Homeland Border Security - Essay Example

Forest (2006), states that “Thus, some look at this problem and think: illegal immigration is a threat to national security” (132). To be specific, illegal immigration is an important threat posed to homeland security in the United States.

The problem of illegal border crossing and human smuggling are interconnected because illegal immigrants seek the help of human smugglers to enter the U. Zhang (2007), makes clear that “In recent years human smugglers have focused their efforts on recruiting willing US citizens to provide transportation services in the border area” (60). Besides, illegal border crossings mainly occur through the Mexican and Canadian borders. Most of the states in the US face the problem of illegal immigration but the problem is severe in California, New York and Illinois. The restrictions on immigration imposed by the federal government resulted in large-scale illegal border crossings and human smuggling. The Southern border of the US is used by the Mexicans for border crossing. The same route is used for human smuggling from different parts of the world. To be specific, illegal border crossings and human smuggling are controlled by powerful gangs which consider the same as a profitable business.

The flow of illegal immigrants into the United States is interconnected with the phenomena of transnational population relocation. Weissinger (2005), states that “In fact, the problems surrounding the illegal alien in the US require a global view and suggest more diverse strategies than the history of immigration Law enforcement seem to offer” (169). Earlier, the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States was so high because the Southern border of the US was made used by the illegal immigrants. After the 9/11 incident, the magnitude of the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States became low. LeMay (2007), states that “Public opinion, especially since 9/11, opposes legalization and fears unauthorized immigration as an international terrorist threat to the United States” (34). Now, illegal immigrants are making use of the Mexican routes for their illegal entry to the US. So, the flow of illegal immigrants into the United States is still an unresolved problem.

Earlier, people from Mexico and Canada made use of the Southern border of the U.S. for border crossing and illegal immigration. The main countries where these immigrants originate include Mexico, Canada (North America) China, Korea, Philippines (Asia) and Nigeria (Africa).

The Alien Enemies Act (1798), Page Act of 1875 (1875), Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), Immigration Reform and Control Act (1986), Immigration Act (1990) and Real ID Act (2005) are some of the efforts ( say, law enforcement resources committed to the problem)  from the US government to tackle the problem of illegal immigration.

The different agencies and the military in the US play a crucial role in addressing the problem of illegal immigration. For instance, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Government Accountability Office (GAO), US Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Border Patrol are most helpful to prevent illegal immigration to the United States. Graham (1993), makes clear that “The Coast Guard also responds along the Pacific Coast to intercept illegal immigrants from Asia- mostly from the People’s Republic of China” (102). In short, illegal immigration must be considered the most important threat posed to homeland security in the US. On the other side, strict implementation of laws related to illegal immigration can solve the problem of illegal immigration.