Human Smuggling and Border Security - Research Paper Example

 Human Smuggling and Border Security Global smuggling among nations is an issue which has existed ever since countries were separated by borders, and has a long history and numerous unprecedented consequences, which may range from having some effects on global economy, to the perpetuation of crime and devaluation of human rights.1 Slaves, illegal aliens, illegal goods and other contraband items are usually forced to enter through national borders by any means necessary in order to extort money from unsuspecting citizens or to gain additional profits which would not be possible when dealing with legal transactions.2 Still, the need to survive among all participants in the smuggling process, as well as the duty of those that protect the nation’s borders from illegal entry of people, crime, and prohibited goods have been a struggle of balance that if not taken care of could greatly affect the nation’s function, as well as the safety of its people and the progress of its economy. Most of the countries that actively deal with the issue on smuggling are developed nations, especially since these countries have various resources that could be compromised or needed to be protected, as well as being lucrative places to sell items or goods at higher prices, compared to less-developed nations. The most well-known example of a country that is struggling and working hard in keeping out prohibited items or undocumented immigrants is the United States, where it is constantly being vigilant in the attempted entry of anything illegally from Central or South America such as drugs, weapons, and even people, which is ironic considering that there is a more open exchanges of goods and services, but through heavily-guarded state borders3. This is a very important battle for the US because not only are the businesses and the economy directly affected by the influx of untaxed goods, but also human lives are at stake, especially among illegally smuggled people4. Since ancient times, along with the evolution of civilizations came ingenious ways to gain larger margins of profit among unscrupulous entrepreneurs, and smuggling became one of the most well-known methods of doing so, which is why it still remains rampant even today, especially in large nations like the US. However, the effects of human smuggling has wider effects than just the passage of goods, basically since most people illegally-living in the US would also count as parts of the labor force, making them pseudo-citizens that could repopulate sparsely-populated areas, and in their process of doing so possible violations of human rights could happen while performing various tasks and jobs5. It is thus important that a holistic understanding of the causes, effects, as well as possible solutions to the problem of human smuggling be defined not just to delineate who among the individuals in the nation illegally inhabit the state, but also to understand their reasons of putting up with numerous risks and breaching border security at the cost of their health and their lives, as well as seeing the consequences of them becoming victims of human trafficking. HUMAN SMUGGLING DEFINITION Human smuggling or human trafficking is a term with broad definitions, all of which contain the essence of taking or moving multitudes of people from one place to another through illegal means. An individual or groups of individuals may choose to migrate legally or illegally for economic, political, or both reasons, especially when the receiving country is able to provide better employment opportunities than the home nation6. Due to the rapid globalization in the world, migration is able to occur at a much more rapid rate, with human smuggling or trafficking as illegally one of the strongest forces behind this phenomenon7. The United Nations define trafficking as recruiting, transporting, harboring or receiving persons under threatening or forceful causes, and is achieved in whatever means possible in order to exploit vulnerable persons and gain control over them while receiving profits or benefits in any kind8. The US Customs and Border Protection further adds some other characteristics into the definition as illegal acts which involve slavery or involuntary servitude, paying back loans under unclear periods of time through work instead of money, and performing sexual acts for money, all of which are under the pretenses that coercion, compulsion, constraints, and restraints are done towards the sufferers of the acts9. The people who succumbed to resorting to being smuggled illegally into the US may be fueled by desires to live a good life across borders, or may have been convinced under false pretenses of better living and wages, but most are instead trapped into even more suffering as well as additional human rights violations, such as being free from captors and having chances to choose their own vocation, among others10. However, because of the diminishing living conditions in their home countries, as well as being aware of the act being prohibited and highly dangerous, these same people still resort to leave the country and resort to border crossing or having themselves smuggled, even if they were returned or deported to their home countries repeatedly. STATISTICS AND REASONS FOR ILLEGAL MIGRATIONS Around the world, as many as 12.3 million individuals are enslaved in any moment, more than half are females, and at least 1.39 million are sold into the sex industry, and the numbers could very well be higher than the recorded estimates by the International Labor Organization, ILO11,12. In the US-Mexico border alone, as many as half a million individuals are being pushed forcibly across the borders, with deportation cases of around 100,000 to 150,000 individuals in a half-year period alone13. According to the US Government, the numbers could be as high as 600,000 to 800,000 individuals, with around 80% being women and girls14. This makes Mexican migrants as one of the largest transnational communities in the US, with approximated 100 million citizens living outside Mexico and consists 10% of the home nation’s total population15. One of the most compelling reasons for the large numbers of migrants is that families collectively migrate in large groups, included the extended members and the young children. Other reasons such as intra-state wars, climate changes and natural disasters could also compel people to take on mass migrations to places with better living conditions16. Problems such as the dwindling availability of resources and the exponential increase in the populations could pose threats, forcing some people to undertake uncontrolled migration by crossing international borders and waters, which add up to the economic reasons for such risky moves, and compel the receiving countries to fortify their defenses and increase deployment on boundaries17. PREVENTION METHODS BY BORDER PATROL The US Customs and Border Patrol has roughly 42,000 frontline officers that protect 7,000 miles of land border, and 327 