Inspecting Incoming Containerized Shipping Crates

1445 Words3 Pages

There are many arguing points as to the validity of inspecting 100% of all incoming containerized shipping crates. According to Jim Kouri, “Over 12 million containers enter our country each year, and less than six percent are heavily inspected” (Kouri). Sooner or later our enemies will attempt to utilize this weakness in our national defense system to attack American citizens and our way of life. Protecting our homeland, protecting our resources and preserving our national defense infrastructure is something that can no longer be overlooked or delayed until tomorrow.

Whether during peace or in times of war, our homeland security is something that must be taken very seriously. Our enemies will await their opportunity to attack the United States while we are most vulnerable and our attention is focused elsewhere. Any weaknesses in our national defense systems should be identified and rectified, with a sense of urgency.

Our government has already taken a few necessary steps in the proper direction by passing laws and initiatives directed toward increasing our border and port security. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) describes the Container Security Initiative (CSI) as, “An effort to establish working bilateral partnerships with foreign authorities to identify high-risk cargo containers originating at ports throughout the world before they are loaded on vessels destined for the United States” (Container Security Initiative). The main goal of the Container Security Initiative is to foster an environment in which it is more difficult for transportation companies to transport illegal goods, by implementing inspections at foreign ports of origin.

However not all targeted cargo are being inspected overseas. This problem a...

... middle of paper ...

...urity. Office of the Inspector General. A Review of CBP and ICE Responses to Recent Incidents of Chinese Human Smuggling in Maritime Cargo Containers (Redacted). Washington, D.C., 2005

http://trac.syr.edu/immigration/library/P1939.pfd

Madrigal, Alexis. “Bots vs. Smugglers: Drug Tunnel Smackdown,” May 16, 2009.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/05/tunnelbots/

White, Brian., “Border Patrol Unearths Intricate Drug Tunnel,” Oct. 22, 2009.

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=11367578

Williams, Paul., “MS-12 Smuggles Thousands of Muslims Terrorists Into U.S.,” Aug. 01, 2009.

http://ibloga.blogspot.com/2009/08/ms-13-smuggles-thousands-of-muslim.html

“The Economic Costs of Disruptions in Container Shipments,” Congressional Budget Office, Washington, D.C., March 29, 2006.

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/71xx/doc7106/03-29-Container_Shipments.pdf

Open Document