There has been a sizable increase in cross-border trafficking of drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in recent years.
According to Customs and Border Protection data, these drugs are
almost entirely trafficked at the land ports of entry and at the 47 official border crossings.
Despite the increase in drug trafficking, reports have shown that shifting the priority to zero-tolerance immigration enforcement diverted resources from pursuing more serious crimes like drug and human trafficking.
Focusing attention on drug trafficking at ports of entry would likely result in an increase in drug seizures, which would make America safer by keeping out some of the most dangerous substances affecting our population today.
3. Investing in technology and personnel
A wall’s function is to create a physical barrier to prevent people from crossing. However, a wall cannot perform the myriad functions necessary to apprehend crossers, screen migrants, detect illicit behavior, etc. Department of Homeland Security staffers, border patrol agents and increased technology however, can.
Technology, including cameras, fixed towers and aerial and underground sensors, can help combat cartels that are using highly sophisticated technology to cross the border.
Expanding agencies like the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Counterterrorism and Criminal Exploitation Unit prevents terrorists and other criminals from exploiting the nation's immigration system through fraud.
Investing in the Biometric Entry-Exit System at all ports of entry helps screen those who enter into the United States efficiently and effectively. The need for a 21st-century approach to border security is something both Republicans and Democrats have called for, aiming to find new solutions to emerging problems.
Placing the appropriate technology in the right places and training and building the skill set of personnel in key agencies makes America safer.
The shutdown over the border wall needs to end. Many people in charge of keeping America safe are currently working without pay.
Transportation Security Administration agents are calling in sick, and the growing strain on those who work for the Border Patrol, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Secret Service could negatively impact the morale and quality of work of these vital agencies.
Agreeing on a bipartisan deal to end the shutdown and paying the people who are in charge of our nation’s security makes America safer. Let us have a discussion in Congress about the border, with people who work and live at the border, to come up with bipartisan, contemporary, cost-effective solutions to improve our border security.
Rachel Schmidtke is the program associate at the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute, where she conducts research on the policies and trends of migration and U.S.-Mexico relations.
https://thehill.com/opinion/immigrat...outhern-border
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