorized the deployment
of 1,200 National Guard troops to the border to
provide intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance,
and immediate support to counternarcotics enforcement
while Customs and Border Protection recruits
and trains additional officers and agents to serve on
the border.
In fact, as of this year the Border Patrol is better
staffed than at any time in its 86-year history,
according to Customs and Border Protection. The
number of agents has more than doubled in the
last six years, from approximately 10,000 in 2004
to more than 20,000 today. This includes more personnel
in Arizona than ever before, which is bound
to help the state that sees more illegal immigration
than any other.
The administration also has dedicated $600 million
in new funding to enhance security technology at
the border; share information and support with state,
local, and tribal law enforcement; and increase federal
law enforcement activities at the border. That effort
equals even more agents, investigators and prosecutors
to target networks trafficking in people, drugs, illegal
weapons and money. As someone with friends in
the Border Patrol in both New Mexico and Arizona,
I’m glad to hear it.
The High-tech Approach
As of Sept. 1, DHS also began using three Predator
Unmanned Aerial Systems to cover the 2,000-milelong
southwest border from California to the Gulf of
Mexico. (They’ve been in use at the northern border
since January 2009.) The aircraft provide critical aerial
surveillance assistance to personnel on the ground.
According to the Customs and Border Protection
website, the Predator UASs will be especially helpful
in areas that are remote, high-risk or otherwise dif
ficult to access -- which describes much of the southwest
border. Obviously, any technology that reduces
the risk to Customs or Border Patrol agents is a step
in the right direction.
Each Predator is remotely piloted, in real time,
by Federal Aviation Administration-certified law enforcement
personnel who are located in state-of-theart
ground control stations. It’s capable of flying up
to 50,000 feet high at 407 kilometers per hour, with a
maximum endurance of 20 operational hours.
In addition to the Predator program, DHS has
deployed additional Z-Backscatter Van Units, Mobile
Surveillance Systems, Remote Video Surveillance
Systems, thermal imaging systems, radiation portal
monitors and license plate readers to the southwest
border over the past 18 months. Biometrics have even
started to come into play: The Obama administration
has expanded the Secure Communities initiative --
which uses biometric information to identify criminal
illegal aliens in state prisons and local jails to expedite
removal proceedings.
Turning the Tide
According to DHS, illegal border crossings already
have been reduced. Apprehensions of illegal aliens decreased
from 723,825 in 2008 to 556,041 in 2009, a 23
percent reduction, thanks in part to increased security
along the southwest border.
Clearly, the Southwest Border Initiative is a step in
the right direction. I’m especially encouraged by the increased
use of technology to supplement the difficult
work of Border Patrol agents. Now, more than ever, the
challenge to protect the southern border is great. And
they’ll need all the help they can get.
This article originally appeared in the issue of .