1) Describe the challenges faced by US Customs and Border Protection agents attempting to secure the border. Be sure to include: What is the functional equivalent of the border? What is the Fourth amendment exception as it pertains to border searches? How are seizure statistics used to justify the mission of border security? The U.S Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) is responsible for securing the nation 's borders at 327 ports of entry (air, land and sea). There are many challenges CBP agents face when it comes to securing the nation 's borders from cross border infringements. Since September 11th, 2001 the government’s number priority on the home front is to prevent any acts of terrorism from occurring. This means that CBP …show more content…
The challenges that come from facilitating legal border crossing while trying to maintain secure borders can be seen when taking a closer look at the U.S northern and southern borders. The northern U.S border that neighbors Canada can be described as an open border with more relaxed regulations and security. This has been great in the past for transportation and trade, however there is an open border paradox that lax regulations and security, let in unwanted illegal activity in too easily. On the Southern border along Mexico, the U.S has more of a closed border, that has a fence along part of it, active border patrol patrolling the area and security checkpoints that make entry much more difficult. The paradox with the closed border is that it encourages and contributes increased migrant and narcotics smuggling and the level of corruption and organized crime is more prevalent. In order to facilitate legal border crossing while maintaining secure borders it important for authorities to come up with ways to validate ways for law-abiding citizens to cross efficiently, such as the sentry pass that has been implemented along the southern border. Also it is crucial that federal agencies implement ways that agents can intercept threats and high-risk individuals before they make it across the