America Security Essay - 825 Words

America Security (Essay Sample) Content: American SecurityAfter the September 11 terrorists attack, the United States government 9/11 commission recommended that biometric entry-exit screening system was ideal for travelers who were leaving and entering the United States. They reiterated that this was essential for national security. Border screening systems were to be consolidated with United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (Haddal, 2010). This was supposed to streamline border inspections. Legislations were instituted that were geared towards enhancing airline security, visa border security, and maritime security. The Aviation and Security Act of November 2001, the PATRIOTIC Act, and Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of May 2002 were geared towards enhancing homeland security (Haddal, 2010). The Homeland Security Act of 2002 merged border and interior enforcement functions of Department of Agriculture, the INS, and the U.S. Customs service to form Directorate of Border and Transportation Security within the Department of Homeland Security (Haddal, 2010). Free sharing of information and resources was made possible between USBP and CBP. The land, rail, and transportation network became secure save for Transport Security Administration. Alternative strategies that can be used to enhance border security can be effective collection, use, and sharing of intelligence by exploiting networked intelligence. This should be done by sharing both biographic and biometric information between the departments of Homeland Security (Willis, Predd, Davis, Brown, 2010). Unmanned aerial reconnaissance cannot be an alternative to boots on the ground that have over the past years been used a long the U.S.-Mexico border to contain illegal immigrants, drug peddling cartels, and terrorists resolve in coming to the U.S. First things first, those who champion for the use of drones in conducting border patrols contend that at 20, 000 feet, the drones can clearly capture windshiel d wipers and clearly see whether a person is running or walking. Operators of drones also testify that they can see border patrols but not their uniforms and often ask them to wave their arms to confirm whether they are not bad people. What can become of a border patrol personnel who fails to raise his hands? Other than the security of the border patrol, the use of drones over domestic airspace has led to loss of privacy. Nobody can be so sure about their privacy in their own property because they cannot be sure nobody is watching them. Drones can now fly for at least 10, 000 hours and so far, at least 4,865 undocumented immigrants and 238 drug smugglers have been apprehended since the homeland security initiated the use of aerial reconnaissance in border patrol (Booth, 2011). Considering that the boots on the ground in 2011 apprehended a massive 327, 577 illegal immigrants in southwestern border, if the number of illegal immigrants apprehended using the drones is anyt...