How technologies can be used to make the border system stronger - Dissertation Example

?The research project proposal Section Project specification The topic that I chose for research is based on the concept of border security. In the past, I have worked in the Homeland Security Centers of Excellence and it is through my experience at the department that directed me towards basing my research project on border security. Homeland Security dispatches a range of resources and funds to the federal, state and the local governments, allowing the amalgamation of a number of individually-operating agencies into a collected whole (DHS 2011). The agencies work in collaboration with each other for the achievement of shared objectives. These objectives aim to uphold the integrity and security of the country and subserve to provide the utmost protection to the US population. The Homeland Security Centers of Excellence operate under the Office of University Programs and aim to recruit and attract renowned researchers and enthusiasts for carrying out research programs. The research brings together professionals from various fields and uses their expertise to come up with solutions for homeland security. Each research centre is affiliated with a university and their research ventures are supported and collaborated upon by a number of agencies including think tanks, laboratories and private institutions. The research work carried out at the Security Centers is in line with the research requirements of the divisions of the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate. The collaboration helps to deliver top-of-the-line technology solutions for the problems facing the Department as well as the country on the whole (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2009). In particular, one of the Centers, National Center for Border Security and Immigration, is focused on the promotion and enhancement of border security. This was the Center that I was associated with. The Centre is led and supported by two universities: one being the research co-lead while the other is the education co-lead. The Center is committed to the development of technologies, tools and sophisticated procedures to regulate and monitor immigration and business across the borders. This involves the development of projects that promote border security and make it stronger and more effective. There are a number of aspects relating to borders security that the Center focuses on; these include risks and weaknesses, better surveillance and screening, analysis of immigration patterns and improvements in immigration law enforcement (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2009). The conditions that have developed after the 9/11 have exposed many gaps in the security and surveillance mechanisms. These gaps and vulnerabilities have become yet more acute in light of pressing security demands after the rise in terrorism over the previous years. Besides the post-9/11 conditions and terrorism there are other factors that have necessitated a revision of the immigration and border security systems. These include greater security reviews, insufficient collaboration with NGOs and the government, disputed policy tensions etc (Kerwin 2011). My research question is how important is border security today and what measures can be taken to improve it? The research project focuses in particular on the development and enforcement of better surveillance mechanisms and advanced technologies for regulating the influx of immigrants as well as goods such as false documents, illegal medicines, drugs and other illegal items. The project focuses on various aspects associated with development of such technologies, including their pros and cons. One of the key features that guarantees the success of a research project is the amount of information collected regarding it. Keeping this in mind, the research objectives can be defined as follows: Revisiting the importance of border security Identifying the need to develop better methods of surveillance and border security Reviewing the available literature and successful technologies used for border security Exploring to what extent have border security mechanisms been successful in the US Identifying the gaps in border security that need to be filled as well as emerging challenges Researching on why border security has failed in the past Drafting a possible border security mechanism for monitoring immigration and achieving border security goals Determining whether such mechanisms can be successfully implemented in the US and other countries Determining how improved border security mechanisms contribute to better protection and immigration control Analysing how executive action can be used to make border security better Using the findings to recommend better border security mechanisms to the government In order to carry out the project, a number of primary and secondary sources are to be reviewed. The project aims to look into how technologies can be used to make the border system stronger and to fill in the security gaps that have arisen in the recent years. The research will be done by perusing the information on border security in the US on the Internet as well as in the books. Magazines and newspapers will be referred to in order to know more about the latest happenings in this field. The research will also peruse books relating to border security and how it contributes to the functioning of the entire country. Different authors will be identified which support or refute the use of particular surveillance technologies depending on their effectiveness. This paper has been organized with the project specification in the beginning, followed by the rationale for developing the research project. The later part of the paper justifies the methodology