• Border agents struggle with Canadian border

    As more attention and resources are poured into the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Border Patrol agents along the northern border have struggled with limited resources and manpower; the nearly 4,000 mile U.S.-Canada border is roughly twice as long as the southern border, yet there are only 2,200 agents posted along it compared to 18,000 agents in the south; Border Patrol agents in the north say they lack the resources to do the job; smuggling rings, especially drug traffickers, exploit the gaps in security along the northern border to ship large quantities of drugs to the United States

  • Mexican trucks set to cross border again

    President Obama and Mexican president Felipe Calderon have struck a deal that will allow Mexican trucks to cross the border once again; the new deal will end a sixteen year dispute which has effectively kept Mexican tractor-trailers from driving on U.S. roadways; the plan will allow an unlimited flow of trucks from Mexico to enter the United States so long as shipping companies register the vehicles, pass inspections, and do not break safety regulations; the new agreement could generate as much as $675 million in cost savings; each year there are roughly 4.5 million truck crossings and each crossing cost $150; last year more than $2.75 billion in goods travelled across the border

  • Texas to pass tougher immigration laws

    Texas is the latest state to join the ranks of state legislatures across the United States seeking to pass tougher immigration laws; the proposed bill is less strict than the many Arizona-style laws that are making its way through other states, but critics say that the bill will encourage racial profiling, take valuable resources from critical police work, and give rogue agents free reign to harass immigrants; supporters disagree as the bill eschews the more controversial provisions of the Arizona law by not requiring police officers to inquire about immigration status; the bill would also eliminate “sanctuary cities” and allow officers to maintain records and help federal authorities enforce immigration laws

  • Border securityRep. King, CBP commissioner, Nassau County executive discuss borders

    A high-level meeting took place in Mineola, Long Island, earlier this week between among Representative Pete King, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Alan Bersin, commissioner, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, Edward Mangano, Nassau County executive; a spokesperson said the meeting was about the Federal government’s efforts to make U.S. borders safe while working to promote commerce and trade