Obama team set to reduce border security measures

http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/obama-team-set-to-reduce-border-security-measures

 

 

Jim Kouri

Obama team set to reduce border security measures

·         February 17th, 2011 2:57 pm ET

·         "DHS is replacing its border security measures, which could temporarily reduce oversight, and reports it may reduce resources requested for securing the southwest border." - GAO Report 

Only days after Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano complained about law enforcement commanders exaggerating the threat of the Mexican drug war on Americans, two of her own Immigration & Customs Enforcement special agents were ambushed by suspected members of Mexico's deadliest crime gang, Los Zetas.

Secretary Janet Napolitano also reported the obvious during her testimony before the U.S. Congress: The nearly 2,000-mile U.S. border with Mexico is vulnerable to cross-border illegal activity.

The Office of Border Patrol, within DHS's U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is responsible for securing the border between U.S. ports of entry and has divided responsibility for southwest border miles divided among nine Border Patrol sectors. CBP reported spending about $3 billion on Border Patrol's southwest border efforts in fiscal year 2010, apprehending over 445,000 illegal entries.

The House Homeland Security Committee under the leadership of Rep. Peter King (R-NY) requested the Government Accountability Office report its observations on the extent to which DHS reported progress in achieving operational control -- Border Patrol was able to detect, respond, and interdict cross-border illegal activity -- of the southwest border.

In addition, the GAO would report on the extent to which operational control reflects Border Patrol's ability to respond to illegal activity at the border or after entry into the United States; and how DHS reports the transition to new border security measures will change oversight and resource requirements for securing the southwest border.

The subsequent testimony was based on GAO's ongoing work for the House Committee on Homeland Security. GAO analyzed DHS border security documents and data supporting border security measures reported by DHS for fiscal years 2005 through 2010, and interviewed DHS officials.

Border Patrol reported achieving varying levels of operational control for 873 of the nearly 2,000 southwest border miles at the end of fiscal year 2010, increasing an average of 126 miles each year from fiscal years 2005 through 2010. Border Patrol sector officials assessed the miles under operational control using factors such as the numbers of illegal entries and apprehensions.

CBP attributed the increase to additional infrastructure, technology, and personnel. Yuma sector officials reported achieving operational control for all of its 126 border miles; however, the other eight southwest border sectors reported achieving operational control of 11 to 86 percent of their border miles. Border Patrol attributed the uneven progress across sectors to multiple factors, including prioritizing resource deployment to sectors deemed to have greater risk from illegal activity.

Border Patrol reported that its levels of operational control for most border miles reflected its ability to respond to illegal activity after entry into the United States and not at the immediate border. Operational control encompassed two of the five levels used to classify the security level of each border mile. The two levels of control differed in the extent that Border Patrol resources were available to either deter or detect and apprehend illegal entries at the immediate border (controlled) versus a multi-tiered deployment of Border Patrol resources to deter, detect, and apprehend illegal entries after entry into the United States.

GAO's preliminary analysis of the 873 border miles under operational control in 2010 showed that about 129 miles (15 percent) were classified as "controlled" and the remaining 85 percent were classified as "managed."

Border Patrol officials stated that operational control does not require its agents to be able to detect and apprehend all illegal entries. Yuma sector reported operational control for all its miles although Border Patrol did not have the ability to detect and apprehend illegal entries that use ultra-light aircraft and tunnels. DHS is replacing its border security measures, which could temporarily reduce oversight, and reports it may reduce resources requested for securing the southwest border.

Border Patrol had established border miles under effective control as a measure of border security. DHS plans to improve the quality of boarder security measures by developing new measures with a more quantitative methodology. CBP is developing a new methodology and measures for border security, which CBP expects to be in place by fiscal year 2012. In the meantime, the absence of border security outcome measures in DHS's Fiscal Year 2010-2012 Annual Performance Report could reduce oversight.

CBP does not have an estimate of the time and efforts needed to secure the border; however, DHS, CBP, and Border Patrol headquarters officials said that this new approach to border security is expected to be more flexible and cost-effective. As a result, Border Patrol headquarters officials expect that they will request fewer resources to secure the border. For example, the so-called "virtual fence" project has been canceled after the U.S. government spent upwards of a billion dollars on security measures that either didn't work as promised or the equipment malfunctioned within weeks of being installed.

 

Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a columnist for Examiner.com and New Media Alliance (thenma.org).  In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty. 

He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations.  He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.   Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer and columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com.   Kouri appears regularly as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Fox News Channel, Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, etc. 

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Obama team set to reduce border security measures - National Law Enforcement | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/obama-team-set-to-reduce-border-security-measures#ixzz1EG3m0q98

 

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