Infrastructure, Safety, And Border Control - Term Paper Example

Infrastructure, Safety, And Border Control One of the most politicizing issues in American politics today is that of protecting American borders. Aside from border patrol issues and immigration debates, the changing approach of airport security has been both scolded and applauded. This issue is important to Americans because it affects citizens every day as they enter airports and board flights, all under the observation of the Transportation Security Administration. TSA has changed in recent years, modifying its mission to include searching passengers at random, prohibiting certain items, and beefing up security in general with an overall goal of providing more comprehensive security for passengers. American opinion on this aspect of border protection is varied, but reinforces the importance of TSA’s mission. In a 2010 CBS poll, a plurality of 32% of Americans graded the US with a “C” in its ability to protect against terrorist attacks. The same poll found that 55% of Americans thought that more comprehensive screening procedures in airports would be “Somewhat Effective” in stopping future terrorist attacks on airplanes. Furthermore, 74% supported the use of full body scan machines in airports (PollingReport.com). These polls show that Americans are concerned with how the government handles security in airports and are indeed supportive, in general, of increasing that security in order to reduce the overall threat of terror attacks to American travelers. The overall issue is that airports serve as one form of US borders, and Americans are aware of the threats posed from outside US borders by those traveling alongside US citizens. Americans see it as a basic function of their government to secure their borders in this arena through airport security. According to a RAND Corporation report, the relationship between airports and borders is extensive. This report notes that the US has more than 100 international airports, and they see a great volume of activity as over 88 million passengers pass through these points of entry each year. Airports have a number of stakeholders involved, including government agencies such as the TSA as mentioned, along with the Department of Homeland Security as well as the financing provided by state and local governments. Other stakeholders include the private companies that are responsible for ticketing, transportation, and those companies whose employees travel using airlines. In this sense, American interests in international airports are at the government level, in the private sector, as well as at the personal level for each individual who chooses to fly. Thus, security or a lack thereof in airports can affect citizens economically, as well as create personal conveniences or conflicts, and can affect citizens politically in their approval of political parties’ stance on airport security and how effective those in office are at handling it. (Riley) The importance of airport security to Americans also is a social issue, as it demands a political correctness and sensitivity to the rights of citizens and even non-citizens who pass through security checkpoints. There is often a delicate balance in providing staunch security while respecting travellers, and this is where the debate primarily rises. Government agencies produce long lines, are accused of profiling, and tend to invade what is usually considered personal space, yet also strive to avoid such results in order to satisfy travelers (Roston). As stated, these practices affect Americans daily as they travel, and help shape public opinion on the necessity and effectiveness of increased security. When these invasive measures become better-known for their inconvenience then for their utility, debates rises on what changes are needed and whether security is more important than privacy. Both security and privacy are valued by Americans on a personal level and as a political value, and thus a conflict is born. The specific approaches to security come in many forms. The U.S. Federal Air Marshall Service was instated in 2003, and places trained agents on random flights in order to protect citizens at little inconvenience to passengers. Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System was abandoned in 2004, a procedure that tracked suspicious practices such as buying one-way tickets in cash, and was replaced by a new system where airlines forward such information directly to TSA. Airports also screen check baggage, which is another background process that is not inconvenient but does invade privacy. The more up-front approach that Americans are familiar with is the screening of passengers and carry-on baggage as they enter the gate area. A newer system is the US Visitor and Immigration Status Immigration Technology that uses photos, fingerprints, and other information about passengers crossing US borders to track departures and the use of visas. This system is now in place at all US international airports, and is important because it would prevent entries of flagged travellers such as all 19 of the 9/11 terrorists who violated visa and departure requirements (Riley). The future of US border control rests heavily on both the effectiveness and convenience of airport security measures. Because of the controversy surrounding many of these measures, it is questionable what practices will survive into the next year and the next decade. However, because of the extensive network of airlines traveling worldwide, airports are crucial entry and exit points to US borders and are perhaps the frontline in the effort to secure borders. While airports may not be physical, geographic borders in the same way that the state lines that have Mexican or Canadian soil on their opposite sides, they are much more important due to the direct access to US borders that is provided to citizens of dozens of countries throughout the world, including countries that are more notorious for producing terrorist threats to American well-being. In addition, just as airport security continues to evolve, methods of subversion also continue to evolve in a way that geographic borders have not experienced. A possible insight into the future of American airport security can be seen in the approach of one of our best-known allies and a forerunner in anti-terror strategy—the Israeli government. Israel faces terror and security threats on many sides, and when discussing geographic borders alone can be seen as a valuable learning partner for improving security. However, the US has little need to place military checkpoints and patrols along our vast border mimicking the Israeli security emplacements on the Palestinian, Syrian, and Lebanese borders. Instead, it is Israel’s unique methods of monitoring and controlling airport security that are most valuable to the American government. Israel’s main entry point is Ben Gurion International Airport, which protects its entire perimeter in order to screen passengers arriving by flight as well as those who enter by car in order to depart from the airport. In this sense, the facility is covered from all sides, and has 150 officers on duty who are heavily trained and proficient in their methods. Israeli security operates quite differently in one aspect—the profiling of passengers. Israeli’s often express confusion about American political correctness in screening passengers, treating young Middle Eastern men with the same scrutiny as elderly white women. At Ben Gurion, a single agency runs security operations, preventing the inter-agency conflict seen at American airports, and profile passengers more astutely. There are very few uniformed guards inside the airport. Instead, Israeli security officers will wear civilian clothes and carry concealed weapons, which would make any potential wrongdoer nervous of his peers. In the US, this would likely be frowned upon, but it indeed is an effective measure. Technology is also put to extensive use as it is employed to monitor the entire airport for explosives and other suspicious materials. Security is overall emplaced in twelve layers, providing for an intensive process of entering the airport that is sometimes visible and sometimes unseen (Fried). This Israeli model is implemented on fewer airports, however, and not on hundreds of facilities as it would be done in the US. On the whole, it may be largely not feasible, and could be met with extreme resistance by civil rights supporters and political factions rather than being routinely accepted as it is by Israeli society. However, the more comprehensive use of technology as well as more invisible, convenient methods of security in Israeli airports points to the future of American airport security and border control. We will likely use the lessons learned by our ally to help secure out airports against some of the very same threats seen at Ben Gurion, and thus will see a borrowing of technology more than tactics in order to satisfy American standards and demands. Americans in general expect efficiency and prudence from their airport security officials, and thus find many ways in which to approve and disapprove of current practices. Security is indeed very important, as Americans will always notice the increased amount of security as they travel on airlines, and express their approval or disapproval whether it is rooted in their feeling safe or in their discomfort due to invasion of privacy. The future of airport security is one that presents stronger more efficient measures, less inconvenience, and more centralization in order to pander to public opinion while achieving results under the watchful eye of the American public. References CBS News Poll. (2010). Terrorism [Data Set]. Retrieved from . Fried, Brandon. (2008). A Look At Ben Gurion International Airport’s Security. Journal of Homeland Security. Retrieved from / Riley, K. Jack. (2005). Border Control. RAND Infrastructure, Safety, and Environment. Retrieved from Mhttp://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/2006/RAND_RP1216.pdf>. Roston, Eric. (2005, November 7). Putting a Finer Point on Airport Security. Time Magazine. Retried from . Read More