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Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren't Making Us Safer
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When confronted with the challenges of border security and illegal immigration, government officials are fond of saying that our borders have never been as safe and secure as they are now. But ranchers in the borderlands of Arizona and Texas fear for their lands, their cattle, their homes, and sometimes their lives due to the human and drug smuggling traffic that regularly crosses their property. Who is right? What does a secure border actually look like? More importantly, is a secure border a realistic goal for the United States? Border Insecurity examines all the aspects of the challenge—and thriving industry—of trying to keep terrorists, drug smugglers, and illegal immigrants from entering the United States across our land borders. It looks at on-the-ground issues and controversies like the border fence, the usefulness of technology, shifts in the connection between illegal immigration and drug smuggling, and the potential for terrorists and drug cartels to work together. Border Insecurity also delves into how the border debate itself is part of why the government has failed to improve information sharing and why this is necessary to establish a clear and comprehensive border security strategy.
Azioni libro
Inizia a leggereInformazioni sul libro
Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren't Making Us Safer
Descrizione
When confronted with the challenges of border security and illegal immigration, government officials are fond of saying that our borders have never been as safe and secure as they are now. But ranchers in the borderlands of Arizona and Texas fear for their lands, their cattle, their homes, and sometimes their lives due to the human and drug smuggling traffic that regularly crosses their property. Who is right? What does a secure border actually look like? More importantly, is a secure border a realistic goal for the United States? Border Insecurity examines all the aspects of the challenge—and thriving industry—of trying to keep terrorists, drug smugglers, and illegal immigrants from entering the United States across our land borders. It looks at on-the-ground issues and controversies like the border fence, the usefulness of technology, shifts in the connection between illegal immigration and drug smuggling, and the potential for terrorists and drug cartels to work together. Border Insecurity also delves into how the border debate itself is part of why the government has failed to improve information sharing and why this is necessary to establish a clear and comprehensive border security strategy.
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Recensioni
What a difficult topic! AND it is changing everyday. Longmire does best at not taking sides on what has become a political hot button issue and one that is filled with misinformation and political manipulation. She selects key topics about boarder security, presents the history of the topic and the difficulties the United States currently faces in addressing this topic. Topics include, fencing, violence, technology, migration, and the US/Candian border. For one who would like more than an introduction to the history that has led to the current crisis that is informed and not written to push a political ideology, this is book is a great place to start.
Rating: 3[Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences and Drones Aren't Making Us Safer] by [[Sylvia Longmire]]This is the best book I have read about border issues. As a former Air Force officer and special agent, Longmire is in an excellent position to elucidate the various factors that must be addressed if we are to have any success, regardless of how you define that success. The most important thing she does is to separate out security concerns from immigration issues. Once that is done, the problems, objectives, and solutions become easier to determine. For example, she state that the U.S. Border patrol is suited to handle security problems, but not immigration problems. That alone was worth the read for me. This is a very interesting and readable book on what can seem to be a complicated issue. I highly recommend it for anyone with even the slightest interest in border control.I received this book from the LT Early Reviewers program.
Rating: 5Border Insecurity sets out to explore the problems and issues facing the United States as we attempt to secure our borders. It provides a well-researched look at the complex problems that must be addressed before we can truly call ourselves safe. Longmire shows that there is no quick fix solutions to a problem that keeps getting more and more complicated. A very, very fascinating read.
Rating: 4useful information here. However the book is not well organized
Rating: 3I received a copy of this book from the Early Review program. Like several other reviewers, I expected a more biased viewpoint about immigration but the author does a good job of describing several issues with the border including the fence, Mexican drug cartel violence, drones, the northern border with Canada and the huge amount of money spent on all of these things. She asks great questions: what are we getting for all of that money? What are the goals of border security? Well researched and well written book about border issues in general.
Rating: 4This is a good book, especially because it covers an issue that is often talked about but usually not understood in any depth. In other words, it presents important facts about an issue that involves complexity and confusion.The problem for me--and the only reason I did not give it five stars, though I am being generous with four--is that it is organized inefficiently. The book should be chronological, and should break attempts at border insecurity down into periods. Instead the author attempts to organize it by theme, so that we are first introduced to the criminal drug trafficking scene, then to the role of those protecting our borders, then to fences, then to technology, and so on. What we do not get by such a picture is a clear picture of the development of the problem and the rate at which we are approaching success or failure in dealing with it. What we get are jigsaw puzzle pieces that we need to put together and, unfortunately, I have too many other things that I need to read for my own writing to wish to really do that. Thus I consider this book a good one, but not anywhere near a great one.
