Security assessment of the Northeastern US border from Maine to Michigan

Government

How Secure is the Northeastern U.S. Border of the United States from Maine to Michigan

The North East border of the United States is made up of mainly under patrolled borders and huge areas of waterways. The area covers the nation from Maine to Michigan and includes the majority of the Great Lakes. Due to the openness of the border it is very possible for drug trafficking, alien smuggling and other criminal activities to occur (Northeast Regional Support Team Quick Review, Date).

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Northern border of the United States has become very important to our national security. As we have planned programs that have afforded greater protection against unlawful entry, members of Congress and homeland security experts have called for increased attention to the Canadian border. The northern border, which is made up of many remote and forested areas, is vulnerable to unauthorized entry by terrorists and others, according to investigations done by the Government Accountability Office. The Customs and Border Protection agency's activities include supervision of official entry points and surveillance of open areas (Lipowicz, 2009).

What seems to be the common theme since September 11th is the tightening of all borders of the United States. In regards to the Northern border between the U.S. And Canada there have been some very strategic plans put into place. The first thing that was done was a tightening security with Canada in its northeast corner to the dismay of businesses and residents that are used to crossing the world's longest undefended border with little more than a wave of a hand or a flash of a driver's license. Most travelers from Canada must now show identification and submit to background checks at U.S. border posts in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine (U.S. tightens security on northern border, 2006).

The numbers that surround the U.S. -- Canada border speak volumes about the nature of the tactical relationship that exists between the two countries. There is 8895-kilometer-long mutual border with 133 ports of entry that over 200 million people and $2 billion worth of trade cross every year. In a study done by Ackleson, (2009), it has been shown that despite some modest progress in the 1990s and early 2000s, that reality has grown more complicated in the aftermath of 11 September 2001. The new guidelines are thought to be adding complexity and friction to the boundary and are strong enough that some have argued that the U.S. -- Canada border, rather than growing thinner through increased cooperation, better management, and freer flows of goods and people, it is instead thickening or growing ever more difficult to cross.

Since 2001 the United States has started a series of internal policy adjustments in order to secure themselves against terrorist threats, especially in regards to the U.S. - Canadian border. One of these adjustments came in December of 2001. It is known as the United States-Canada Smart Border Declaration. These agreements represent an important development in the U.S.'s relationship with each of its North American neighbors. It acknowledges not only the deep economic, social, and cultural ties, but also the new reality that the United States cannot attain the additional security it desires through unilateral actions alone. Although September 11 has forced a reassessment of vulnerabilities, it has simultaneously provided the United States an opportunity to work more systematically with its contiguous neighbors for security benefits, a realization that is likely to flow into other areas where the benefits of cooperation conceal those of unilateralism (Myers, 2003).

Because of the sheer size of the border that exists between the United States and Canada the border patrol faces significant challenges in effectively monitoring the border and preventing undetected entry into the United States. Border patrol records indicate that it does successfully stop many individuals from crossing the border illegally which leads to the conclusion that more human capital and technological capabilities are needed to effectively protect the northern border (Kutz and Cooney, 2007).

Prior to September 11th 2001, the U.S. government had only 350 Border Patrol agents along the entire Canadian border. After September 11th, Washington began to see Canada's liberal immigration policy and that its lack of border enforcement was a formula for disaster. Those in charge at the Department of Homeland Security tripled the number of Border Patrol agents that were assigned to protect the northern border. There are now approximately 1,000 agents along our 4,000-mile northern boundary. But a thousand agents cannot realistically watch 4,000 miles of U.S. - Canadian border. And what makes it all even worse is that even U.S. Border Patrol Agents need to sleep every once in a while so less than a third of the 1,000 are on duty at any one moment. The real number is secret but a safe guess could be that fewer than 250 agents are on-duty defending us from the dozens of known terrorist cells operating in Canada. Of the 22 U.S. Border Patrol Sectors, there are only seven are considered absolutely critical to a secure America (Northern Border, n.d.).

The Detroit Sector for instance is one of these. It is accountable for 804 miles of total wilderness between Michigan and Canada. The Detroit area is home not just to wilderness but to the city of Detroit which has the largest Muslim populace anywhere outside of the Middle East. With a Muslim population exceeding 150,000, Detroit is amending the city noise ordinance so that mosques might use loudspeakers for the call to prayer. According to federal records the Detroit Sector doubled its pre 2001 staff. The number of Border Patrol Agents now positioned between Muslim communities with known terrorist cells operating on both sides of the border is 76. The Detroit area agents patrol 806 miles of Great Lakes coastline and use boats, SUVs, and even snowmobiles. Taking into consideration shift work, days off, vacations, and sick leave, at any given time there are probably fewer than 10 agents guarding America from the known terrorist cells in Canada who are just waiting for their chance to attack (Northern Border, n.d.).

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expanded the use of security cameras on the northern border with Canada to reduce the chances terrorists, illegal aliens, or contraband will slip over the northern border into the United States undetected. The department has positioned 44 cameras in Detroit along Lake St. Clair, which divides the city from Canada, and 20 cameras in Buffalo along the Niagara River. There are currently about 20 cameras along the entire 4,000-mile border between Canada and the continental U.S. The $20 million program is the department's first major effort to see whether the northern border, which has large swaths of woods, hills and lakes, can benefit from the extensive camera network. The new cameras were positioned in trees and buildings to monitor the border. This new program is part of the Secure Border Initiative run inside of DHS by Customs and Border Protection (Harwood, 2009).