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AustinSmith
Mrs.Rohlfs
English10
5December2013
ResearchPaper
Americancitizensdeservetohavebetterbordersecurity.ThebordersofAmericaarenot
secureand...recentestimatesputthenumberofillegalaliensheretodayat11million
(Ridenour).Thereareawiderangeofproblemscausedbytheweakbordersecurity,includingan
extremelyhighnumberofpeoplelivinginthecountryillegally.TheUnitedStatesneedsto
strengthenitsborderpatrolsecurityinordertoprotectAmericanscommoninterests.The
bordersbeingvulnerablecausesproblemssuchasincreasedcrimerates,alossofjobsfor
AmericanCitizens,thespreadofdiseaseandmakeshumantraffickingpossiblethebestwayto
deterthesethreatsistoincreasebordersecurity.
Thereismuchcontroversysurroundingtheissueofbordercontrol,andhowillegal
immigrationshouldbehandled.Thegovernmentrefusestotakemajorstepstowardsafeborders,
butevensomeofficialsagreewiththeAmericanpublicandwantthemtotakeaction.
Butthe
currentborderstategovernorsthreeoffourareRepublicanssaythefederalgovernmentmust
domore(Vock).AndtheAmericancitizensstronglyagreethatmoreshouldbedonetokeep
ourborderssafe.
"Americanswantourborderssecurednowmorethanever(Gheenqtdin
Hylton).Inourdemocraticsocietythegovernmentshouldlistentoitspeopleandwhatthey
want.Itiseasytocrosstheborder,withtheborderbetweentheUnitedStatesandmexicobeing
nearly2,000mileslongandandtheborderwithCanadabeingover5,000mileslong(Borderin).

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Withsomuchlandbeingsharedbetweenourcountryandourneighbors,thereisanenormous
amountofopenlandwithnoprotectionbetweenthenations.Somearguethatthiscountrywas
builtbyimmigrants,withmillionsofpeoplearrivingfromothercountriesinpastcenturies,but
theseimmigrantswereapprovedtocometothecountry,andenteredlegally.Thebordertoday
allowsforimmigrantstoenterillegally,andcausesmanyproblemsinournation.
StrengtheningbordersecuritywoulddecreasethecrimerateinAmerica.Illegal
immigrantshaveaveryhighimprisonmentratecomparedtoAmericanborncitizens...12.4
percentofCaliforniaprisonerswereillegalimmigrants,ascomparedwithanestimated6.9
percentofthestatepopulation(BorderStates).Illegalimmigrantsonlymakeup6.9percentof
Californiaspopulationyettheprisonpopulationhasadisproportionatelyhighconcentrationof
illegalaliensincarcerated.At12.4percent,theamountofunregisteredcitizensisalmosttwiceas
highinprisonsasitisanywhereelseinthestate.Onaverage,illegalaliensgetarrestedfarmore
frequentlythanlegalresidents.TheGAOreportfoundthatoftheundocumentedresidents
surveyed,almostallofthemhadmorethanonearrest.Theyaveragedabouteightarrestsper
person(BorderStates).Theaverageillegalimmigrantisbeingarrestedeighttimes,andour
crimerateissoaringasaresult.ThiscausesproblemsforAmericanseverywhere,andnooneis
unaffectedbythisproblem.Theannualaveragetaxpayercostinthesestateswas$31,286per
inmate(Santora).Thecostoftheseinmateslivinginprisonisveryhigh,anditcostsall
Americantaxpayersmoneythatcouldbespentelsewhere.Withalloftheseillegalimmigrants
gettingarrestedandsentencedtoprison,theyarecostingtheAmericanpublicmillionsofdollars
intaxmoney.Ifthebordersweresecured,thecrimeratewoulddecreaseandAmericanswould
paylesstaxes.

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Also,jobsforAmericancitizensarebeinglosttoillegalimmigrants,andincreased
bordersecuritywouldkeepAmericansemployed.Stepsarebeingtakentoprotectjobsfor
Americans,suchasanewbillthatwouldincreasebordersecurity
Italsowouldplacenew
burdensonemployers,whowouldberequiredtocheckthelegalstatusofalljobapplicantsusing
thegovernment'sEVerifysystem(Vock).Ifthisbillwaspassed,employerscouldnothire
anyonethatwasnotverifiedasalegalcitizen.Thoughillegalimmigrantsarenotusuallytaking
jobsthatareparticularlyhighpaying,theyarepayingbetterthanbeingunemployed,asNearly
90millionpeople[Americanborncitizens]arenowconsideredoutofthelaborforce(Mui)
Mostillegalimmigrantsliveinpoverty,but17%ofthemhavepurchasedahouseinthestates
(Wood).TherearemanylegalcitizensintheUnitedstatesthatdonotownahome,andcannot
affordone,andtheseillegalimmigrantsarecominginandtakingthejobsthatcouldpayforan
Americantopurchaseahome.IftheborderswereimprovedthenmoreAmericanscouldbeput
towork,andtheeconomywouldprosperasaresult.
Anotherreasonthebordersneedtobestrengthenedissothattheycanbeshutdownto
preventthespreadofdisease.Inthecaseoftheswineflu,manyAmericanswantedtheborders
tobeclosed,andthegovernmentcouldnotdoanythingaboutit.
"Thislatestinaseriesofhealth
threatsemanatingfromMexicospeaksloudlyforbordersecurity,andthegovernment'sfailureto
respondaccordinglyshouldbeawakeupcallforallAmericans"(GheenqtdinHylton).The
Americangovernmentdidnotrespondtotheswineflu,andcouldnothaveclosedtheMexican
borderiftheywantedto,asitisnotsecureenough.DeathsintheUnitedStatesweredirectly
linkedtobordercrossingsandisthereasonthebordersshouldbeclosedforapandemic.The
firstdeathintheU.S.causedbyswinefluwasa22montholdboythatwasvisitingMexico,then

