Key Responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security
It is the key responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security to safeguard the United States' borders to prevent illegal immigration. The government has been increasing budget allocations to border security, but still, the borders are not secure. Due to the increased number of immigrants in the U.S., the issue of illegal immigration has gained popularity in the recent years. There has been increased pressure on the government by various groups to control the alarming immigration rate (Greenstone & Looney, 2010). As such, the government has been forced to review its policies to control illegal immigration. In its quest to control illegal immigration, the U.S. government has increased the number of patrol agents, extended the southern border wall, and improved security facilities, aspects that are burdening America's taxpayers.
Incurring Expenses for Patrol Agents
The U.S. taxpayers are incurring a lot of money in terms of expenses on the increased number of patrol agents on the U.S. borders. The nation has been depicting an increasing trend in the number of patrol agents managing the U.S. borders, especially the southern border. As by 1992, the U.S. had 4,139 border patrol agents; a number that has increased to 19,437 by the end of 2017 ("U.S. Border Patrol Fiscal Year Staffing Statistics," 2017). This trend is likely to continue, especially with the recent pressure to curb illegal immigration. The increment of the staff implies that the U.S. is also increasing expenditure in terms of salaries and wages. This is increasing the burden for taxpayers, as they have to pay extra money to cater for such increment in expenses. The increment in salary expenditure has contributed to the overall growth of border security costs, which are burdening the taxpayers. The Department of Homeland Security should instead come up with another strategy of protecting the borders as opposed to increasing the number of border agents (Miller, 2014). This is because the agents' demands are expensive, considering the fact that the personnel requires insurance and medical covers.
The Costly Project of Border Extension
The extension of the southern border with Mexico is a costly project for the American taxpayers. The U.S., through the Department of Homeland Security, has been building a series of fences and walls along its borders, especially the Mexico-United States border. By 2009, it is reported that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection had built more than 930 km of physical barriers along the borders. The construction of such walls is very costly, considering the fact that the walls should be tall enough to prevent illegal immigrants from jumping over. Besides, the walls are fitted with sensors and cameras, whose maintenance is also costly to the taxpayers of America. The Trump administration has been committed to pushing for the extension of the walls. In January 2017, the government signed an order that allowed the commencement of the extension of the wall. In March 2017, the U.S. government made a budget amendment and allocated $3 billion to the extension of the wall at the Mexico-United States border (Mendoza, 2018). Further, the Trump administration has been noted to have increased the budget for Homeland Security to enhance the construction of the wall. Such expenses are increasing the total amount of resources allocated to the border security, thereby burdening the American taxpayers.
High Costs of Equipment Upgrade
The constant change and upgrade of equipment used in the enhancement of border security is also contributing to the high border costs that in turn increase taxes on the citizens. In the current era, the world is revolutionizing at a high rate. This leads to innovation of new technological equipment, particularly concerning security. As such, the U.S. government is committed to using the most effective equipment at its borders to increase safety. Therefore, the Homeland Security has been deploying various equipment at the borders to aid them in securing the borders. The most recent technological advancement is the use of high-tech equipment at the borders with the ability to sense and hear illegal immigrants trying to cross the border (Mendoza, 2018). As far as such equipment are of great significance to America by improving the security at the borders, they are expensive to install and maintain, considering the fact that the border is extremely long. In this regard, the government has been increasing budget allocations to Homeland Security to facilitate the establishment of such equipment, a move that has increased a burden on the American taxpayers. They have to pay more in terms of taxes to cater for the increased budgetary allocations.
Increasing Border Security Costs
Overall, the border security costs in the U.S. are continually increasing with time, thereby burdening the citizens in terms of increased taxes. This is demonstrated by the increased personnel in terms of patrol agents, the extension of boundary barriers, including fences and walls, and deployment of expensive equipment. The U.S. government is using a lot of resources in terms of border security costs. As far as all these steps are taken to improve the security of the Americans, they are becoming expensive for them. As such, there is a need for the Homeland Security to look for better and cost-friendly strategies that will improve security at borders at lower costs. Lower-cost strategies will enable the government to spend more on development programs, thereby enhancing the well-being of its citizens.
References
Greenstone, M., " Looney, A. (2010). Ten economic facts about immigration. Hamilton Project, The Brookings Institution.
Mendoza, M. (2018). US border security — expensive with mixed results. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43539092/ns/us_news-security/t/us-border-security-expensive-mixed-results/#.W0OzN9IzbIU
Miller, T. (2014). Border patrol nation: Dispatches from the front lines of homeland security. City Lights Publishers.
U.S. Border Patrol Fiscal Year Staffing Statistics (FY 1992 - FY 2017) | U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.cbp.gov/document/stats/us-border-patrol-fiscal-year-staffing-statistics-fy-1992-fy-2017
