Adrenaline pumping, senses intensified, and guns drawn as United States Border Patrol Agents raid a number of warehouses south of San Diego. Seventeen tons of marijuana and over four hundred yards of four foot by three-foot tunnels twenty feet underground were discovered. With dangers ranging from illegal narcotics to terrorists penetrating the border, the demand for defense along the border has increased dramatically. An average fifty billion dollars worth of illegal drugs enter the United States, making up to sixty-three percent of Mexico’s economy. Due to this, the strategies used by cartels are becoming more desperate. Mexican citizens are being forced to enter the United States illegally, some body packing narcotics. This adds up to around eleven million immigrants in this country illegally. The large amount of illegal immigrants and drug trafficking in the southern-most part of the United States has created a clear and present danger in this country. Whether it is a family member, friend, or a television star, everybody knows the effects drugs can have on an individual. The United States and Mexican Border is the origin of these problems that are destroying millions of Americans. Explore the issues of drug trafficking, illegal immigration, along with the history and future plans of the United States and Mexican Border.
Drug Trafficking The job of a Border Patrol officer is a rigorous and dangerous profession to be in. Before becoming a Border Patrol Agent, one must meet certain requirements and attend the academy. Proof of citizenship, Bachelors degree, intensive background check, valid license, proficiency with a firearm, and registration in the selective service is all required in order to become a border officer. A growing issue with the Border School is that individuals have been caught attempting to penetrate the ranks of the Border Patrol. If that individual is successful, it can cause a catastrophic event by allowing mass shipments of drugs or even explosives into the United States. Intensive measures have been taken to prevent this from occurring such as random shift and post changes, which prevents an individual from planning the routes to be taking in the process of moving the shipment. The academy consists of a number of intense classes that must be completed such as: Border Patrol Operations Courses, drivers training, firearms training, physical training assessment, and advanced Spanish courses. Even with all the training one must go through, it is nothing compared to the in-field experience. “We treat every approach to a group of immigrants as if they are armed and dangerous”. A normal day in the Borer Patrol can consist of anything from apprehending a couple of illegal immigrants to a group of 40 immigrants, or a small drug bust to a multi-million dollar drug search and seizures. Drug trafficking is one of the biggest problems that officers have to deal with. Traffickers have many different modes of transportation to smuggle drugs across the border. The most common ways to transport the drugs are in cars, semi-trucks, airdrop, and taping to the human body (see figure A-1). When smuggling in cars, there are many different compartments that are used such as: bumpers, engine blocks, seats, underneath floorboards, and in modified gasoline tanks. Airdrops consist of a motor propelled hang glider and precise timing. When the individual is above the drop zone, a rope is cut and the shipment is dropped across the border. Advanced smugglers use tunnels and warehouses to ship and store their narcotics. In one search and seizure of a warehouse in San Diego, seventeen tons of marijuana was found in tunnels measuring four hundred yards in length. It is believed that professional contractors were hired to construct a tunnel of this magnitude. The drugs being shipped to the United States are very dangerous and threatening the well being of the citizens around the country. Marijuana is