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Border Control

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Border Control
The Mexican-United states border is the most frequently used border in the world. For most, crossing this border symbolizes new opportunity and a chance for a better life. Laws, regulations, and money have caused the journey from Mexico to The United States to be extremely difficult. This causes people to cross illegally. The United States needs to make crossing the border and becoming a legal citizen easier and more achievable. The U.S. border control was created in 1924 to stop illegal transportation across the border into America. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection describes border control as the following:
Since its inception in 1924, the U.S. Border Patrol has had a proud history of service to our nation. Although enormous changes have affected nearly every aspect of its operations from its earliest days, the basic values that helped shape the Patrol in the early years; professionalism, honor, integrity, respect for human life, and a shred effort, have remained. (1)
Soon after the law defined “illegal alien” as “a foreigner who has entered or resides in a country unlawfully or without the country's authorization”. Dictionary (1) These foreigners who wanted nothing more than to live “The American Dream” were quickly recognized as the enemies of America. Opinions became formed that these immigrants were lazy criminals who were here to destroy the U.S. Soon illegal and legal immigrants from Mexico were viewed and treated with little to no respect. The border control rules and regulations affect more than just the brave men and women who make the treacherous journey across the border. This also affects everyone in their families. Families often save their whole life to send their children, sisters, brothers, cousins, grandchildren to the United States. In Mexico money is hard to come-by and the act of giving the little money they have to able their loved ones to start a better life is a selfless act and is to be commended. Mothers and fathers send their children of all ages to America, knowing the risks but knowing that the prize on the other side is worth it. An article from ABC news speaks on how difficult getting citizenship can really be. ““The process is so opaque,” he says, adding that the Immigration and Naturalization Service can “take over your life. You can’t change jobs, you can’t call and check up on where you are in the process. If this would occur in any other government agency, people would be up in arms.”” (qtd. In Romy Ribitzky 1) Most American’s believe that there is no excuse for not getting citizenship and living in this country illegally, however, they fail to see all the time money and complications that come with the process of becoming a legal citizen, mainly because them themselves were born here, giving them immediate citizenship. The risks of crossing the border are serious and outrageously dangerous. In his articles speaking on the issue of crossing the border illegally, Greg Flakus states, “Over the past 16 years, according to U.S. government records, more than 6,000 people have died after crossing the U.S. border illegally from Mexico and finding themselves in a dangerous environment.” (1) These statistics are a clear indicator of the extreme consequences of the journey over the border illegally. The immigrants almost always travel in groups. For the most part, the immigrants do not know each other. All ages, all genders, all types of people travel in these groups. There is often a leader. This leader is not exactly the kind of leader one would want to have given a choice. In an interview with VOA, U.S. Patrol agent Jason Owens says,
“The guides that bring them across, if they can’t keep up, they leave them behind; they walk around lost…no water, no idea where they are supposed to go, no form of communication. This close to the river a lot of people find themselves in trouble and die.” (qtd. In Greg Flakus 1)
Rapes are very common in these situations. Often times others in the group cannot stand up for the younger or weaker travels because of the risk of being kicked out of the group and in some cases killed. Drug smugglers are also the kind of people one might encounter on these journeys. Smugglers will often rob travelers for money, supplies or even for fun. In the worse scenario, they will kill. Other risks such as money and time wasted are not as detrimental to one’s health but yet are still heartbreaking risks. To cut down on the number of illegal immigrants, number of deaths and rapes, the U.S. must make it easier for these people to become legal. The tests and requirements are of such difficulty that most American citizens who were born and raised here cannot even comply or pass. Making it easier to become a part of this great country would be the best solution for everyone involved. Some think building a wall to keep illegals away would be the best solution. However, looking back on all the walls that were built in the world’s history to keep others out, most were torn down, wasting money and efforts. In some cases these walls have even caused wars. Border walls do not keep everything and everyone out as many Americans believe they do.
Just as we often imagine most borders as the sharp lines depicted on maps, we also imagine that historically most borders were fenced and fortified, but this is not the case. The older purposes of borders as defensive military lines or administrative divisions do not necessitate a wall or fence. Fences do not deter tanks and airplanes, and administrative divisions between peaceful neighbors do not require an expensive barrier. Jones (2)
Here Jones is explaining that as most people think of borders as just lines on a map, also they think that borders have always been used in cases such as the U.S.-Mexican border to decrease the number of problems in the situation. However she reminds us that this case is for the most part innocent in the sense of war. No heavy machinery, airplanes or bans of soldiers are being forcing their way over this border. For the most part, the only people crossing the border, are people in hopes to live a better life. Therefore building a wall, which takes large amounts of money and time, would be too drastic and unneeded for this situation.
Making the rules, tests, and regulations easier to come by would change America’s border problem in an extremely helpful way. It could drastically cut down on illegal immigration and would enable foreign citizen’s better opportunities for better lives here in America.

Work Cited

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Flakus, Greg. "Illegal Immigrants Face Danger in Hot Texas Border Region." VOA
OnlineNewspaper. N.p., 06 Aug. 2014. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.
Jones, Reece. "Why Build a Border Wall?" Utne Reader May-June 2013: n. pag. Utne. May
June 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Ribitzky, Romy. "Path to U.S. Citizenship Costly, Tedious." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3
July 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2014.
United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “Border Patrol History." U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Department of Homeland Security. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.

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