Rating: 4Sylvia Longmire was trained in the United States Air Force in doing investigations, counterintelligence and counterespionage. Ms. Longmire gives us a very detailed and indepth look of both southern and northern borders and destroys the idea that illegal immigration is the United States’ biggest security problem. As she clearly shows the issue has become totally mixed in with the Mexican drug cartels' drug and money smuggling operations.Illegal immigrants now find themselves forced or coerced under threat of death to become drug mules as part of the price of being smuggled into the U.S.. Our national security would be much enhanced the author believes and shows by the adoption of programs that permit those coming here to work to enter legally. If we had such programs wecould separate immigrants from the security threats that start with the drug cartels. She builds her case very clearly,slowly. First, she clearly shows what the border fence is, where it is and why it will never be the answer our disfunctional government hopes for. Then, she discusses different threats, including violence and crime in the border areas of the Southwestern states, world recognized terrorist organizations like al-Qaida and Hezbollah, and the Mexican drug cartels. In her view, one of the most significant contributors to the lack of security in border areas is the failure to pursue ruthlessly the crime of money laundering (AML) ; money payments in the U.S. for drugs from Mexico are the largest part of the problem. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) iss and has been a totally disfunctional institution out of touch with the problem on the ground. Their answer to throw more money at it will only continue to waste billions more of tax dollars.
Rating: 5Received "Border Insecurity" by Sylvia Longmire as a LT early review.Very timely book about options for securing the southern border of the United States. Written by a former US Air Force officer with a lengthy record of service.
Rating: 4I was given this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.If you watch the National news with any sort of regularity, you have probably noticed that there is much to be said about illegal immigration and our border security-primarily the Mexican Border. Since 9/11, border security has become a hot button issue and a highly contested political talking point during each election cycle. Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, And Drones Aren't Making Us Safer by Sylvia Longmire is a comprehensive, and well researched look at the many issues involved with the security of our borders with Mexico, and to some extent Canada.This is not a breeze of a read, but is easy to follow and quite interesting. Sylvia Longmire has done her homework, offering the latest in Government and University statistics, as well as personal anecdotes from those who either work in border security, or are involved in the political leadership on both sides of the fence. I learned a lot from this book, because like many Americans I only knew what was fed to me via news outlets, or politicians who are not always forthcoming with the whole story. Within these pages I have found an explanation of the problems, and the many botched solutions that have been tried over decades.For instance, the U.S./Mexican border encompasses over 2000 miles of terrain, and it was estimated to cost approximately $2 million per mile to build a fence from beginning to end as of 2008. In 2012 it was re-estimated at roughly $20 million per mile. This is just one of many signs of ineptitude that is brought to the surface; billions have been spent over the years for security measures that have been proven untenable, and of little help in our fight to secure our borders.Border Insecurity goes deeper than just cost analysis and political intrigues involved with the issue. There are numerous stories of drug cartel violence, political corruption, drone technology, citizen's groups-both for and against immigration, as well as first-hand accounts of American land owners being treated unfairly, with issues such as Imminent Domain and government over-reach being investigated.As we witness the issues of illegal immigration, drug trafficking and it's connected violence, and the wasting of billions of American tax dollars spent on a fool's errand, Border Insecurity by Sylvia Longmire offers anyone with an interest in this important issue a very well researched account of the history and processes involved with our border security issues. She lays out a meticulous accounting of all issues attached to America's struggle to offer its citizens not only security from foreign threats, but also a mechanism that will stem the tide of illegal immigration and drug trafficking.In addition to the comprehensive information presented here, Longmire also throws her two cents into the discussion, and frankly, her ideas may be some of the better ideas offered in many years. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in domestic politics, homeland security, immigration issues, current events and history.
Rating: 4Sylvia Longmire presents a very thoughtful and surprisingly unbiased look at modern day border and immigration issues in the United States. Her strong background in the source material shines through capable prose and she delivers thoughtful looks and analysis at major issues facing the American government/public in terms of immigration policy and threats to the stability of Northern American security in regards to narcoterrorism, foreign terrorist access, and the drug war. The chapters are well thought out and organized. The arguments she presents for revisions in US policy on immigration as well as critiques of historical missteps and DHS mishandling are justified. This is a thoughtful book presented by an author that knows her material and contains valuable facts for the professional and layman alike.
Rating: 4In Border Insecurity: Why Big Money, Fences, and Drones Aren't Making Us Safer, Sylvia Longmire has done her homework showing what many of us who are somewhat familiar with US/Mexico border politics have long suspected. The news media loves pairing down complex issues into a simple headline news debate, but the problems and potential fixes of our border security are anything but simple.
Rating: 4Border Insecurity has been an ongoing issues since the 1800's with the Chinese drug trade and bandit crossing back and forth. Due to the lack of job opportunities and growing violence occurring in other counties of the world illegal immigrants as still taking the chance to endure the risks of coyotes and harsh life threatening conditions crossing to the big money, fences and droves that are enough to stop it.Longmire gives us a really compelling, well researched journey into the world of immigration, terrorists, money laundering, drug cartels to give us a clearer picture of how the our government has failed. No country will be able to stop 100 percent of anything from coming across its borders. We need to learn to be okay with that and reach agreements without all of the political agendas to get realistic controls.Her book uses real people to put personal accounts how people have been affected from the ranchers along the borders to the local law enforcement agencies without the proper resources. This is why no one no matter how far you live from any border is not affected.I received this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers in return for an honest review.
Rating: 5