to be used and the succeeding section will focus on the project plan. Section 2: Rationale Border security forms an imperative part of homeland security. For the Arizonians, there is nothing more important than the protection of the country’s border (Kyl 2011). Arizona’s Governor Jan Brewer observes that border security system at the Arizona-Mexico border is still broken, due to which a Border Patrol officer also lost his life in an encounter with criminal drug cartels (Vyan 2011). The Obama administration has allocated a hefty sum of $44 billion in the budget for 2012 fiscal year for the purchase of body scanners at airports etc (Huff 2011). The DHS has announced a $56.3 billion budget that allocates a significant part of the funds for the improvement in the border security equipment (Simons 2011). Recently President Obama signed a bill which said that an additional $600 million will be spent on improving security at the US-Mexico border. According to the bill, 1000 more patrol agents will be recruited and positioned at critical areas of the border. Also more Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will be hired to ensure that the laws are in place and followed. The money will also be used for the provision of advanced and sophisticated communications equipment. Moreover the dependency on unmanned surveillance drones will also increase. The Justice Department has also been allocated more funds and resources to stop the drug and human trafficking occurring at the border (Vyan 2011). Given all the steps that governments are taking to safeguard their borders, the justification behind such action comes into limelight. Why is it so that countries are giving priority and spending so much on border security? Marshal (n.d.) is of the perspective that with the rise in terrorism, border security has gained yet more importance in the past few years. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack in the US which saw the twin towers in New York being razed to ground, there has been a spike in security all over the globe (Bullock, Haddow, Coppola & Yeletaysi 2008). The attack changed the perception of the US and other international opinions regarding border control. In the past, US government had regarded border security mostly in the context of customs and immigration. However after 9/11, political figures started to regard borders as potential points of entry for terrorists and criminals. It was not only in the US that the border security concerns had spiked. Countries all over the world took steps to heighten their border control (Nelson et al. 2010). Border protection has emerged as a top priority for many countries in the world, particularly those who neighbour oppressive regimes or those who have better employment opportunities than their neighbours. The weak enforcement of border security makes it easier for smugglers to bring in drugs, weapons and other illegal things into the country. The smuggled goods also incite problems in the host country. Countries are giving border security importance for the purpose of policy. In the US, the number of Mexicans has increased to such a figure that it has become difficult for the country to provide for them. According to the Migration Information Source, Mexicans alone form about 30% of the foreign population in the country (MPI Staff 2006). Increasing border security is essential to rule out the threat of terrorists entering the country and to provide better regulation regarding the goods being transported into the country. Every country in the world considers national security as one of its top most priorities and expends large amounts of money on upholding it. It becomes the job of the government to make sure that national security of the country is intact and strong enough to prevent any assaults on its independence and integrity. DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano reports that the resources being expended to make the borders stronger are necessary to secure US. Moreover such funding is necessary to deal with the security lapses at the border. The new budget focuses on curtailing cartel activities at the border as well as better enforcement regimes for preventing incursion of criminal aliens into US territory (Simons 2011). Marshal (n.d.) observes that providing security at all borders is a far-fetched and “tall order” for the reason that it is not humanly possible to position security forces on the borders of the countries, which may not only extend for thousands of miles but the topography of the area may not also be suitable for humans to guard the borders round the clock. This provides reason for the use of border security equipments. Such equipments can be used to provide an effective means of monitoring movements at the border, facilitating the security personnel in carrying out their work. It is observed that putting into place a strong and effective border security system is of great use to the government and security agencies since it not only helps to reinforce the older ways of border security such as fences but also uses the latest technology to monitor any trespassers or suspicious activities on the border. The use of advanced border security systems protects the country from all sorts of illegalities that can enter through the border. One of the most common forms of illegalities that emerge out of poor border security is illegal migration; this fact has been documented by the US immigration news as well (Cooper 2009). Statistics report that in the US, thousands of people enter the country through illegal means, contributing to an increase in crime and other residential problems. Every year, the US border patrol insinuates about the cross-over of thousands of immigrants through illegal means. According to US policy, such an act constitutes