Security

Is It Enough?

As we move closer to this year\\\'s mid-term elections, one issue that seems

to continue to pop up is that of border security. This hot topic has become one

of the major factions among the nation, especially among those of us who reside

in border states. Politicians are debating as just how much security is needed on

our Mexican borders, and how much more they need to do when it comes to

airport security. These are just a couple of issues that are televised day and

night. The big question is this: Is our government doing enough? I believe the

answer to that question is yes, and I will provide enough information to prove it.

For years, the Mexican-American border has been an easy crossover for

anyone wanting to get into the United States without getting caught. There are

millions of illegal immigrants in the U.S. today, and the scary thing is, we don\\\'t

know how many could be terrorists corroberating with correspondents in the

Middle East. Despite this frightening information, the government has made one

major step towards securing our borders. According to CNN.com, the House

passed a bill on Sept. 15 that would allow for a 700 mile long fence to be built

along the border, and the Senate, in an overwhelming majority, voted for this bill.

Along with the bill, Congress is including $380 million dollars to go towards hiring

1500 border patrol members and building a new detention facility for holding

potential illegals until they can be deported back to their country. This is a big

step in not only protecting our borders from potential terrorist, but it will also cut

down on the number of illegal immigrants. Not surprising

or unknown is that

immigrants are not the only things coming across our border, and someone has

to moniter everything that is coming into our country.

The organization that is responsible for guarding all of our borders is the

United States Customs and Border Protection. This government agency is in

charge of looking after our ports, land borders, and even immigration. Since the

September 11th attacks, efforts have been made by CBP to further defend our

borders. Says CBP.gov, in 2001, pre 9/11, the CBP had approximately $259

million to go towards protecting our ports. During the post 9/11 years, CBP\\\'s

funds increased to $1.6 billion in 2005. That\\\'s over 700 percent increase. With

this incredible jump in funds, CBP is utilizing the concept of using cutting edge

machinary, such as large-scale X-rays and gamma rays and also radiation

detection devices to screen packages that enter into the states. Also, the classic

canine detection is put to use to discover narcotics, people, or even chemical

weapons. Along with the high powered security measures, there is also the

basic manual inspection. One other form of screening used is the C-TPAT, or

the Customs Trade Partner Against Terrorism. The Customs and Border Patrol

created a partnership with 6000 businesses where the businesses, along with

CBP, improve security standards for that company\\\'s container security. But sea

is not the only way terrorist can cross over into our nation. There\\\'s also air, and

that\\\'s where the Tranportation Security Administration comes in.

Ever since that fateful September day in 2001, airports, especially

international ones, have seen a dramatic change as far as security is

concerned. Now, specially trained screeners are located at every international

airport in the country and their job is make sure no suspicious characters get

on the plane until they do a little investigating. According to the Government

Accountability Office, the TSA has \\\"made progress in managing, deploying, and

training a federalized aviation security workforce, including FSDs (the lead

authority at U.S. airports) and TSOs (formerly known as screeners).\\\" There

has also been stronger punishments towards those who bring a \\\"prohibited\\\"

item on the plane. People who are found to be in possession of one of these

items can end up being arrested and going to jail if it\\\'s found that the incident

was intentional. Along with stricter possession

policies, there is also a stricter

identification verification process. A person must go to tsa.gov and print out

a Traveler