Being a U.S. citizen thirty-nine years old or younger with a valid driver’s license, no prior criminal convictions, minimum vision and hearing functionality, and the ability to perform strenuous physical activity—these are just a few of the qualifications that border patrol officers must possess as those responsible for guarding the border—the imaginary line that separates the United States from the neighboring countries (“Overview). The mission statement of this federal agency is “to detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the United States” and yet to this day the inflow of illegal immigrants at the south western border continues to pose a problem, one that these officers have not been able to contain (“Overview”). Thousands of …show more content…
“Together with other law enforcement officers, the Border Patrol helps maintain borders that work—facilitating the flow of legal immigration and goods while preventing the illegal trafficking of people and contraband” (Overview). Or so their official website states, but evidence would suggest that they are part of a corrupt and violent system; they have dehumanized themselves due to their existence as an extension of government regulations; they have been placed at the border to guard it from the illegals who try to break through to the American side and some abuse that power. The government pays extremely generous sums for their operations, but their effectiveness and moral practices have been questionable. The victims—those apprehended during their journey across the border and the families of those killed by the officers (among many others)—claim that the BP exists outside of the law, but it is also true that not all officers violate human rights, not all go rogue. What determines who becomes the conductor of power is the hiring process as well as the honesty and diligence of the administrative personnel. The qualifications to become a border patrol officer (as listed on the official PB website) are …show more content…
A writer for “The Daily Beast,” Andrew Becker reports that this additional step came “at the tail end of a massive hiring surge that began in 2006 and eventually added 17,000 employees, helping to make the agency the largest law enforcement operation in the country.” This arouses great unease and concern about “the thousands of employees Customs and Border Protection has hired over the past six years before it began mandatory polygraph tests for all applicants” (Becker). The records—official summaries of more than 200 polygraph admissions—contain many very disturbing testimonies of applicants admitting to drug smuggling and even murder (Becker). One confession, according to the Customs and Border Protection summary, consisted of an applicant admitting to having “‘no independent recollection of the events that resulted in a blood-doused kitchen and was uncertain if he committed any crime during his three-hour black out’”(Becker). The fact that thousands have been hired without the screening cannot be ignored. It is this negligence that is the cause of agents such as Justin Tackett—an officer who “had a dubious work history long before joining Border Patrol”—being able to find employment within the Border Patrol agency (Peter.) Tackett’s employment history is such as follows: “[he] joined
The article by Rob Guerette is a case study involving the widely-reported increase of immigration into the United States. It tackles migration issues as well as related issues such as border security , security initiatives by individuals.. The article also provides in-depth research about the impact of illegal immigration into the United States including migrant deaths, deaths of non-migrants at the border, border security and the challenges faced by United States border patrol officers. The main purpose of the article was to provide an explanation as to whether the Border Patrol has any effect in saving the lives of people attempting to enter into the United States (Guerette, 2007).
The primary function of the Border Patrol Agency is "Line Watch"(web), which involves the apprehension of terrorists, smugglers and illegal people at the border. The book ‘Border Patrol nation’ by Tod Miller is a classic example of the Border patrol agency day to day activities and work culture. Tod Miller has researched and written about US-Mexican border issues for last 15 years. The book contains eleven chapters, which are well structured and inter related in respect to the arguments, evident and stories. This makes the book well
A leading American historian on race, policing, immigration, and incarceration in the United States, Kelly Lytle Hernandez’s Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol tells the story of how Mexican immigrant workers emerged as the primary target of the United States Border Patrol and how, in the process, the United States Border Patrol shaped the history of race in the United States. Migra! also explores social history, including the dynamics of Anglo-American nativism, the power of national security, and labor-control interests of capitalistic development in the American southwest. In short, Migra! explains
In “The Border Patrol State” Leslie Silko makes accusations of the border patrol’s mistreatment of American citizens of Mexican decent, making the argument with almost evidence. Silko, a critically acclaimed poet, sees the border patrol as a governmental assembly addicted to interrogation, torture, and the murder of those they see fit.
Although that gives the report a sometimes odd tone, defending a system that it admits failed badly, it also provides for some of the document's most evident soul-searching. One passage in particular warns of the consequences when police let down their guard. "Essentially, many of the problems found by this [Board of Inquiry] boil down to people failing to do their jobs with a high level of consistency and integrity," the report states. "Unfortunately, we found this to be true at all levels of the organization, including top managers, first-line supervisors and line personnel. Clearly, pride in one's work and a commitment to do things correctly the first time seems to have
...The hard work of their labor should not be overlooked, for such a small group of people they cover a lot of ground. Border patrol will continue to change as different concerns arise in around the world. It is part of being in such a culturally diverse nation to deal with these kinds of issues more then others. As the world changes, our values must remain the same.
I want to become a border patrol agent because it sounds like an exciting job to do. You’re never know what’s going to happen on the job, and i like being surprised. My grandpa was a border patrol and he told me about all the action he was in when he would get a call, but he told me that it was not just a fun job it was a lot of hard work and life risking job. A border patrol has a five month training that they have to do at Artesia, New Mexico learning about all the varied aspects of a border patrol agent. What they mostly do at the training is learn how to speak spanish because on the job they talk to a lot of illegal and legal mexican aliens. In order to get in the training you must be a U.S. citizen, have a valid state driver’s licence, must speak english as a first language, and have completed at least a high school education or a passing score on a GEM exam. A required physical and medical exam will also be needed of each border patrol candidates in order to ensure that the applicant is in good health and capable of performing some of the strenuous tasks of a Border Patrol Agent. A border patrol agent is usually traveling by car, on a horse or foot trying to find illegals crossing and following up on leads from aircrafts sightings or electronic sensor television system. The efforts of doing that is tracking, gathering physical evidence, checking traffic, farms, and ranches and patrolling border cities. It sounds like a tough thing to do, but i believe thats the job for me. You need to have good hearing, good vision, and have to be able to pass three fitness test. On the fitness test you need to do 20 proper push ups in 60 seconds.They also need to do 25 proper sit up in 60 seconds. The third test measures your cardiovascular...
