Highlights
– National Guard deployment increases security, reduces illegal alien apprehensions
– Secure Fence Act requires long-term commitment to see conclusive results
– Despite programs, drug crime spillover will continue to threaten border security
Roughly one and a half years after the implementation of Operation Jump Start, statistics indicate that the Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has turned a crucial corner in securing the US/Mexico border. The operation sent 6,000 National Guard members to border area hotspots in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to assist in operations as CBP trained new recruits. The National Guard members, although not authorized to perform civilian law enforcement duties, provided a set of eyes and ears for the CBP.
Another initiative to secure the border with Mexico, the Secure Fence Act of 2006, has not yielded similar progress. There has not been sufficient funding to fully implement the Secure Fence Act, and a spending bill revision removed the requirement to install highly efficient two tiered fences in designated areas.
Despite some initial successes, spiraling drug crime south of the border and terrorist smuggling operations will continue to threaten homeland security in the near-term. As such, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CBP and other law enforcement agencies must continue to enforce effective immigration practices and policies, as well as work to perfect new surveillance technology.
Jump Start’s Bright Spot: Yuma County
Out of the 6,000 troops deployed along the border, approximately 40 percent were assigned to Arizona. In an area crucial to the operation’s success, Yuma County, Arizona, roughly 400 troops operated along the border region. Troops would assist CBP in several areas, including
• Conducting routine flying missions along the border for aerial identification
• Manning assigned checkpoints for early identification assistance
• Installing tactical infrastructure including fencing, lighting, and new roads
• Assisting CPB at home stations utilizing monitoring equipment
In Yuma County, the National Guard’s assistance contributed to the drop in illegal alien apprehensions. From 2006 to the end of 2007, apprehensions dropped from 119,000 to 38,000, or roughly 68 percent.
Troop Reductions
Mandated as a temporary program, the National Guard began to reduce troop deployment to the border as CBP enlisted more agents. In August 2007, the troop levels were cut in half to 3,000. At the end of 2007, CBP employed 15,000 agents and is planning to have more than 18,300 by the end of 2008. As CBP works towards this goal, National Guard troops will continue to assist border operations through the summer of 2008.
The Secure Fence Act
As of November 2007, DHS reported that roughly 265 miles of pedestrian and vehicle fencing (150 pedestrian and 115 vehicle) have been built along the Southwest border (Source). By the end of 2008, DHS aims to construct an additional 370 miles of pedestrian fencing and 300 miles of vehicle fencing.
The initial legislation for the Secure Fence Act required that all of the fencing be built as two tiered fences. The success rate of a two-tiered border fence was highlighted after one was built along the border between San Diego and Tijuana. After the fence’s completion, illegal alien apprehensions dropped 95 percent from 1992 to 2004 (Source).
However, in a spending bill amendment, requirements were changed to allow DHS to enforce border security with more flexibility by instead using pedestrian fencing and high tech virtual fencing.
• Project 28: Along a 28-mile stretch along the Arizona border with Mexico, DHS initiated a project using nine 98-foot radar towers, cameras, and communications equipment. To complement the radar towers, a contractor delivered a high-tech surveillance system that connects the towers to a wireless satellite network, named the Secure Border Initiative Network (SBInet). The program was initially pushed back as the real time imagery technology was reported to have several bugs (Previous Report). Border agents began testing the new system on December 7, 2007 and are close to finalizing the first phase of 24/7 operational testing.
While pedestrian fencing and virtual fencing may be more optimal for certain areas, it remains unclear how long term success will impact the flow of illegal aliens into the country.
Despite Initiatives, Long Term Challenges Endure
In the last several months, assaults on border agents have risen. This increase in attacks is likely related to the increased security presence at remote border checkpoints where drug smuggling operations once operated unimpeded. Additionally, spiraling drug violence in Mexico will continue to threaten border security efforts as more than 105 people have already been killed since the beginning of 2008. Tourist numbers are dropping in areas such as the Baja peninsula as drug violence has spilled into the region. Cartels are now reportedly using rigged vehicles with flashing lights to mimic police sirens to rob tourists crossing the border.
We expect increased attacks on border agents and tourists to continue in the long term.
Recent discoveries of sophisticated underground tunnel systems in southern California and Arizona suggest drug cartels and terrorist smuggling groups will continue to rethink their current tactical strategies to adapt to the new levels of security. This was evident as authorities uncovered a plot that potentially involved a Mexican drug cartel smuggling foreign extremists into the US to attack Fort Huachuca in Arizona (Previous Report).
The significant drop in illegal alien apprehensions in 2007 suggests the programs are boosting border security. However, maintaining this trend will be difficult. As human trafficking operations will likely push forward, long-term success will rely on the effectiveness of SBInet and a steady and sufficient number of Border Patrol agents manning the border.
