1) Describe the challenges faced by US Customs and Border Protection agents attempting to secure the border. Be sure to include:
There are many challenges faced by the US Customs and Border Protection agents. First and foremost there is always the issue of safety. Oftentimes some agents find themselves pitted personally against violent individuals in austere environments as well as ports of entry or functional equivalent of borders. Oftentimes these individuals are willing to go to great lengths in order to accomplish their goal of smuggling illicit goods and illegal aliens past border agents. However at a macro level of difficulty concerning customs and border protection there exists many different challenges that these agents face. Firstly,
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Take as an example functional equivalents of borders. Oftentimes there are functional equivalents of borders well within the geographical borders of the United States such as airports, ports and checkpoints on busy highways. These equivalents pose a challenge to agents as they are within the borders of the United States, however there are still exceptions to policies that would otherwise restrict their actions, such as the Fourth Amendment. When law enforcement be it any level within the territorial borders of the United States attempts to search and/or seize goods there must be a warrant signed by a judge in order to convey existential circumstance for said search/seizure. However at geographical borders or the functional equivalent of borders there is an exception to the Fourth Amendment that states that agents acting in a customs enforcement or border security role can search and/or seize subjects and materials based upon suspicion of criminal behavior. This increase in responsibility placed upon agents is of course another obvious …show more content…
As the United States is a partner in the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA), there is a commitment to increase free trade for legal goods and trade between Mexico, the United States and Canada. These commitments have attempted to keep the borders open to legitimate trade while still attempting to increase security in order to lessen illicit smuggling and trafficking. These efforts are obviously not one sided as each nation on either side of the border must attempt to promote free trade while increasing policing in order to lessen the impact and reach of illicit trade. The most basic explanation for open markets and closed borders would be the joint effort of two nations to attempt to expedite legitimate traffic through borders while still increasing interdiction capabilities and security/scrutiny of credible