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camebacktoTexasanddiedinsidetheUnitedStates(Hylton).Thebordersstayingopencaused
theswineflutospreadtoamultitudeofcountriesinashorttime,Forexample,twoconfirmed
casesintheUnitedKingdom,Israelhastwo,Spainhastwo.AllofthisastheWorldHealth
Organizationurgescountriesaroundtheworldtoactivatetheirpandemicemergencyresponse
plans(Costello).Iftheswinefluhadnotbeencontrolled,theopenborderswouldhaveallowed
thediseasetospreadallovertheworld,andcausedmassiveamountsofdeath.Thenexttimea
seriousdiseaseliketheswinefluoccurs,thebordersmustbebettertopreventdeathasmuchas
possibleintheUnitedStates.
Lastly,bordersecuritymustbeimprovedtoendhumantraffickingintheUnitedStates.
Slaveryhasbeenoutlawedforalmost150yearsinourcountry,yetitisstillgoingontodayinthe
formofhumantrafficking.
Theyaretrappedinlivesofmiseryoftenbeaten,starved,and
forcedtoworkasprostitutesortotakegruelingjobsasmigrant,domestic,restaurant,orfactory
workerswithlittleornopay(HumanTraffickingFBI).Humantraffickingisahorriblecrime
andmustbestopped.Nobodyshouldhavetoliveasaslaveanddothesehorriblethingsagainst
theirwill.ThereaverylargenumberofvictimsinhumantraffickingWith100,000children
estimatedtobeinthesextradeintheUnitedStateseachyear(HumanTrafficking).Manyof
thesevictimsarebroughtinillegallyfromothercountriessuchasMexico.Victimspaytobe
illegallytransportedintotheUnitedStatesonlytofindthemselvesinthethralloftraffickers
(HumanTraffickingHuman).Thesepeopleliveinforeigncountriesandthinktheyrebeing
broughttotheUnitedStatestoliveabetterlife,butreallytheyarebeingsoldintolaborandsex
slavery.Iftheborderswerestronger,peoplecouldnotbebroughtintotheUnitedStatestobe
trafficked.

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Contrarytowhatmanybelieve,theborderisnotsecureasitcurrentlystands.
Many
peoplebelievethatincreasedprotectionalongtheborderwouldnothaveaneffectonwhatdoes
anddoesntenterthecountry,butthatissimplynottrue.
Therearemanyflawsinthesecurityof
theborderthatcouldbeimprovedupontolimitillegalimmigration.
"Nomatterwhatthe
administrationsays,thesouthwestborderwithMexicoisnotsecure"(HavensqtdinVock).The
governmentdoesnotliketoadmitit,butthesouthernborderwithMexicoisverysusceptibleto
illegalimmigration,smuggling,andtrafficking.Thereishopehowever,asbordersecuritycanbe
improved.
Theeffortstostopillegalalienstoenterthecountryhavehelped,withlastyears
numberofimmigrantsbeingthelowestsince1971(Vock).Inrecentyearstheborderhasbeen
strengthened,andtheresultsareclear,lesspeopleareenteringthecountry,butmore
improvementsareneededtolowerillegalimmigrationfurther.
Increasedcrimerates,lossofjobsforAmericancitizens,thespreadofdiseaseandhuman
traffickingareallproblemsthatourbordersaresusceptibletoandcanbepreventedwith
increasedbordersecurity.Thereareadisproportionatelyhighnumberofillegalimmigrantsthat
areservingsentencesinprisoncomparedtothepercentageofthepopulationcomposedof
unregisteredcitizens.Alsowiththeextremelyhighnumberof90millionunemployedAmericans
(Mui),andwith11millionunregisteredimmigrantslivinginthecountry(Ridenour),andtaking
upjobs,wedonthaveenoughjobstosupportallofthesepeoplecominginillegally.Theseare
jobsthatcouldbeemployinglegalAmericancitizens,butinsteadtheillegalimmigrantsare
takingthem.Theborderalsoneedstobestrengthenedsothatifthespreadofdiseasebecomesa
majorthreat,theborderscanbeclosedtostopthetransmissionofthedisease.Asthebordersare
today,thereisnowaythattheycouldbeclosedonamomentsnoticeiftheyneededtobefora

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pandemic.Lastly,thebordersneedtobeprotectedtostoptheheinouscrimeofhuman
trafficking,amoderndayformofslavery.Ifthebordersareleftvulnerable,thenthecrimerate
willsoarhigherthanitistoday,costingAmericansmillionsintaxestohousetheinmates,
millionswillbeleftwithoutjobssothatillegalimmigrantscanbeemployedinstead,diseases
willbeeasilyspreadtotheUnitedStates,andthousandsofpeoplewillentertheUnitedStatesto
besoldintoslavery.Itisnecessarythatthebordersbesecuredtoprotecttheintegrityofthis
nation.

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