as a crime and is punishable by law. The entry of thousands of people each year has an impact on the public expenditure too. The government has to cater to a larger population, which uses up more public funds. The US immigration department reports that the taxes paid by the immigrants are not adequate enough to cover the services that they use in the country. Another problem associated with an increase in immigrants in the country is that many, if not most, of them are not skilled and are poor. This makes it difficult for them to settle in the country and find employment, thus adding to the drain on the economy (Cooper 2009). Why is border security so necessary? It is reported that the absence of a strong border security system and inadequate resources being dedicated to it along with poor enforcement of immigration and border security laws have led to an approximate 500,000 people to cross the Arizonian border each other and enter the country. Many of these people are also able to reside in the country illegally after their visas have expired; another manifestation of poor immigration controls. The problem has the most impact on Arizona. This is because it is seen that more than 50% of all the immigrants that enter the US enter via the Tuscan Sector. The consequences of such a mass influx of illegal immigrants reverberate on all aspects of life. The large number of immigrants causes a drain on the public schools, healthcare system, the justice department, and even on the desert terrain (Kyl 2011). In a report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Office highlights the problem in its full form. According to the GAO, the Border Patrol does not have control of more than 56% of the southwestern border; this means that more than half of the border is not monitored by border patrol. The operations that are being carried out against the drug cartels are now infiltrating towards the border communities of Arizona. Also, the lack of regulation has led to an increase in the violence in the area. This has cordoned off many areas (Kyl 2011); an evidence of the need for effective border security systems. One sees that there are a number of countries all over the world who are taking initiatives to increase and tighten their border security. There are mixed reactions to such actions. Some people are of the perspective that increasing border security is not necessary since the money can be used on other important initiatives. As governments are increasing the budget allocated for border security, a number of important figures are raising criticisms against it because they see that there are other pressing matters that should be addressed. The opponents of perceive border security as an outcome of the government overreacting to the current situation. The debate continues that is increasing border security as important as activists assert it is. The running costs of deploying and managing security personnel at the border also gets higher with increased border security. Moreover another concern relating to border security questions the ethics of using information technology on the border and to what extent is it justified to stop people from crossing the border. The argument presented in favour of this is that some people cross the border, seeking refuge and asylum. The question arises that would it be justified to stop people in need and would border security be able to limit such a large migration. Section 3: Justified Methodology For a research project to be good, it is integral to develop a coherent and justified methodology. Methodology encompasses the notion of designing the research strategy, selecting appropriate methods and providing the justification for their selection (King & Horrocks 2009). In order to devise a methodology for research, one needs to build on from the proposed hypotheses, aims and objectives. Reardon (2006) observes that these are important elements that will form the basis for the selection of appropriate methodology. Starting from the research question, Reardon asserts that it can provide a resourceful means of deciding methodology. My research question includes the importance of border control and what technologies and methods can be used to enforce the existing border security systems. On analyzing the question, it can be ascertained that the information required for answering it is not merely restricted to developing technologies but also an analysis of the existing equipment which is being used at the borders is required. The research needs to focus on the effectiveness and economic feasibility of the continued use of these technologies. The research question also deals with the possible measures that can be used to further buttress border control. This not only encompasses the use of better technology but also takes into consideration other executive measures and manual ways of improving border control. The enforcement mechanisms need to be researched and their effectiveness in controlling the entry of drugs and other contraband items needs to be judged. The screening and scanning mechanisms for travellers and immigrants can be augmented with better technology and more skilled personnel to monitor their movements. The research question requires an in-depth and thorough review of the literature on the existing means of border protection, such as fences, their effectiveness and the new technology that can be used to cement the existing border control. The worth of the initiatives needs to be evaluated as well, with the research project highlighting the funding allocation decisions in the context of border security. Given the range of information that is required to answer the research question, the research methodology used will be a combination of several methods. Since each of the methods has disadvantages, the