The Role of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

In our past history, The United States Customs and border officials have been focused on relatively common matters of enforcing laws regarding trade and immigration, watching over agriculture and economic interests from pest and disease, and processing people, vehicles and goods. After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the primary concern was the homeland security. The threat of terrorists and terrorist tools coming through our borders all add to an increased set of dangers to The United States. Is it the responsibility of our United States Military to defend our country from these threats? The following myths are often understood as true, when in fact they are not.

The problem of drugs coming over into the United States from Mexico is not new, but it is serious and in spite of many efforts by American law enforcement and border authorities, it continues day after day. This paper reviews the problem from several perspectives and brings to light attempts the U.S. has made to stop drug trafficking on our border with Mexico. The biggest issue regarding border security is the power of the drug cartels, and the majority of emphasis in this paper is directed towards the cartels.

The United States Border Patrol has a mission and duty to protect our borders through regulating laws and preventing illegal terrorists, drugs, and weapons from entering the United States. This has been a clear goal ever since laws have been passed to help secure our borders back in 1924. The need for Border Patrol and the demand for tighter security plans have been increasing due to terrorist attacks on American soil, the presence of radical groups, and a high rate of crime in the United States. The big idea here is that as crime continues to develop so will our border securities. I would like to primarily focus on the current role of the Border Patrol versus what it might have been in years past. Many tragedies have occurred in recent times more than what was experienced years ago. The United States has suffered throughout the year 2000 and continues to suffer from severe threats to the nation. It only makes sense to make changes and tighten our borders in order to help prevent the ongoing crimes. If the Border Patrol does this than the individuals living in this nation will live in a better and much safer environment. Along with their current role, the research on the Border Patrol’s changes that either have hindered their work or made them more effective will be looked into as well.

The U.S Border Patrol’s main job is to prevent terrorists, weapons, and illegal aliens from entering the U.S. without identification. They want to make sure that the nation is safe from crimes and attacks that can happen from the South American or Canadian borderline. Border patrollers want to detect and prevent illegal human trafficking, drugs, or species that will cause harm to the country. They have to work day and night to protect their country from harmful people or items.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, immigration control and national homeland security have been issues of concern for both the national government and private citizens. In the wake of the attacks, a lot of articles were written about what the appropriate response should be to prevent another attack. In 2004, Mark Krikorian wrote an article for the Providence Journal entitled “Safety through Immigration Control” in which he contends that the only means to keep America safe from a follow-up attack is to strengthen and enforce immigration law to prevent terrorists from being able to enter the country. Edwidge Danticat, writing for The Nation in 2005, provides a juxtaposition to Krikorian’s stance in her essay “Not Your Homeland”, in which she describes her witnessing of the inhumane conditions many immigrants are forced to endure in the name of increased security to protect the country. She questions whether the added protections are worth the human cost we are paying by treating immigrants and refugees as guilty until proven innocent. At the crossroads of these two perspectives lies the question: what is the proper balance between national security and the humane treatment of immigrants?

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection also known as CBP is one of the largest and most complex agencies with the Department of Homeland Security. They have many duties and responsibilities to do to protect the United States of America. They

The Department of Customs and Border Patrol has control over almost all of the illegal immigration policy (IIP) in the united states although the Coast Guard and a few other agencies have control over their own type of illegal immigration policy. According to cbp.gov, “ Since its inception in 1924, the U.S. Border Patrol has had a proud history of service to our nation.” Although more and more people cross or attempt to cross the border the U.S Border Patrol tries to make an effort to stop and

By placing the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), immigration is considered a national security issue by default. Whether or not the issue is treated seriously is up for debate, as the situation constantly is an issue in media and in political campaigns. However, border fences have been increased as well and the amount of agents with CBP (Andreas, 2009).

The U.S. Border Patrol started its service for our nation in 1924. Even though some changes have affected every aspect of the operations from its early days, the values, professionalism, honor, integrity, and respect helped shape the Border Patrol from the early years and they still remain the same today. Since the very beginning agents have been patrolling our borders, “Mounted watchmen of the U.S. Immigration Service patrolled the border in an effort to prevent illegal crossings as early as 1904” (Border Patrol History, web). The agent’s efforts were undertaken only when resources permitted. The inspectors were all out of El Paso, Texas, “Though they never totaled more than seventy-five, they patrolled as far west as California trying to restrict the flow of illegal Chinese immigration” (Border Patrol History, web).

A nation without borders is not a nation. Today, every country is putting efforts to secure its borders not only from terrorists and drugs smuggling, but also from the illegal immigration. All these recurring activities have sparked the United States to secure its borders against illegal immigrants and terrorism by creating a special department named the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS is headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security. After the terrorist attack of 9/11, terrorism and illegal immigration were two striking issues for the DHS. To solve these issues, the Department of Homeland Security further created two immigration enforcement agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in year 2003. The United States has over seven-thousand miles of border to cover each day. The US shares its borders with Canada and Mexico. That’s why the CBP was established to safeguard our borders through the deployment of technology, personnel, and infrastructure. The US Border Patrol is the most visible of DHS’s agencies and is now touching majority of population than ever before. It has increased its strength to more than 21,000 agents, up from 8,500 in 2001and 4,000 in 1994(17). The primary function of the Border Patrol Agency is apprehension of terrorists, drug interdiction and immigration enforcement. The book ‘Border Patrol Nation’ by Todd Miller is a classic example of the Border Patrol

U.S Customs and Border Protection has also been in charge in keeping terrorist and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S laws (Peak, 2009, Pg. 164). Consequently, immigrants have been victims of human trafficking. According to Larry K. Gaines from the textbook Criminal Justice in Action, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has played an important role in focusing the nation’s borders. Their mission is to detain illegal aliens and deport them to their country, and disrupting trafficking operations. In 2008, ICE removed about

As immigrant, I believe this new government, politics and change makes me more aware of the changes the new White House wants desperate to implement. One issue that brings me to concern was, what is doing Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE) with all the detention of illegal immigrants? Why is taking them to much time to send them back? And why I keep hearing that people incarcerated in jails for ICE, are dying or in hungry strike? And I keep searching and this information keep coming back. Is like history is trying to repeat over and over, but know whit Hispanics or immigrants.

Every day the U.S. border patrol has to constantly keep an eye out for the smuggling of drugs by Mexican Cartels. There has been much violence due to this drug problem that has left many people near the border killed and is allowing more criminals to obtain these weapons. A lot of this attention goes to the U.S. because many of the weapons utilized in the “drug war” are U.S. made and is interfering with trading relations amongst both the U.S. and Mexico. With this current violent situation in Mexico this has transformed the flow of weapons to an even larger scale.

The U.S customs service was initially established during 17th century by the first congress of the United States at 31 July 1789 under the fifth act, which emerged from the 2nd and 3rd act of the first congress of United States, which established the system of tariffs on imported goods and

Many love to point out how America left Britain was in search of establishing freedom because of its poetic appeal, however, one of the most overlooked factors is the thing that makes the world go round: money. Smuggling(moving items in and out of a country illegally), was a vessel for America to increase its economic influence in the world. It allowed America to not be constricted by British merchants. While smuggling may be viewed as a side note in the rise of statesmen independence, in no way was it not crucial to the beginning of america as a country, away from britain.