Report Example on Borders Explored: Unintended Consequences of U.S. Immigration Policies

Carla N. Argueta is a former immigration policy analyst with the Congressional Research Service. Carla got her Master of Public Policy at the Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California. She has previously worked as a Community organizer and program coordinator in the suburbs of Chicago with great bias toward migrant rights. She also served as a Government Innovation fellow in Illinois.

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Carla, in her paper ‘Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry,’ prepared for the Members and Committees of Congress dated April 19, 2016 looks at the importance and the downsides of improved border control on illegal migration. One importance is its impact on taming illegal immigration, but there is a downside because the new rules will separate immigrant children from their parents.

When giving the chronological developments on border movements into the United States, she says that much as the Country’s immigration and naturalization laws have at different points in the country’s history been disputable topics, illegal immigration has gained prominence since the first approval of boundaries on border crossings by the Congress at the beginning of the 20th century.

Argueta tries to review the status and patterns of United States Entry points. She expands on several pointers and data on the recent progressive expansion of border enforcement resources to the Department of Homeland Security. This move helps to reduce illegal migration across the United States Border points.

Carla argues that the improved implementation of immigration laws at the United States entry points might have also led to some other unintended expense points and some good benefits.

She asserts that when border entry flow regulations are well put into practice to allow only legal migrant entries, the legal applications at times lead to a reduction in violence and deaths along the borders and migrant deaths, also helping to advance the levels of border lives. But when the illegal order movements are not deterred, this upward injection of resources at the United States borders may lead to an increase in violence and more deaths, leading to a reduction in business along the borders and a generally poor relationship with the United States of America’s neighbors.

Much as it is a hard ask to measure both the positive and unintended effects of border control improvement, she doesn’t fully attribute the varying increase and decrease in illegal migrations to the improved border control services but also points out that the United States economic downturn might have also led to some decline in illegal migration.Border Patrol History and StrategyThe U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) was created through an act in 1924, just a few days into the passage of the migration limitations with specific attention to barring illegal Chinese immigrants plus fighting gun and alcohol trading.

The increased illegal migration from Mexico caused by social and economic differences led to Congress passing more legislation on unlawful migration and increasing funding to the Border Patrol Unit.

They established and put into action their first formal national border control strategy seventy years after it began operations with two subsequent updates in the year 2004 and another in 2012. To date, reviews are in the decision to ensure more efficiency in enforcement and compliance.

National Strategic PlanThis strategic plan was developed in response to a study ordered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy that brought concerns that migration and drug smuggling hugely infested the Southwest United States of America’s border. It led to the change of strategy from illegal immigrant arrests to the actual prevention of entry.

National Border Patrol StrategyAvoiding terrorist penetration became the new border control focus in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks though still maintaining the core duty of ensuring and border-proofing the United States from illegal immigrants.

Border Patrol Strategic PlanThe May 2012 Border Patrol Strategic Plan diverted focus from the initial seeking of patrol resources and usage to a targeted deployment of resources on the quick answer to alerts and focusing majorly on the highest threats.

This approach has greatly reflected several border entry control plans within the northern and southern borders that targeted areas such as more efficient interior enforcement, increased staffing, tactical infrastructure, surveillance technology, and improved detention and removal capacity.

CBP Consequence Delivery SystemA targeted campaign to encourage implementation of “high consequences” especially for illegal Mexican immigrants arrested at the border crossing and entry points has been pushed in recent years. Normally, those arrested have always been subjected to voluntary return to Mexico with no defined consequences.

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has 2005 reduced returning all illegal immigrants voluntarily for “high consequence” consequences such as:

• Formal Removal.
• Criminal Charges.
• Remote repatriation.

Unintended and Secondary Consequences of Border Enforcement

There have been several unintended effects of effective and superior border entry control regimes both on the border ecosystems, the illegal immigrants, birds, and the environment generally. These include an increase in border-area crime, violence, and at times Deaths of these immigrants. There have also been migration flows: “caging” effects and alternative modes of entryEnvironmental Impacts

The writer argues that most of the illegal migrants cut through delicate environments for shelter and fire hence increasing erosion and littering. Goo-border control systems hence help protect the environment.

Effects on Border Communities and Civil Rights Argueta talks of the general argument that illegal migrants cause some adverse costs at the local level districts moved into especially on public infrastructure while also undermining the implementation of the rule of law hence the need to implement tight border control laws to help reduce illegal migration patterns.

Effects on Regional RelationsThe Bi-national, multi-agency Integrated Border Enforcement Teams (IBETs) have increased the collective anti-border infiltration works between the United States, Mexico, and Canada though the migration implementation policies have at times caused friction with the United States’ neighbors with concerns especially from Mexico on the construction of border fence, the unintended border deaths, and how to ensure the solitary minors, small children, and all vulnerable groups are well protected.

Conclusion

Carla N. Argueta as an Immigration Policy analyst for the Congressional Research Service gives a great chronological improvement in resources and focus at the United States Border points and on the unintended outcomes of the enhanced implementation of immigration laws by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

She has greatly given both the positive and unintended effects of border control improvement in as much as it is a hard ask to unequivocally measure these side effects. Argueta talks of, with data evidence, the periodic increase and decrease in illegal immigration within the United States Border Points but also points out that there has been an increase in cases where unauthorized immigrants use more taxing methods to cross into the United States.

Carla proposes for the enlargement and better control at the United States Entry points to include areas such as sensing the presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction, drugs, narcotics and abused substances, human trafficking, and other illicit goods and barring their entry through the enforced border monition by the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).