use of several methods will help to cover up the drawbacks (Babbie 2010). Considering a top down perspective, I need to decide whether the research will primarily be quantitative or qualitative. Principally speaking, either research strategy shares a common goal of understanding at the top level (Remenyi 2007). My research strategy is largely based on qualitative research. Taylor, Sinha and Goshal (2006) contend that if the research strategy is primarily qualitative then establishing validity becomes a more subjective process; thereby validity is assessed by ensuring that the methods are appropriately relevant to the research objectives. Both field research and desk research will be undertaken. Desk research will be carried out before field research. The methods for collecting information are discussed in the following paragraphs. Primary research Observational techniques of data collection entail the notion of collecting auditory and visual information regarding the experience of behaviour. Field research is a type of observational techniques and focuses on the collection of data through observation of people in their natural settings (Myers 2006). Field research is regarded as an integral means of knowing more about the opinions of people on the research topic. There are a number of ways of carrying out field research. These include sampling, surveys, questionnaires, focus groups etc. Also field research is grouped into different types on the nature of how observational data is being collected; for instance participant observation, unobtrusive observation etc. In participant observation, the researcher observes a group of people in their natural settings and also interacts with them. I will be using participant observation combined with focus groups for the collection of data. I decided against using other variants of observational techniques because they purely relied on the observation of people in their natural settings and did not involve questioning them. Moreover I thought focus groups are the most appropriate forms of data collection for my research. Focus groups are defined as methods used to collect data from a group of individuals through interaction with them regarding a topic selected by the researcher (Hoglund & Oberg 2011). Focus groups allow the researcher to gain an insight into the thoughts, opinions and perspectives of the people selected. I decided that interacting with people from the border communities can provide an insight into the need, effectiveness and worth of border control. The locals would be able to better articulate the problems of immigration and border control, express their personal opinions on whether tightening border control is necessary and what flaws does the existing border control systems have. The focus groups can be made by selecting people from different work settings in the border regions in Arizona. Their consent will be taken and I would also like to carry out a preliminary on-the-spot exchange of ideas to determine whether the individual has enough knowledge regarding the border control irrespective of their personal opinions. The individuals selected will be above the age of 18, irrespective of gender and educational status. Some of the challenges that I am likely to face in conducting a focus group discussion is ensuring that everyone in the group participates equally and a couple of people do not dominate the discussion. Also sometimes in the selection of participants, the researcher is likely to select people who are more loquacious or have related backgrounds or experiences (Zikmund & Babin 2006). To avoid this problem, I will also ask members of the Border Patrol to join me in my discussions. Moreover I will conduct three focus groups, each consisting of 8 people. When recruiting, I can ask at least ten people if they are interested; before the focus group activity, I can confirm the presence of any 8 people. The interactions will be held on separate days and people from different locations will be asked to join the group each day so that the opinions are representative of the entire border population. The consent of the participants will be sought before including them in the research group. The focus group sessions can be of an hour, and if the discussion is heated, the participants can be given more time to express their opinion. The types of questions that I need to ask the participants in the focus group relates to the research topic. The participants will be asked about their opinions on the increase in border control and the budgetary allocation of funds for it. Validation of the questions that are to be asked is done by ensuring that they are linked and specific to the research topic and involve both subjective opinions and objective facts (Futcher & Dodge 2007). Since it is a discussion, the questions can be both open- and closed-end. The questions can include the following: 1. Do you think border control is necessary? Explain in each case. 2. Are there any flaws in the existing border control systems? Where is the problem- inadequate resources or lack of enforcement? 3. How are lapses in border security affecting the border communities- daily lifestyles, living environment, schools, safety, employment? 4. What is the level of crime activity in the region? Has it increased in the recent years? Can it be attributed to increased illegal immigration and smuggling of contraband items and drugs? 5. How is the government dealing with illegal immigrants and influx of drugs, weapons etc illegally? 