US Customs Border Control

Introduction 

The United States Border Patrol is the federal security law enforcement agency with the task to protect America from illegal immigrants, terrorism and the weapons of mass destruction from entering the borders of the country. The agency is also tasked with monitoring and preventing illicit trafficking of people and contrabands or illegal substances from entering the borders of the country. The enforcement agency is the part of the United States Customs and Border Protection which has the same mission to protect America from terrorism and to ensure facilitation of legitimate legal trade and travel in the international scene. United States Customs and Border Protection has a comprehensive management and control system by combining the customs, immigration, border security and agricultural protection to a regular and supportive activity (U.S Customs and Border Protection, 2016).

In particular, the uniformed mobile U.S Border Patrol can safeguard America through a strategic partnership with the Customs Agency and the Homeland Security. The federal law enforcement agency has core values in vigilance while protecting the country from threats, entrusted to the homeland and defend own liberty and lastly having the highest integrity and moral principles while enforcing the duties (U.S Customs and Border Protection, 2012). Security is important for the economy and involves using the legal and policing system that is coordinated for efficiency in combating threats. Border Security is one of the means by which a country can protect the citizens from security threats.

Intelligence and Border Security 

The Border Security is the adaptation of the control measures that is aimed at regulating and monitoring the borders through entry and exit of people and goods. Border security also entails securing the country from the threats of terrorism and detecting criminal movements. The use of intelligence and analysis of trends are necessary for border security. Intelligence is the data and information that is systematically analyzed and provided to the law enforcement with facts and alternatives about criminal activity. Intelligence is useful to security officers to concentrate resources on investigation and prevention of crime. It also gives alternative views concerning policing policies. Predicting a future security threat is also the purpose of intelligence (Swanson, Territo, and Taylor 2017).

The United States Border Patrol plays a pivotal role in ensuring the security between the points of entry. The goal of the organization has relied on the use of information, integration and rapid response towards any form of illegal entries or safety threats. They conduct the border control based on intelligence-driven operations. The intelligence-driven operation aims to ensure the process is focused on any form of threats. An integration of the enforcement capability and intelligence would give the border security personnel ample information to make a crucial decision during an operation. Terrorism, transnational criminals and other forms of illegal trade are under constant evolution, and some are complex and varying. The agency has strategically developed a well-formulated and actionable intelligence in its operation to prevent such threats. Therefore, it can have integrated information sharing with other domestic and international law enforcement agency about a changing security risk. The National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Strategic Plan has set up the strategic integration of all intelligence into an overall mission to have an intelligence-led policing which is also part of the Border Patrol strategic plan. The strategy is aimed to prevent a response when the security threat has already happened and analyses a predictive conduct of any form of criminal activity. All federal agencies and state enforcement agencies must be intelligence-driven through processes of intelligence sharing and verification (Swanson, Territo, and Taylor 2017). The intelligence cycle formed has the goal of integrating the national security intelligence with the law enforcement agenda. The step will allow the freedom of the law enforcement to be proactive in preventing and determining any forms of crime and terrorism. All the vital data and information ensures there is a logical conclusion of the intelligence within the system. Intelligence process also has the method to communicate and share intelligence among all agencies through dissemination process.

Fusion Centers. The U.S Border Patrol Agency has accomplished the intelligence of the border security by integrating and supporting all border patrol intelligence framework through collaboration with bodies like the Office of the Intelligence and Investigative Liaison, Border Intelligence Agencies and other local and urban area Fusion Centers. The Fusion Centers have the purpose of transforming the local police agency into an intelligence-led agency in responding to the terrorism and other traditional crimes. The ultimate goal of the Fusion Center is to provide the mechanism in which law enforcement, public safety, and private partners can collaborate to provide information and tactics aimed to safeguard the homeland security. The Border Patrol being critical for the security of the nation, intelligence must easily be available including in all other local state police, to have an efficient policing and concentrate resources towards counterterrorism by both the local police and the Border Patrol. Fusion centers have forms of training which officers are trained on analyzing and sharing intelligence using the information gathered. Fusion centers are vital for intelligence hence must be well financed and managed to fuse all intelligent information between the federal and local law enforcement agencies (Swanson, Territo, and Taylor 2017). 

Integrity and Oversight in Border Security 

Insecurity can be compromised just because of a corrupt system. When officials of a federal or local police department engaged in corrupt an unethical police practices, it leverages the security of the citizen and increases the threats to national security. The border security is about protecting the countries against foreign threats. While the American system has a strong campaign against corruption and laws that prohibit gifts and money for allowing the entry of illegal immigrants, there are many documented cases of the organizations and other state and federal agencies. A single corrupt individual can compromise the agency's mandate. In the event of a U.S Customs and Border Protection, Hector Rodriguez has been receiving bribes in cash and gifts in return for admitting illegal aliens in San Diego. It becomes a risk since one individual smuggled would be carrying a bomb or illegal drugs into the country. The Federal Bureau of Investigation with the partnership of the Department of Homeland Security and the Customs and Border Protection Agency have launched the campaign against the dangers of border corruption so that citizens can participate in combating corruption and suspicious activities by reporting such cases. The awareness has been pictured in all entry points apart from the border crossings. The FBI has many border corruption task force and working groups, local and federal agency along all border crossings to monitor employees of the organization. The initiative has given the opportunity to make the public engage with the task force in keeping the country safe (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2016). The U.S Border Patrol has also introduced an anti-corruption framework in its strategy. Leadership and the agents must have the greatest integrity and perception while executing the mandate of securing the country. The Integrity Advisory Committee has provided strategic recommendations that combat corruption and promote integrity among all other Border Patrol employees. The committee has included members of the organization and other local oversight groups to ensure a well-organized supervisory role in border patrolling (U.S Customs and Border Protection, 2012).

Legislations have been approved by Congress to have a public oversight on the conduct of the agents of the border patrol agency. According to the U.S Congress, there is the new legislation known as the Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight, and Community Engagement Act of 2014 which establishes the Department of Homeland Security Oversight Committee. The committee is tasked with recommending the border enforcement policy improvement. Moreover, the Committee formulates policies that protect the human rights of all the citizens and visitors, and reduce the immigrant deaths and cases of discrimination experienced in the past. This oversight brings the accountability of the workforce to ensure all operations are conducted safely with integrity (Library of Congress, 2014).

Conclusion 

The U.S Border Patrol agency analysis has well informed about how policing can be managed to secure the country against external threats. Intelligence and the process involved in sharing the information is an essential element in ensuring all border patrol is efficient, the resources allocated are sufficient enough to combat security threats. Intelligence sharing through fusion centers and other means is also necessary to make sure all other agencies can assist in the fight against the threats. Integrity and Oversight are also important since a backlash in policing would compromise the security of the nation. Oversight by the public and government can improve the conduct and integrity of all the personnel and leadership in the agency to ensure a free and safe country.

Reference 

Federal Bureau of Investigation (2016, December 22 nd ). Corruption on the Border. Author . Retrieved from: https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/border-corruption-campaign-enlists-publics-help

Library of Congress (2014, March 26 th ). Border Enforcement Accountability, Oversight, and Community Engagement Act of 2014. Author . Retrieved from: https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/4303/

Swanson, R., Territo, L., and Taylor, R. (2017). Police administration: Structures, process, and behavior . Ninth edition. Boston: Pearson Education.

U.S Customs and Border Protection (2012). Border Patrol Strategic Plan. Author . Retrieved from: https://nemo.cbp.gov/obp/bp_strategic_plan.pdf

U.S Customs and Border Protection (2016). About CBP. Author . Retrieved from: https://www.cbp.gov/about