Texas Statutes Give Law Enforcement Ample Room Outside The Glare Of State Open Records Laws Essay

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.

This year’s election cycle brought heated debates and discussions about many things; “the wall”, free trade, NAFTA, immigration issues, borders security and policy issues. Regardless of which side of the political isle you stand, which way the political winds sway in Washington D.C., one thing is certain not to change with the election cycle, and that is, the actual physical border between The United States and Mexico. Therefore, if we can’t change that, and we can’t, then there needs to be solutions to problems that continue to exist between the two sovereign countries. Trade and Security are two of the most important factors for neighboring countries and they must not be ignored. Beyond just good political, diplomatic, and strategic vision it is important to understand there are cultural, education and diversity complexities which takes tremendous and often times delicate maneuvering to come together for the greater good of both economies and governments, as millions of people rely on successful trade agreements and security.

Texas border security has been a huge issue over the past years, things such as violence, illegal drugs trade, terrorism, and immigration have increase steadily without a direct solution to back it up. The violence between the US and Mexico’s border increase rather quickly since the declaration of the so-called “war on the drug cartels” by former Mexican president Felipe Calderon in the late 2006. With all the ineffective policies, the drugs traffiking and terrorism on Texas border won’t end anytime soon

The population in Texas is growing by leaps and bounds. According to The Texas Politics Project (2017), “the state’s population grew by 7.2 percent – over 1.8 million people – between 2010 and 2014” (p. 11.10). This growing population also brings with it great diversity, including a growing number of Hispanics. When discussing the population growth that is occurring in Texas, Long (2014) states that, “Hispanic populations have grown rapidly far from the U.S.-Mexico border,

One of the biggest problem people face on a daily basis in the border of Texas is the dispute about the border wall. Many believe the wall has brought more bad than it has good. Due to the location of the wall certain people had to relocate to another home, which many did not have. Although the making of said wall did provide many men and women with jobs many were forced to give their land to the government so that they could build the wall on their territory.

Borders between nations are, largely, used to control and monitor the movement of people internationally. One of the fundamental problems with the border control of states is their ineffectiveness in preventing and deterring people from crossing borders. The most notorious border, the Mexico-United States border, spans an area of 1,989mi (International Boundary & Water Commission, 2017) and has become increasingly militarised over the years due to the, ever increasing, influx of Mexican immigrants attempting to cross the border. The US border security claimed an 81% success rate in preventing illegal immigrants from crossing the border in 2015. However, alternative estimates suggest that the border security’s success rate was in the 40-55% range

It is clear why the breach of security on the southern border is of concern to both governments as well as to citizens of US and Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is working to secure the border by ensuring that an effective combination of staffing, technology, and infrastructure is utilized to protect the more than 8,000 miles of land and maritime areas along both the northern and southern borders, however the current system in place needs urgent changes in order to secure the borders and move forward to target all illicit activities that take place on the border. The next step will be redirect the attention and work on the effects that it brings to citizens of the countries involved. It is easy to think only on the effects that it brings to United States but also for Mexico it has a negative impact. It is often assumed that illegal immigrants are all Mexican citizens crossing the border however this statement is not a fact. Mexico is being used as a bridge by illegal immigration immigrating to United States from neighbor countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Peru. The federal government, the DHS and agencies involved in securing our borders need to create a comprehensive plan to guarantee the DHS gains

Along the Texas/Mexico border there are many border cities, and among the border cities there is a trend that points to an advantage of prosperity on the US side compared to the Mexican side of the border. The border cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez show an example of the US advantage over the Mexican side; El Paso is a Texas city on the Texas/Mexico border, and in 2014 it was the city with the lowest crime rate in the US ; Ciudad Juarez, on the other hand was known as one of the deadliest cities in Mexico . Along with the differences in crime rates, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez have many differences that make them clear examples of the advantage that Texas border cities hold over Mexican border cities.

But the increase of undocumented Immigrants has given border crossing a negative view as we seen some anti-immigration legislation that has targeted undocumented immigrants throughout the United States. But we have also seen many reforms taking place in both the United States government and in Texas government. All of these reforms are brought up by many organizations throughout the United States in order to reduce the number of deaths of immigrants and are focused on the American immigration reform. Not only are we aware of reforms but also protest have been a contributing factor. One of the mayor protest happened on May 1, 2006 “Un Dial Sin Immigrants” were thousands of immigrants refused to go to school and work an effort to demonstrate the economic importance the immigrants bring to the country. In El Paso the Rio Grande separates the United States with Mexico while many children are allowed to attend school on the side of Texas is a great benefit. The Texas-Mexico Border has its negative and positive aspects coming all the way from when it used to belong to

Mexico’s violence on drugs is constantly ongoing. Its imposes a security threat to the United States and threatens the stability of the Mexican state. Drug trafficking is not the only issue of mutual interest between the United States and Mexico but Mexico is the third most largest and important source of oil which has been dropping since 2005 (New York Times, Hanson, 2008). Violence is a major problem when it comes to its drug cartels. They have tried to double their police force to make sure military forces from involving themselves in the drug movement. Consumers have become very upset at the quality of the drugs they are receiving so that increases the violence. Due to the drug violence increasing so much that kids cannot play in their neighborhood due to fear and intimidation. It’s not a safe environment for their citizens

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

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.

Implementing stringent security controls along the borders is likely to reduce the influx of illegal immigration into the United States. With the increased border security, the American government could have helped alleviate the occurrence of the 9/11 bombing. Though this strategy is essential in alleviating the influx of illegal immigrants to certain geographic areas, increased border controls in these locations have made other, less controlled areas of the border more vulnerable. Rising crime rates, discarded debris, increased apprehension rates, and growing public scrutiny in these less secure areas provide clear evidence that border security is at once a social, an economic, and a national security issue.