Free Riding

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.

Matt Myers said ¨Given the rising global instability in North Korea and the Middle East, it isn't that hard to imagine terrorists getting their hands on biological, chemical or radiological weapons. With an insecure border, it is even easier to imagine those terrorists bringing those weapons across the southern border and launching a devastating attack inside America. Extending the physical and technological wall along the southern border gives us the best chance to detect and to stop the flow of drugs, humans trapped in bondage, and terror.¨ Most of our drugs actually come from Mexico and it comes from the immigrants that cross over the border. Pitlane Magazines says, “A border fence would give those people who want one a sense of security.  It would also take longer for those who want to cross the border illegally to do so, increasing the likelihood that they will get caught. It would clearly delineate the borders between the two countries, making it easy to tell where they are.  It may help those who patrol the borders to keep better track of who is crossing.” So if we lessen the amount of immagrants that come over the border, then we can lessen the amount of drugs that are affecting people today. This means that we need to control this border and the longer it takes for us to control this border then the more attacks we´ll have and more illegal drugs would be in the U.S. and that isn´t something that we would

Prior to the events of 9/11, for nearly two decades, America welcomed immigrations to our country with open arms. After 9/11, America’s ideals begin to shift pertaining to immigrants, our nation’s safety, and border patrol. America was left with great fear, post 9/11, and began to implement many changes in our border patrol and immigration laws. “In response to record numbers of illegal border crossings and the security fears triggered by the 9/11 attacks, over the past two decades the United States has steadily increased its efforts to secure its borders against illegal immigration. The number of U.S. Border Patrol agents has risen from fewer than

Mexican border secured would be a rise for the economy growth and/or goods and services ("The US-Mexican…). Officers encounter many violent scenes at the border. People get shot in a car and they are sometimes hidden in unexpected places and the cause of the killing are by drug traffickers. Bringing drugs to the U.S. is a disadvantage for immigrants and it is one of the reasons why immigrants should not be allowed to cross. When immigrants cross the border to the U.S. they risks themselves by being forces to take drugs with them. All criminal activities happen in the border and they bring weapons, drugs, and money ("The US-Mexican…). For bringing all these items the national security are

One of the pros for building the fence is that “control of the borders are required for national security”. With the rise of terrorist groups around the world including

In previous years, many countries and territories around the world have attempted to build walls, and many have had very much success. For example, Most of the walls built after World War 2 and the Cold War still exist today. There were a total of 110 walls built between that time period. Professor Nazli Avdan led a study that had a goal of identifying if a border wall reduced or increased the risk of a transnational terrorist attack. This study found that since the year 1900, transnational terrorist attacks have seen a thirteen percent annual decrease in countries with border walls (Border fences reduce...attacks). This has been a real focal point that President Donald Trump has used to get people to agree with him. Another reason of his includes the disrupting of the funneling of illicit money and drugs into the United States of America (Border fences reduce...attacks). The bonus of the building of the wall is that it will be a visible sign of the government taking action.

The United States border with Mexico is one of the most interesting borders in the world. Although it is not a military front like the border between the Koreas or as militarized as the border of Russia and the Ukraine, there is a lot going on that requires attention. The southern border of the United States is different from almost all of those in the world because many of its problems are based off of the economic disparity between each country. The difference between wealth and quality of life is substantial and results in people going beyond regular means to cross the border to have a better life. There is also a large difference in the legal and law enforcement system that is exploited by Mexican cartels to make money through drug and human trafficking. The differences between these two

It’s important to understand how the situation with the cartels ties into illegal immigration. In short, the allowance of illegal immigration is the gateway for the cartels into the U.S. The face of illegal immigration that often appears on the news is of illegal immigrant families who are deported and separated, and while this is certainly an issue that needs addressed as well, it paints the picture that the only victims of illegal immigration are separated families. As we have learned, however, this is absolutely not the case, as the cartels use the weakness in the U.S. border to make profits off of people in terrible ways. The acceptance of illegal immigration is dangerous because if we allow illegal immigration to persist, the Mexican

