Secure US Borders: A Necessity for National Safety - Essay Sample

Introduction

The security of a border is a critical aspect of the safety of a nation. It shows that a country can protect its citizens from external harm and it is also a sign of being in harmony with neighbors. The United States border security has to ensure that drugs and weapons are not smuggled into the nation by the enemies of the state (Finklea et al, 2013). Additionally, unauthorized immigrants are also part of the problem at the borders of the country since they believe that America has better opportunities to offer. Therefore, unauthorized persons at the border may be divide into terrorists, smugglers and illegal immigrants.

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Describe the challenges faced by US Customs and Border Protection agents attempting to secure the border.

The challenges that faced by the border agents include identifying people with counterfeit goods and documents. Officers at these points have to work hard to ensure that they identify illegal products and immigrants without arousing a sense of insecurity among innocent civilians. The challenge comes in when determining who has legitimate intentions since most of the unlawful players are strategic and they know how to adapt to the defenses on the border. Some of the ways in which they do that is through corruption, and this undermines the work of the junior officers.

What is the functional equivalent of the border?

This can be described as a location that cannot be subjected to a search without a proper warrant. This doctrine is essential since it helps in allowing people who cannot be stopped mid-transit to be searched immediately they get to their final destinations. Allowing searches at the functional equivalent of a border ensures that contrabands are ceased before they reach their destinations (Kim, 2010). Searching a person at the functional equivalent of a border is valid under when the authorities are sure that the individual has entered the nation and when a search is conducted within a reasonable amount of time after the goods have crossed the border.

An example of the functional equivalent of the border include the body cavity searches. In most cases, narcotics are smuggled into the country using the body cavities of the individuals involved. Since body cavity searches expose people to health risks, courts have prohibited them unless there is a search warrant from a magistrate (Kim, 2010). These kinds of searches must be reasonable, and they have to be conducted under appropriate circumstances since they involve the exposure of body parts.

What is the Fourth amendment exception as it pertains to border searches?

Border searches may be routine or non-routine. When routine, the searches ensure that there is a limited intrusion and they may not be as thorough as the non-routine checks which use particular technicalities especially when there is suspicion (US Legal, Inc., 2016). This amendment stipulates that any search conducted by a law enforcement officer should be reasonable. However, there are exceptions to this amendment since every search requires a probable cause. Additionally, the law has to consider if the intrusion is reasonable depending on the circumstances presented. Since borders are used as a way to maintain national security, searches within them are sensitive and must be done in a way that does not infringe the rights of those affected.

The exceptions allow officers to conduct searches in the absence of warrants, a power that is granted by the Constitution through the Attorney General. One of the exceptions of this amendment is when an alien attempts to access the country through a violation of the law. If the officer involved believes that the alien may escape before they obtain a warrant, then the fourth amendment is waived, and the search and arrest are allowed (US Legal, Inc., 2016). Additionally, suspicious vessels and aircraft within the United States border space are not protected by this amendment.

How are seizure statistics used to justify the mission of border security? Should they be?

In most cases, statistics elaborate the missions at the border. This is essential since they show how resources are utilized and the achievements that the officers with the Border Control Unit have achieved. These statistics show the rate of activities along borders and the areas that need improvement. For example, they can be used to show the rate of smuggling activities or the number of illegal immigrants who have been arrested during a particular period. Current criminal trends can also be identified using these statistics. Consequently, they help in showing the strengths and weaknesses of the officers at the entry points.

Statistics should be used to justify border missions since they show the prevalence of certain activities. By extension, they allow the proper utilization of resources, and they give the government a chance to evaluate the efficiency of its agencies. Annual seizure statistics provide the Department of Homeland Security with a platform to account for their arrests. Therefore, seizure statistics should be used to justify security missions at the border.

What are "open markets and closed borders" as it pertains to smuggling, free trade, and border enforcement?

The development of a country depends on the accessibility of its markets. They ensure that there are no barriers to trade and people can trade with whoever they want at any particular time. The lack of tariffs and taxes in the open markets allows traders to maximize their profits. However, open markets may not do well along closed borders. Closing borders, however, makes a country incur economic costs such as high rates of unemployment and the high prices of goods (Rose et al., 2011). To prevent this, however, people trading along the United States border can agree to be scrutinized to ensure their safety and that of their goods.

