What Are Some Ways That Homeland Security Could Protect the Border?
The Department of Homeland Security was established by the United States government following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The department is a collection of new and existing agencies, departments and services with the explicit mission of protecting the mainland of the United States. Among these duties are securing the borders of the country so individuals, possibly with hostile intent, cannot sneak into the country undetected.
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Walls and Fences
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One of the simplest proposals for protecting the border involves building larger and more impassible fences and walls along the borders. The idea is that if individuals have no way to get into the country but to go through border crossings manned by Homeland Security officials, those with hostile intent cannot sneak by unnoticed. Because the United States possesses long borders to the north and south, some proponents propose measures such as electrifying the fences so make it harder to cut through them.
Additional Border Patrol
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The agency whose primary purpose is to secure borders is the Border Patrol. These agents are responsible for locating and apprehending individuals who are entering the country illegally. However, because the United States possesses such long borders, it is difficult for a small number of agents to effectively patrol the areas through which those illegally entering the country would pass. Consequently, many plans for protecting the country's borders involve increasing the Border Patrol's budget to hire more agents, as well as supplementing them with the National Guard.
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Unmanned Surveillance Drones
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Unmanned surveillance drones are flying craft that are controlled remotely, can stay in the air for long periods of time and have cameras to show the remote pilot the area around the drone. Because flying drones can quickly cover large stretches of land, they could be utilized by the Department of Homeland Security to patrol the borders and surrounding areas from the sky. If a drone pilot catches something suspicious with the craft's camera, Border Patrol agents on the ground could travel to the area to physically investigate.
Additional MSSTs
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The United States has two ocean front borders in addition to its two land borders. The U.S. Coast Guard, which became part of the Department of Homeland Security after 9/11, is, among other things, responsible for protecting these maritime borders. For this specific purpose, the Coast Guard has special Maritime Safety and Security Teams (MSST). These teams deploy on Coast Guard cutters and other craft to assist in port security, catch drug runners, interdict suspicious craft and respond to terrorist incidents. The more of these teams the Coast Guard has, the more effectively it can monitor the coasts.
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References
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