The people who believe that border violence has increased recently have statistics to back this up. One such statistic is that more Americans were killed in Mexico in 2009 than in 2007. They point to this as evidence that violence against Americans has increased “ from El Paso, Texas, 23 Americans were killed in 2009, compared with two in 2007” (Conery & Seper). Government officials in border

As defined by Fratianni and Kang, Pay riding is defined by stating that “club members” undertake some cooperation with the United States but, at the same time, give something of value to terrorists. A classic example of pay riding is Saudi Arabia, an ally of the United States but the home of radical Wahabism (Fratianni & Kang, 2004, p. 9). Free riding is other countries willingness to piggy back on U.S. operations in order to reap the political and or industrial benefits of being involved with an operation without having to foot a large portion of the cost. Over time, the unilateralist solution is likely to turn into a multilateral one. There are two reasons for that. The first is that the United States will exert pressure on members of the club to tighten up their border security, stop pay riding and absorb a larger share of the “war on terror”. The second reason it would likely turn into a multilateral solution is that the hardening of U.S. Borders would also push terrorists to choose softer targets and less secure countries (Fratianni & Kang, 2004, p. 10).

Cities on both sides of the Mexican-American border are continuously terrorized by drug cartels as a way to keep control over shipping routes and silence from citizens. (Wilkinson 2008) In 2010 an employee of the United States Embassy in Mexico was murdered along the Mexico-American border. This added tension to the ongoing drug trafficking problem and raised the issue of Mexico’s inability to control its own borders. Felipe Calderon, the President of Mexico, stated that he is seeking a stronger relationship with the United States. The effects of this relationship can be seen on the streets with the intensified level of violence against the drug cartels and the effectiveness of the government. (Dresser 2009)

Although written in 2003, Andreas’ article “Redrawing the Line” provides an interesting perspective into national sovereignty and contemporary anxiety regarding American border security, specifically as applied to Mexico. Poignantly, the author states that no state will ever ensure complete control of its territorial integrity by sealing its borders (109). However, Andreas contends that this reality does not, in fact, imply that “states have ‘lost control’ over their borders” (110). Furthermore, he offers an interesting perspective into the different types of borders, which he categorizes as military, economic, and police (85). Each type of border, and its associated security, maintain their own costs and benefits. For example, although strict

The United States has led the fight against criminal activities from Mexican borders for many years. Criminal activities along the United States and Mexican border range from drug trafficking, human smuggling and an economy that disruptive. These are illegal activities scholars have argued could lead to the failure of Mexico as a country and the spread of violence to the United States. The illegal activities are not only a threat to the economy of Mexico and United States but also to the rest of the world due the impacts associated. The border between Mexico and US is of essential significance because it provides the link between the two countries. The border provides passageways through which either country can access the other via land or air means. Although the border is of significance to both countries, smuggling of drugs and trafficking human are main causes of violence between the countries. Drug cartels in Mexico smuggle drugs into the United States and this drives a war between them and the US government. The economy and the peace between Mexico and US is also affected significantly due to the illegal activities. To minimize the violence caused by these illegal activities, the US government need to act against the activities. The United States needs to increase the economic aid and military intervention to Mexico to fight the drug cartels, otherwise it could become a failed state; spreading more violence across the US border.

In the past few years, there has been a recent push for a border wall to protect the United States from the increase in immigration and drug trafficking. Although the border wall aids in reducing problems in our country, it is affecting the economy of the country and the health of our environment, therefore the border wall is not the best solution.

The 9/11 incident crippled the American economy and its impact is still felt at present times. Following this tragedy, a commission was initiated by President George W. Bush and the congress to investigate the reasons behind the bombing and provide recommendations to help avert such occurrences in the future. Therefore, this paper discusses the impact of making the US border more secure, the rationale behind replacing the "need to know" with the "need to share". Moreover, the paper highlights the DOD's role the role in border and coastal security, its relationship with the Department of Homeland Security and how DOD supports civil authorities.