Attaining cross-border cooperation, however, is the biggest challenge of open markets and closed borders. Closed borders could lead to the loss of the country's GDP since most traders may view it as a form of discrimination (Rose et al., 2011). To ensure that it does not affect free trade, closed border operations should be restricted to a certain period to avoid raising the wage costs and reducing productivity.

What are the challenges of facilitating legal border crossings while maintaining secure borders?

In some instances, people hide illegal goods in items that may be difficult to detect such as their body cavities. This creates an avenue for many products to be smuggled since the fourth amendment protects them from such searches. Additionally, searches at the border may be tasking especially when some traders or immigrants feel that they are not supposed to be stopped at the borders. This put their security and that of the patrol officers at risk.

It is also challenging since most illegal immigrants and smugglers find alternative ways to get into the country. This implies that protection at the border cannot be relied upon. Since borders play a crucial role in policy relations, officers have to be cautious to avoid harming citizens of other countries regardless of what they may be carrying (Haddal, 2010). Therefore, conceptualizing a border system that fully protects American citizens and foreigners is difficult.

What has been the economic impact of terrorism on U.S. and Global Markets since 9/11 look at this from 9/11 to the present?

Acts of terror affect many sections of a country. However, the economy is usually the most affected since terrorism denies people security. Basically, terrorism affects economic growth. Most global markets have adopted resilience and sustainability. This means that they can conduct their activities while having a contingency plan that allows them to remain functional after a calamity. This ensures the efficient allocation of resources, and it creates diversification in the economy (Rose & Blomberg, 2010). Most companies took a lot of time to recover from the 9/11 attack. However, the fund's rates were adjusted to ensure that companies could borrow at lower rates and reestablish their entities.

Other economic impacts include spending more money on the security of the country. Equipping the military and other security organs became a top priority for the nation, and this affects the budget of the country (Rose & Blomberg, 2010). Global markets, on the other hand, tend to respond to the current events. So when there is adequate security, foreign investors are comfortable, and this generates employment for many Americans.

What has been the impact of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) agreements on cross border trade in North America?

Policy agreements influence the relationships between many countries and how they conduct their trade. The North American Free Trade Agreement brings together the United States, Canadian and Mexican governments (Gonzalez, 2018). It has ensured that most tariffs are eliminated on goods crossing their borders. Liberalizing agricultural and textile materials has been vital in creating employment in these countries and improving the incomes of most citizens (Gonzalez, 2018). The deal is also critical since it seeks to protect intellectual property and to enhance the environments of these countries.

The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, on the other hand, opens markets up and facilitates the liberalization of the economy. The agreement has ensured that there is freedom along the borders and it has eased trade negotiations. It is critical since it eliminates and reduces the barriers of international trade (Hallahan et al., 2012). Therefore, GATT and NAFTA have allowed the growth of the United States economy.

References

Dixon, P. B., Giesecke, J. A., Rimmer, M. T., & Rose, A. (2011). The economic costs to the US of closing its borders: A computable general equilibrium analysis. Defense and Peace Economics, 22(1), 85-97.

Gonzalez, J. (2018, October 1). NAFTA's Economic Impact. Retrieved April 27, 2019, from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/naftas-economic-impact

Haddal, C. C. (2010). People crossing borders: An analysis of US border protection policies. DIANE Publishing.

Kim, Y. (2010). Protecting the US Perimeter: Border Searches Under the Fourth Amendment. DIANE Publishing.

Rose, A. Z., & Blomberg, S. B. (2010). Total economic consequences of terrorist attacks: Insights from 9/11. Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, 16(1).

Rosenblum, M. R., Bjelopera, J. P., & Finklea, K. M. (2013). Border security: Understanding threats at US borders.

US Legal, Inc. (2016). Border Search Exception Law and Legal Definition. Retrieved April 26, 2019, from https://definitions.uslegal.com/b/border-search-exception/

Vollrath, T., Grant, J. H., & Hallahan, C. (2012). Reciprocal Trade Agreements: Impacts on US and Foreign Suppliers in Commodity and Manufactured Food Markets. USDA-ERS Economic Research Report, (138).