Vaughan, Jessica M. “Aliens Who Overstay Their Visas Are a Serious Security Threat.” Opposing Viewpoints: Immigration. Eds. David M. Haugen, Susan Musser and Kacy Lovelace. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2009. 182-193. Print.
The border patrol agent’s job is to monitor the US border and detain anyone who is trying to enter illegally. The border patrol can operate 100 miles within any border of the United States, which is two thirds of the American populations. There have been many case where border patrol agents go beyond their rights. Though it is legal for them to stop and ask the driver and/or the occupants of the car what country there are citizen of, many stops lead to illegal searches without probable cause. One American citizens has accused the border patrol of illegally confiscating his computer and mobile device and conducting searching on the devices. Not only are they going beyond the rights of the fourth amendment, numerous people believe they are going way beyond the border into American land to perform their duties. To make clear though, it is within their rights to ask any driver their citizenship status, but it’s not legal for them to search the vehicle and
Over the years it seems as though our country has become more populated and unsafe from the illegal immigrants and smuggled goods, such as drugs and weapons, which make it into the United States. Although there are many illegal immigrants and contraband that are able to make it into the U.S undetected, there are a significant amount of people and contraband that are caught by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The CBP is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and was formed in 2003. “It is one of the world’s largest law enforcement organizations and is charged with keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S” (CBP). One of the departments of the CBP is border security, which is a team of individuals that work together to protect our country from “illegal immigrants, narcotics smuggling, and illegal importation” (CBP). Border patrol was established in 1924 and has changed dramatically over the decades. The one aspect that has not changed is “the overall mission to detect and prevent the illegal entry of aliens into the U.S” (CBP). The border patrol is responsible for patrolling the 6,000 miles of Mexican and Canadian land borders and 2,000 miles of coastal waters. According to CBP, “In 2013 420,789 nationwide illegal aliens were apprehended and 2.9 million pounds of drugs were seized.” As one could tell, there is a significant amount of illegal immigrants and smuggled goods coming into the U.S. However, the number of illegal immigrants that have been seized is lower than it has been in the past, but I still believe that having a strong border security is necessary in continuing to keep immigrants from trying to come into the U.S illegally and transporting illegal goods. “The primary goal of bo...
Martin Luther King Jr. said all that needed to be said in 1966: "[The] law can't make a man love me, however it can control him from lynching me, and I believe that is really imperative moreover." After two years, he was shot and murdered in Memphis. In any case, his fantasies that the United States lawful framework may in the end defeat its racial inclinations and serve its non-white subjects similarly lives on. Throughout recent months, government officials have conjured King's legacy to beseech African American residents to remain tranquil even with routine brutality. The incongruity of this request appears to be lost on its askers, yet it does fall in accordance with a question that is spooky Black Lives Matter dissenters for as far back as 10 months, to be specific, "what will occur next?” At the end of the day: How, other than challenging, would we be able to really ensure that not any more African or Latino individuals are
The Mexican-American border barriers were originally built as part of a three-pronged approach to diminish illicit contraband, drug smuggling, and illegal immigrants. This operation would curtail drug transport routes from Central America. Three headquarters were established along the Unites States border: operation gatekeeper in California, Operation Hold-the-Line in Texas, and Operation Safeguard in Arizona. These strategically placed headquarters have done an outstanding job securing our borders the past decade, however with drug smuggling on the rise, they require much more support from the government. Regrettably, adversaries of the barriers claim that they are more of a political gambit to instigate foreign affairs and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money. These opponents see the United States-Mexico barrier as an unsuccessful deterrent to illegal immigrants and unwanted drugs that ultimately and inaptly endangers the security and wellbeing of immigrants seeking refuge in the States.
Many proponents of illegal immigration believe illegals are beneficial to the American economy. [Statistic] Because of this statistic, Liberals argue that It should be the least courtesy That Americans grant legal status to workers who benefit the agricultural industry. The waste of workers deported back to Mexico would be catastrophic to America's farms. The undocumented workers are essential to supporting major industries like agriculture and construction, among the most important industries of the American economy. Undocumented workers are essential to supporting the American economy. The liberal argument is that the jobs that most illegal immigrants take are jobs that Americans do not want. Undocumented people work hard and are among
One of the major issues surrounding border security is illegal immigration, “For the past two decades the United States, a country with a strong tradition of limited government, has been pursuing a widely popular initiative that requires one of the most ambitious expansions of government power in modern history: securing the nation’s borders against illegal immigration” (Alden, 2012). Many people are trying to enter the United States without the proper documentation and everyday they risk their lives and others just to make it across these borders. To avoid this law enforcement and other border security has threatened these illegal immigrants with detainment and arrest and different forms of punishment. In the efforts to deter the problem, it has been far beyond feasible because they still manage to get across and it does not change their intention...
The majority of peace officers are committed to the profession they chose. They view the career as a calling, a dedication to perform a public service to their community. Being a police officer requires one to continually strive for perfection, but there is no such thing as a perfect cop. What makes a good cop turn bad? Many factors can attribute to police corruption, but the question that should be asked is if it can be stopped. Although police agencies have progressed greatly from its beginning, police corruption is the black mark that will forever leave a stain of embarrassment within an organization.