I had the distinct pleasure to meet and
watch the professionalism of Richard Garcia as a counter-terrorism
instructor in Las Vegas.
Border Security by Richard Garcia
US -
Mexico Border Crisis
Posted by RGarcia at 11:28 pm, December 5th 2006.
CURRENT STATEMENT OF
BORDER PROBLEMS - BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The US – Mexico border currently has the highest number of illegal crossings
of any land border in the world . One of the forces behind this statistic is
the stark differences in livings conditions between the two countries,
leading to an exodus of Mexican Nationals to seek illegitimate employment in
the United States. A second and equally troubling factor is the increase in
drug smuggling and other contraband into our country.
The Southern Border with Mexico consists of approximately 2,000 miles of
border. Within this boundary exist three primary smuggling corridors; the
South Texas Corridor, West Texas/New Mexico Corridor, and the
California/Arizona Corridor.
While
more than 90% of arrests made by the Border Patrol are made within these
three corridors, other areas along the southwest border are not under
operational control. It is estimated that an average of 10,000 illegal
aliens cross the border every day - over 3 million per year. In Cochise
County alone, it is reported that as many as 3,000 illegal immigrants pass
through the border every night. A third will be caught and many of them
immediately will try again.
According to the Pew Hispanic Center, 575,000 Mexican-born people joined the
American population from 2000 to 2004, of which only 90,000 entered legally.
In addition, a quarter-million illegal aliens from the Middle East currently
live in the U.S, and a growing number are entering by crossing the Mexican
border.
The lure of a better life in America has a heavy price for many. According
to the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, DC, 473 migrants died in
2005 at the border; over 260 were on the Arizona Border. Many illegal
immigrants die of dehydration or exposure during their dangerous journey
through rough terrain in remote areas of Arizona. Of the unauthorized
migrants making this passage, 46 percent are women and children.
The impact of this border infiltration is seen at the national, state, and
local levels. Border States are forced to pay benefits to these illegal
immigrants, while local communities experience the most direct impact of
illegal immigration. Crime in the form of robberies, vandalism, and drug
offenses are on the increase in Arizona border towns. The resulting economic
loss is felt throughout these communities.
With the recent success of the intense operations by the Border Patrol in El
Paso, TX and San Diego, much of the illegal immigration and drug smuggling
operations have shifted to Cochise County in southern Arizona. As a result,
it is estimated that 1 to 3 million illegal aliens have flooded the small
ranching towns of Douglas and Bisbee, Arizona. In 2002, only one half
million were apprehended by border patrol agents. Cochise County has now
become a major corridor for the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people.
Another collateral consequence is the ecological impact of so much traffic
through sparsely populated and wilderness areas. Erosion, litter, and crop
damage have changed the landscape of both wilderness areas and private land.
The current situation is that local communities in Cochise County are under
siege. Residents do not feel safe in their own homes and they are angry at
the government for not responding to their emergency. Residents’ frustration
has reached the point where they welcome volunteer civilian militias to
police the local border with Mexico. This creates another set of collateral
risks; volunteer militias operating unregulated and without proper vetting
of personnel produces the potential for unlawful actions and criminal
liability. Likely results are bad publicity directed at the US Government.
The CBP and ICE are working at maximum effort to curtail the level of
illegal immigration. They have made substantial progress in gaining
operational control over some of the highest trafficked areas, namely San
Diego, El Paso, and McAllen. Yet, most of the less populated areas are not
yet under operational control despite the efforts and resources of our
Border Patrol Agents.
Clearly more must be done as our nation's military resources are stretched
too thinly to cope with this crisis. Our Customs and Border Patrol simply
does not have sufficient staffing to meet the requirements. It is time to
expand the private security sector's role to provide adjunctive support of
the nation's security operations at the border.
People need to keep an open mind.
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