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Column 081715 Brewer

Monday, August 17, 2015

Mexico's Version of Border
Woes Trumps U.S.
Understanding
By Jerry Brewer
Virtually no one is shocked to hear
that U.S. border security is once
again a hot topic in partisan politics
as the presidential election cycle
kicks in anew.
Again, a great wall that would cost
multi-billions of dollars across
1,941 miles of the U.S. and Mexico
border is the cry of some. One
overly energetic candidate simply
believes he can force the Mexican
government to fork over the
billions for the massive cost of the
wall.
Many give factual reasons as to why
a wall would do more to divert the
wind than to stop ambitious border
crossers from entering the U.S.,
and those in a hurry to supply a
US$80 billion drug demand. Too,
southbound felons running the

border must get their billions of

dollars across, under or over the
border.
After all, the massive illicit revenue
must move south quickly before
more people have to die. Mexico
and the northern tier of Central
America know that misery well
with some of the highest homicide
rates in the world.
We keep hearing opportune,
popular and boisterous shouts of
we must secure our border! The
political candidates know this is a
popular theme, but several savvy
candidates are careful, as are many
that have to work enforcement
along the border, knowing that a
border cannot be fully sealed or
secured. Many promising to
secure the border do a disservice in
the true sense of the statement,
possibly to pacify those who do not
fully understand the true dilemma.
The truth is that walls and fences
are needed in manageable sectors
of the border where they can be
monitored realistically, especially
near cities and towns and where
heavily transient movement is
popular. Yet, even police holding
hands from Brownsville, Texas to
the Pacific Ocean could not fully
secure the border. Again, what
goes over and under will get
through, even if temporarily.
So what should be done to end the
decades of handwringing and

frustration? More decades of

indecision?
We must all face the historical fact
that a little less than 2,000 miles of
the U.S. southern border with
Mexico has never been secure to
begin with! A tough pill to swallow,
but healthy to understand what
must be done to manage and
control this border from both
sides of the Rio Grande.
Many realists and those of us who
have served in enforcement venues
in these border sectors know that
this border represents far more
than just a dividing line between
two neighboring nations.
The complex border security
problems require a commonsense
approach to manage and control
the border, devoid of prejudices,
misinformation and partisan
politics. Irresponsible or ignorant
attacks against, in this case our
neighboring country of Mexico,
completely distorts the true
rationale for effective border
security. Moreover, the unfocused
urgency to fix with what may be
insurmountable expectations does
a disservice to all concerned.
Some of this misinformation and
confusion by unscrupulous
reporters and pundits is clearly
seen in the fact that since 1990, the
number of Central American
immigrants in the United States
has nearly tripled. This immigrant
population grew faster than any

other region-of-origin population

from Latin America between 2000
and 2010. Since 1992,
undocumented immigrants from
Mexico made up less than half of
those apprehended by U.S.
Customs and Border Protection.
The reality is that about 40 percent
of those people came in on an
airplane, with a legal visa, and just
overstayed their visa and have
never gone home.
It is hoped that candidates for the
high office of president will stop
trying to simply define the
problem, and instead know the
who and the numbers to
accurately define the true border
issues and the real enemies to the
U.S. This in order to effectively
and proactively propose and
implement the strategical
engagement and interdiction
methodologies necessary to better
control the border.
Mexicos dilemma, and admitted
weakness, is also with critical
problems with its own unsecured
southern border of 514 miles with
Guatemala. The border with Belize
is another 156 miles of concern.
Both the U.S. and Mexico must find
a coordinated regional strategic
plan in the areas of border security,
control and development to
prevent their borders from sliding
further out of control.
With ideals to be balanced against
reality, why may that be more

important to Mexican interests

than to the United States?
Besides having some of the highest
murder rates in the world, a
continuing campaign of
unspeakable brutality is morphing
through Central Americas
northern tier of nations. Thusly,
estimates are that over 500,000
undocumented Central Americans
illegally cross the border annually
into Mexico, with the majority
traveling through the country en
route to the U.S. And among them
are a diverse mix of terrorist-like
organized criminals and gang
members.
Those borders should be the first
line of defense for both Mexico and
the U.S.
Former Mexican "immigration
czar" Humberto Mayans said last
week that Mexico has allotted
US$75.3 million to modernize its
southern border, with 187 projects.
He added that bringing order to the
region will take around three
administrations (18 years) in order
to give continuity to the actions of
modernization carried out.

Jerry Brewer is C.E.O. of Criminal

Justice International Associates, a
global threat mitigation firm
headquartered in northern
Virginia. His website is located at
www.cjiausa.org. TWITTER:
CJIAUSA Jerry Brewer Published
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