6. What technologies are you aware of which are being used on the border? Do you think they are effective? (Members of Border Patrol will be asked specifically) 7. Is it justified to keep increasing the funds for border security when they can be used in the health, justice and education sector? The preliminary step in the process of field research is to carry out problem formulation (Monette, Sullivan & DeJong 2007). The researcher will conduct a literature review and build upon the research concept before going out for field research. For this, I will first do desk-based research (discussed later). Then the appropriate field setting will be visited and the research carried out. I have chosen focus groups as a method for collecting information based on the fact that they subserve to provide me the most appropriate means of collecting information regarding the research. I could have used questionnaires but they would provide me only limited amounts of information. For each of the questions above, the respondents will have to choose between a yes or no without providing a rationale for the choice. Field research will provide me with the most recent information from people who have hands-on experience of what happens at the border. There are other variants of field research, such as one-on-one interviews, informal talks, and surveys but again, either I would not be able to know in detail about the opinions of the respondents or the interaction would not be heated enough to cover various aspects of the topic. In a group setting, there are people of various opinions, with the proponents challenging the opinions of the opponents, and thereby justifying their claims. Moreover a moderator can direct the course of discussion according to his/her will and keep it more focused on the research topic. In contrast, there are chances of digression from the research topic when respondents are asked to give comments in questionnaires and surveys. The group interaction will also allow the moderator to clarify research questions the participants find confusing. Thus I believe that field research can be best conducted through focus groups. Secondary Research Desk-based research relates to the notion of perusing the internal documents of an organization. This, according to Reardon (2006) is a significant means of getting information relating to the research question. The documents of the organization are able to give a thorough account of the activities of the organization as well as the matters that it deals with. Perusing the documents allows the researcher to think beyond the obvious and look into the reasoning behind the passage of policies and the actions that the organization took. In the context of border control, an organization that would prove to be resourceful in answering the research question would be the Department for Homeland Security. To be more specific, the National Center for Border Security and Immigration would provide more conclusive evidence regarding the border control policies, the budget allocated for border security, the flaws in border security, the steps being taken to heighten border security and the enforcement mechanisms. A review of the internal documents of the DHS will also enable me to draft a timeline for the steps taken by the Department to counter the threats and vulnerabilities of the existing border security. If the documents are studied accurately, they can provide a picture of how patterns in border control and immigration have changed over the past few years (Reardon 2006). Since desk-based research pertains to the collection of secondary data, the DHS is not the only source to be studied. Research material will also be collected from various sources from the Internet, publications of national and federal reports, non-governmental sources and professional newspapers and magazines (CIELO 2010). Conducting a literature review would also be of great benefit and will help to provide information regarding the emergence of the research topic (Thody 2006). Why have I chosen to carry out desk-research? I believe that I will find most of the information relating to my research topic through it. The advantage of using desk-based research methods, or carrying out secondary research, is that it helps to develop an understanding of the background behind the border control initiatives taken by the US government. It also renders the advantage of not being cost-intensive. This is because it gathers information that already exists. The researcher does not have to go out in the field to get information regarding the research topic. Another advantage of desk-based research is that it is not time-consuming, in contrast to fieldwork. The researcher can manage to scourge large amounts of data in a short period of time. This implies another advantage of such a research. Desk-based research is able to bring together large amounts of information from an extended time span in a relatively short period of time. However a drawback of using desk research is that some of the documents may be out of date and not all the material available at the Internet is credible (CIELO 2010). Nevertheless, I intend to counter these drawbacks by double-checking the information that I take from the Internet from other sources. Also, I will not use sources that are obsolete or have been published a long time back. This will help to retain the credibility of the research that I undertake. A possible ethical issue that can come up during the course of the project is the improper use of secondary sources in the research. For this, I plan to cite the sources that I use in the research paper. Moreover the consent of the participants is to be taken before they are included in the focus group. An ethical perspective that is not included in many consent forms is the publication and use of the research results and participants are at times unaware of how their response will be used (Munhall 2010). Therefore I have included in my consent form that how the research results are to be used. Thus considering these matters I believe I cover the