ports of entry, deterring and disrupting any forms of smuggling, including humans18. The agency also conducts actions such as identifying potential victims of human smuggling about to enter the US border, directing them to potential agencies that provide legal protection and assistance, increasing awareness among the public and the international communities surrounding the border through various announcements and other forms of public services, asking for the public to help in reporting possible human smuggling cases undetected as well as identifying imports that are suspected of being produced by forced labor and preventing the entry of the items into the country, creating partnerships with other agencies such as governmental or non-profit organizations in identifying, supporting, and educating victims and legal counsels, and partnering with law enforcement agencies to prevent any forms of trafficking of people and goods inside the country19. While the agency is quite successful in its efforts to prevent illegal entry as well as deportation of illegal immigrants into the state, it is rather difficult to fully eradicate the problem of smuggling, since not only individuals are involved, but also larger underground organizations or rings that operate internationally and in various areas20. While the need to use expensive methods of surveillance and security measures was able to greatly reduce illegal border crossings down to about 35%, it is still not enough because aside from the wide expanse of land that needs to be covered and the number of personnel to be paid for their services, the maintenance or procurement of equipment could easily drain the state’s deficit21. What is even more disturbing is that some agents even use the border to extort services from smuggling rings that move much like the mafia, and the large profit that could be generated by luring unsuspecting people perpetuates the increase in human smuggling and maltreatment among victims22. Also, with the rise of terrorist attacks such as the September 11 create mixed ideas among legislators with regards to the management of all border security measures, which in turn delays the implementation of such laws or acts and prevents the increase in security within the border lines23. The lack of proper coordination between policies and laws with regards to border patrol and coastal security triggers further problems with the creation of laws that either unclearly mention how to manage deportations properly or ultimately violate the human rights of victims. HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES Human smuggling as an issue is very complicated, mainly because it involves security of various components of the state, such as economic and political security. Also, the increase in the operations of organized crime and the widening of their networks also greatly affect the efforts of the state in the prevention of illegal smuggling of humans and contrabands, since the operations of mafia rings are some of the strong driving forces for the continuing of such illegal activities24. The high profits for the smugglers and the promise of a lucrative life across the border to the participants of smuggling keep the underground industry alive, even when issues such as human rights violations among victims are already seen as possibilities, leading them to live dangerously during and after the smuggling took place25. Also, because the migrants illegally entered the state, they are considered as criminals themselves, and are mostly denied any proper services or assistance which is normally given to naturalized citizens, furthering the already-present violations caused by the traffickers unto them. Also, because of the experience of many hardships in the receiving country, the migrants could end up living lives of crime, thus adding up to the already increasing crime rates around the Border States and further north. These people might even help in the perpetuation of harboring illegal aliens, thus increasing the span of the smuggling network26. While the US is able to provide support and transportation during deportations of victims of human smuggling, more often than not these people are treated very differently once they become deported to either their home countries or somewhere else. Some countries in the Central and South American Regions do not provide assistance once the citizens are sent back, and because illegal entry into another country is considered a crime, they are treated as criminals instead of victims, further violating the rights of these people to live and be treated properly27. Also, the jails which hold them have inadequate facilities, and numerous people are held in at the same time, blocking the proper access to air and even light. In spite of the efforts to create programs that prevent the re-entry of illegal migrants and the operations of smuggling rings, the increased border security and tighter visa regulations caused even more people to turn to the underground business of human trafficking, since the people found it even more difficult in following proper protocols for entering the state28. It is thus important that not only border patrol policies be improved, but also the creation of immigration policies by the US or the reformation of existent ones that would not only help in alleviating the problems of human smuggling victims, but also provide ample and sustainable forms of assistance29. This kind of reform can only happen if most law and policy makers are fully aware of the driving force behind mass migrations, as well as understanding the relevance of the cultural backgrounds of migrants and their reasons for risking life and limb to cross over the borders. CONCLUSIONS The perpetuation of human trafficking has been spawned by numerous factors, and driven economically and politically within citizens of a country. Despite the efforts of develop countries to strengthen their border security, human smuggling is still present due to the lucrative opportunities for smugglers as well as the false image of prosperity for possible victims. The difficulty of fully eradicating trafficking in general could imply that there are loopholes within the system, which could have resulted from the lack of understanding by the policy and lawmakers on the driving force behind mass migrations. Thus, it could provide much more positive results if better policies were created with regards to immigration and not just focusing fully on border security. It is thus important that a full understanding of the causes and effects of human migrations as well as possible solutions to the problem of human smuggling be fully described not just to discriminate which members of the population are illegally living in the state, but also to understand why such individuals are able to bear numerous risks, even breaching border patrol measures and repeatedly returning to try their luck in entering countries that for them seem to hold better visions of the future, compared to just staying in their own home. References Read More