United States Border Security

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer notes that, following the horror of the catastrophe and carnage of September 11, 2001, if there was ever any doubt that America's priorities needed to be changed, that doubt was now removed. The writer relates that America's leaders would begin to examine the nation's vulnerabilities, among the most glaring of which was the porousness of its borders - the vast influx of Mexican nationals across America's southwestern frontier. The writer notes that the flood of Mexicans across the United States border, though the result primarily of economic factors, has powerful implications for America's security. The writer points out that a serious analysis of the aims of America's national security strategy might look at whether illegal aliens truly present the terrorism problem that has been attributed to them. The writer concludes that while there may be real and significant reason to contain or eliminate illegal immigration from Mexico, and to seal the Southwestern border of the United States, government action does not seem to bear out the sense of urgency inherent in its rhetoric.

From the Paper:

"The Immigration and Naturalization Service was already putting operation plans that would treat alien groups as potential subversives, arrogating to itself extraordinary, seemingly extra-legal powers in the name of guarding against potential national security threats. The fear of alien incursion to which these contingencies react is based on a still larger problem, of which Mexico and other developing nations appear to partake. It is a similar to the problems that pervade much of the Muslim world, as well, and give rise to the feelings of hopelessness, despair, and frustration, that turn so many into terrorists."
"Globalization has led to a worldwide race for control of resources, both human and natural. The populations of developing nations, like Mexico, feel themselves more exploited than ever by the multinational corporations operating out of technologically-advanced nations like the United States."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Burnor, Emily. "Under the Fence: US-Mexican Immigration Issues." Harvard International Review 27.2 (2005): 8+.
• Coleman, Mat. "The Naming of 'terrorism' and Evil 'Outlaws': Geopolitical Place-Making After 11 September." 11 September and Its Aftermath: The Geopolitics of Terror. Ed. Stanley D.Brunn. London: Frank Cass, 2004. 87-104.
• Cornelius, Wayne A. "Controlling 'Unwanted' Immigration: Lessons from the United States, 1993-2004." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 31.4 (2005): 775+.
• Grigg, William Norman. "The Border War: Mexico Is Quietly Waging War on Our Southern Border with the Complicity of Elements in Our Government Who Seek to Meld the Nations of This Hemisphere into a Regional Superstate." The New American 1 July 2002: 12+
• Grigg, William Norman. "A Posse of Pretenders: Have America's Political Leaders Contracted a Case of Common Sense regarding Immigration-Or Is Something Else at Work?" The New American 3 Oct. 2005: 31+.

More papers on United States Border Security:

• Research Paper # 93540 : "Border Security"
• Analytical Essay # 55554 : "Border Security"
• Term Paper # 51113 : "The United States-Canadian Border"

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