ethical concerns that can be raised against my research project. Section 4: Project Plan The tasks that are to be done as part of the research are the following: 1. Carrying out secondary research keeping all the objectives in mind 2. Making a rough draft of the information collected through secondary research 3. Making a rough draft of the introduction, aims and hypotheses, and literature review for the research paper 4. Making a draft of the questions that need to be asked in focus groups 5. Finding out the aggregations of border communities along with the US-Mexico border; selecting at least five potential communities to interview (two of the communities are back-up options in case I do not get a good response from the preferred community) 6. Making transport and residential arrangements; plus other arrangements for staying there 7. Departure and travelling 8. Touring the area in which I am staying for a day or so; recruiting people for focus groups 9. Deciding a place for carrying out the interaction; making the required arrangements; collecting the materials required like recorder, refreshments etc; revising the format and content of the activity. 10. Carrying out the focus group discussion. 11. Organizing the information from the first discussion; making arrangements to go to another community 12. Repeat steps 7 to 10 for the second focus group discussion 13. Repeat steps 7 to 10 for the third focus group discussion 14. Going back home 15. Reorganizing the data collected 16. Writing the research paper 17. Finalizing the research paper GANTT chart of activities (see list of tasks on previous page) References Babbie, ER 2010, The Practice of Social Research, Cengage Learning, California. Bullock, JA, Haddow, G, Coppola, DP & Yeletaysi, S 2008, Introduction to homeland security: principles of all-hazards response, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. CIELO 2010, Desk Research, Marketing Research, viewed 4 June 2011, Cooper, J 2009, Is Border Security as Important as Activists say? eZine News Articles, viewed 3 June 2011, DHS 2011, Department Subcomponents and Agencies, Homeland Security, viewed 3 June 2011, Futcher, L & Dodge, R (eds) 2007, Fifth World Conference on Information Security Education: proceedings of the IFIP TC11 WG 11.8, WISE 5, 19 to 21 June 2007, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, USA, Springer, New York. Hoglund, K & Oberg, M (eds) 2011, Understanding Peace Research, Routledge, Oxon. Huff, EA 2011, Obama allocates $44 billion for Homeland Security to purchase hundreds more health-destroying naked body scanners, UAFF, viewed 3 June 2011, Kerwin, DM 2011, The Faltering US Refugee Protection System: Legal and Policy Responses to Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Others in Need of Protection, viewed 3 June 2011, King, N & Horrocks, C 2009, Interviews in Qualitative Research, SAGE Publications Ltd, London. Kyl, J 2011, Border Security, United States Senator for Arizona, viewed 3 June 2011, Marshal, A n.d., Why Border Security is Important, Idea Marketers, viewed 3 June 2011, Monette, DR, Sullivan, TJ & DeJong, CR 2007, Applied social research: a tool for the human services, Cengage Learning. MPI Staff 2006, The US-Mexico Border , Migration Information Source, viewed 4 June 2011, Munhall, PL 2010, Nursing Research: A Qualitative Perspective, Jones & Bartlett Learning, Massachusetts. Myers, DG 2006, Social Psychology, Tata McGraw-Hill Education, New Delhi. Nelson, RO, Conley, HA, Schaffer, TC, Bodurian, B, Kraut, J, Cipoletti? TJ, Dukkipati, U, Walker, RJ & Rajca, A 2010, Border Security in a Time of Transformation, CSIS, viewed 4 June 2011, Reardon, D 2006, Doing your undergraduate project, SAGE, London. Remenyi, D (ed.) 2007, Proceedings of the 6th European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies, Academic Conferences Limited, UK. Simons, M 2011, Obama beefs up border security in 2011 budget, San Francisco Chronicle, viewed 3 June 2011, Taylor, B, Sinha, G & Goshal, T 2006, Research Methodology: A Guide For Researchers In Management And Social Sciences, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. Thody, A 2006, Writing and presenting research, SAGE, London. U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2009, Homeland Security Centers of Excellence, Homeland Security, viewed 3 June 2011, Vyan 2011, Arizona Sues Gov over Border Security, while TeaPublicans Cut It, Kos Media, LLC, viewed 3 June 2011, Zikmund, WG & Babin, BJ 2006, Exploring marketing research, Cengage Learning, Ohio. Appendix Consent Form to Participate in Research Title of Research: Importance of Border Control and How to Improve It I, _____________, have been asked to participate in a research project conducted by [my name] from the [department affiliation] at the University of [name of my University]. I agree to participate in the focus group activity that has been explained to me by the researcher on my own free will. The activity will require that I discuss my opinions on the questions asked by the researcher. I give my consent to the researcher to use my opinions in the research project and I am aware of the purpose for which my opinions will be used. I understand that the opinions I express will be recorded in some form, such as audio- or videotaping. I also know that the researcher will ensure the confidentiality of the recorded information. I know that I can withdraw from the focus group activity whenever I want. In that case, I will inform the researcher if he/she can use my opinions for research purposes, if I have given any. I am also aware that the research will be disseminated and used for publication purposes. Please tick: I request to keep my identity anonymous. Signature _____________________________ Date: _________________ Focus group participant Read More