by Victor Pedraza
Since the U.S. southern Mexico border was established in 1848, it has had its challenges, just as many countries around the globe have their border challenges. When Mexico attacked the United States in April 1846, and when the Mexican-American War ended in February 1848, the border seen today began to take shape (National archives, nd). The U.S. and Mexico border, established in 1848, it was considered both a physical space as well as an ideological representation of two different country. For much of its history, people flowed seamlessly through this physical space. On the east, the line would follow the Rio Grande. From there it would cut west in a straight line across the desert until it reached the Gila River (worldatlas, 2023). The importance of keeping a healthy relationship with Mexico at the same time securing the U.S. southern border using autonomous technology. The purpose of this paper is to thoroughly analyze the protection of U.S citizens living along the border, the protection of the U.S. by using an autonomous system and countering any threats that could destabilize the relationship between Mexico and the U.S.
U.S Migration
Historical record show since the 1900s, the first surge of migrants began. Revolution in Mexico and a strong U.S economy brought a tremendous increase in Mexican immigration rates. Between 1910 and 1930, the number of Mexican immigrants counted by the U.S. census tripled from 200,000 to 600,000. The Border Patrol was officially established on May 28, 1924, by an act of Congress passed in response to increasing illegal immigration. In 2014, the U.S.
declared a crisis at the border due to an influx of unaccompanied minors and women making their way through border checkpoints (Library of Congress, 2017). The U.S. southern border has long struggled with implementing policies that aim to prevent immigration-related tragedies (U.S Customs and Border Protection, 2023). For many years, migrants arriving in the U.S.
were mostly Mexican nationals. Today officials have noted that migrants arrive from an array of countries across South, and Central America, and Africa, as well as from China and India.
In the 21st century, terror threats have become increasingly common worldwide, which could cause significant harm, disruption, and chaos to a country (Isacson, 2023). In April 2011, The creation of Pacific Alliance by Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. An initiative within the region allows to travel visa-free. Achievements to date include eliminating tariffs on 92% of imports and exports among member states; eliminating or significantly reducing visa requirements for member citizens; and funding over 100 annual university scholarships between states. Citizens fleeing violence and economic turmoil are usually able to fly to Mexico, which does not require visas (Isacson, 2023). Today a high number of citizens use this route to Mexico and then flee to the U.S which it has also caused many issues for the purpose of having the Pacific Alliance.
Various media and government sources have found several factors that drive the unprecedented migration across the region. These factors include insecurity, violence, and families in many parts of the Northern Triangle countries of Central America where citizen just want to have a normal way of life. As of September of 2023, Border Patrol agents apprehended over 140,000 migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization during the first 20 days of September, an average of about 6,900 each day, according to the internal agency data. The 2.5 million encounters of migrants occurring at the U.S Mexico border in fiscal year (FY) 2023, represent a new historic high, topping the prior year’s record, has widely noted since the recent release of year-end government statistics (kff, 2023).
However, the largest nationally representative survey focused on immigrants, it shows most immigrants feel they have found a better life for their families in the U.S. while many also face economic, hardships and discrimination (kff, 2023).
The importance between the U.S.-Mexico border
However, 1,951-miles U.S. Mexico border is the busiest in the world. Each year the southern border allows over three hundred million people, approximately ninety million cars, and 4.3 million trucks crossing the border. Since the implementation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the number of commercial vehicles crossing the border has increased by 41 percent. Mexico is the United States’ third-largest trading partner and second-largest export market for U.S. products. The two-way trade in goods and services totaled 678 billion dollars, and this trade directly and indirectly supports millions of U.S jobs. The United States sold 265 billion dollars of U.S. products to Mexico in 2018 and 34 billion dollars in services, for a total of 299 billion dollars in U.S. sales to Mexico. Mexico is the first or second-largest export destination for 27 U.S. states (NAFTA).
Securing the U.S. Mexico Border
Securing the U.S. Mexico Border With today’s high-tech system available the “virtual wall” at the southern border would help detect people and drug smugglers with the possibility of reducing the high numbers of unauthorized migration. Building a physical wall is a deterrence.
Unauthorized migrants and drug smugglers will find a way to cross the wall by climbing over the wall, destroying the wall, or just digging under the wall. With the surveillance towers at the border for the last several years and autonomous towers can better detect abnormal activity. The U.S. has installed about three hundred different types of surveillance towers from the California coast to the tip of Texas. U.S Customs and Border Protection officials have praised autonomous technology as a great asset that helps agents do their jobs (Contreras, 2023).
Towers outfitted with Artificial intelligence (AI) software that distinguishes people from desert animals. Towers can be programmed to block off sections of surveillance areas, like homes on private ranches, so they do not monitor those regions. Autonomous surveillance towers contain 360-degree pan radars and sensors that can scan for miles. Using public records, satellite imagery, road trips, and virtual reality, the nonprofit mapped the presence of surveillance towers along the border in remote and highly populated areas (Contreras, 2023). Border walls might be great in very highly populated areas to deter migration, but due to the weather and terrain from California to Texas, this autonomous system might be the require items in very isolated areas and less on cost of repairing due to the wear and tear and damage cost by harsh weather.
Conclusion
When the U.S and Mexico border was established in1848, the importance was securing the U.S- Mexico border, today by using the autonomous system and maintaining a healthy relationship with Mexico. Throughout history, borders have been an issue for any country that shares a border. The crisis at the U.S. southern border caused by many factors including violence, and insecurity, in various parts of the Northern Triangle countries of Central America and other countries from around the world.
Reference
Adam Isacson. (2023). Migration, country by country, at the U.S. Mexico border https://www.wola.org/2022/11/migration-country-by-country-at-the-u-s-mexico-border/
KFF. (2023) Los Angeles Times partnership.
https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/press-release/immigrants-overwhelmingly-say-they-and-their-children-are-better-off-in-the-us-but-many-also-report-substantial-discrimination-and-challenges-a-new-kff-los-angeles-times-survey-reveals/
Library of Congress (2017) Mexican Immigration History: https://newsela.com/read/lib-mexican-immigration-united-states/id/30858/
International Trade Administration. (2020). North American Free Trade Agreement https://www.trade.gov/north-american-free-trade-agreement-nafta
National archives (nd) The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/guadalupe-hidalgo#background
Russell Contreras. AXIOS Latino. U.S. deployed AI in virtual border wall (2023). https://www.axios.com/2023/12/12/border-patrol-ai-us-mexico-wall-surveillance-virtual
US Customs and Border Protection (2023) U.S border patrol history.
https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/along-us-borders#:~:text=The%20Border%20Patrol%20was%20officially,response%20to%20increasing%20illegal%20immigration.
Worldatlas.com (2023) History of the U.S. border. https://www.worldatlas.com/places/mexico-united-states-border.html
Retired CSM Victor Pedraza, is an instructor in DJIMMO (SMC) at Fort Bliss TX. With 30 years of active-duty service, he served from a team leader to BN CSM. Mr. Pedraza has service as an instructor at the Sergeant Major Course (SMC). He holds a master’s degree in education with a concentration on teaching and instructing.
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