Verified Document

How Border Security Interacts With Homeland Security Term Paper

Related Topics:

National borders are far from arbitrary; they are important demarcations between one sovereign state and another. The foundation of national sovereignty depends on each nation protecting its own border, to achieve its own homeland security goals. In the United States, homeland security goals center on protecting the nation from foreign and domestic threats. To protect the nation from threats, it is essential to prevent would-be terrorists and criminals from entering, and also to prevent hazardous goods from crossing the border. Border security prevents the illegal flow of people, and therefore protects the world from human trafficking, illegal weapons trafficking, and drug trafficking. Preventing contraband from coming in is just one of many roles the border protection services provide in the interest of homeland security. One of the functions of border patrol is the maintenance of the nation’s domestic and foreign economic policy, essentially ensuring that all goods that enter the United States are assessed and taxed properly to either protect American interests or to facilitate legal cross-border trade. Because of the large and varied territory that comprises the United States of America, and due to the increasing sophistication of technology, the logistics of border security has become complex and complicated, as well as expensive. Border security involves maritime as well as land border protection, requiring extensive and ongoing funding. As it now falls under the province of the Department of Homeland Security, border security is aligned with the goals of customs and immigration policy. Ultimately, strong border security is the cornerstone of an effective homeland security policy. Border security primarily entails monitoring the flow of goods and people into the United States, but not with the only goal of gathering intelligence. In fact, border security often reacts to intelligence gathered from other agencies operating within the province of the Department of Homeland Security. Border security is a distinct element of homeland security to increase its overall efficiency and effectiveness. Focusing on preventing illegal entry of people and contraband, the border patrol can be considered a front line in the war against terror, the war against drugs, and other social problems.

However, border security remains relatively inefficient considering the billions of dollars already allocated for its functioning...

Spending on border security has increased, ostensibly in the service of boosting homeland security goals. Yet the vast land and seascape of the nation means that over 7000 miles of territory must be protected in addition to coastal and inland waters (“Border Security Overview,” n.d.). Protecting this much space requires practically unlimited resources, and would be pragmatically impossible to carry out. The Department of Homeland Security therefore makes strategic decisions as to how to allocate funds and human resources, so that the goals of public safety remain tantamount to any other objective. The vast majority (5525 miles) of America’s land border is shared with Canada, with 1989 miles on the southern border with Mexico (Bullock, Haddow & Coppola, 2013, p. 146). Although the news media spends most of its time covering the southern border, the Department of Homeland Security obviously devotes energy in securing the border with Canada. Strategically, the goals of border protection vary from preventing the influx of undocumented workers or preventing terrorists from legally entering the country as immigrants or visitors. Even more daunting to border security officials are the 95,000 miles of shoreline that stretches from sea to shining sea (Bullock, Haddow & Coppola, 2013). Because it is impossible to actively monitor every square inch of America’s land and sea borders, border security officials focus on areas of greatest risk and greatest concern.
Since the shocking attacks of September 11, border security and homeland security have been fused under the rubric of the Department of Homeland Security. The fact that the border protection services are covered under the Department of Homeland Security’s leadership shows how the two issues are closely related and will remain so as global trade and foreign policy become increasingly complex and volatile. Previously disparate organizations in intelligence, law enforcement, customs, and immigration now unite under a common set of goals, values, and policies. With common goals in protecting the nation, each section of the Department of Homeland Security can work together effectively to carry out the nation’s most important objective of self-protection. The integration of border security and homeland security helps to coordinate homeland security efforts more effectively and strategically, in…

Sources used in this document:

References



“Border Security,” (n.d.). U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Retrieved online: https://www.cbp.gov/border-security

“Border Security Overview,” (n.d.). Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved online: https://www.dhs.gov/border-security-overview

Bullock, J.A., Haddow, G.D. & Coppola, D.P. (2013). Homeland Security: The Essentials. Cambridge, MA: Elsevier.

Caldwell, L.A. (2016). The U.S. already spends billions on border security. NBC News. Retrieved online: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-s-wall-would-add-billions-u-s-spends-border-n640251





 

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Homeland Security Since 9-11-2001, Homeland
Words: 2097 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

And it does this by conducting investigations and enforcing laws that deal with public health, order, and decency. "Morals" and "decency" are not words one would expect to see in the core values of a secular institution like a police department, but they are definitely in line with the stated core beliefs of SLU. As stated previously, SLU has it basis in a strong Catholic ideology, which is permeated with

Challenges Facing the Department of Homeland Security With New Technology...
Words: 1922 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Department of Homeland Security is clearly start-up: How quickly can DHS be up and running? The department formally began operating on January 24, 2003, and by March 1 had absorbed representatives from most of its component parts. The formal process of transferring agencies is expected to be completed by September 30, 2003, but analysts suggest full integration of agencies will take at least several years. Notwithstanding, as a practical matter,

Department of Homeland Security DHS
Words: 870 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Regarding Border Security, "the Department of Homeland Security prevents and investigates illegal movements across our borders, including the smuggling of people, drugs, cash, and weapons" (DHS.gov. Border Security. 2012. PP. 1). Customs, Coast Guard, and Immigration (INS) are working departments in this area. Preparedness, Response, Recovery refers to "providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort" (DHS.gov. Preparedness. Response. Recovery. 2012. PP. 1). FEMA is

Role of the DHS in Protecting the US
Words: 956 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

TERRORISM COUNTER-TERRORISM AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Counter-terrorism is popular as antiterrorism and incorporates techniques, practices, strategies, and tactics that militaries, governments, corporations and police departments adopt in attacking terrorist threats and acts either real or imputed. Both governments and insurgents use terror tactics. It is clear that some insurgents do not terror as tactics while others opt not to apply as other tactics have better outcomes for their particular contexts.

Terrorism Memo to the Department of Homeland
Words: 1040 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Terrorism Memo to the Department of Homeland Security: There are federal statutes on the books that can help address the way that terrorists finance their draconian operations. This document delves into the specifics of how financing can be cut off or at least addressed to some extent, enough to bottle up terrorist movements which of course require money. What is terrorist financing? Jeff Breinholt coordinated the Department of Justice Terrorist Financing Task Force

National Security Concepts Technological Evolution
Words: 522 Length: 2 Document Type: Thesis

Therefore, in the context of contemporary threats, forward defence is not an oxymoron but an absolute necessity. Military Security, Australian Defence Policy, and the War on Terror: At the simplest level, the participation of ADF in the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has increased the risk of terrorism against Australian military forces and civilian targets. On a more complex level, the Commonwealth's participation in the global war on terror is

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now