Many people believe border walls to be an effective solution by which nations can secure their borders, providing an effective perimeter security solution. However, many experts question whether or not these types of barriers actually work.
What is a Border Wall?
A border barrier or wall is a physical separation that runs along or near an international border. These types of barriers/fences are typically constructed for:
- Preventing illegal immigration
- Decreasing the strain of patrolling the border by security staff
- Preventing lost tax revenue from smuggling
- Safeguarding citizens
- Protection of private property
- Prevent undue incarceration due to deterrence
The primary purpose of a border wall is for access control. Border fences are used by many countries worldwide because it helps them maintain security on their own territory while also ensuring all visitors follow proper procedures before getting past security checkpoints.
Disadvantages of a Border Wall
There are many disadvantages concerning the creation of such a daunting physical barrier. Most of these are related to environmental impact and include:
- Threatening diverse landscapes
- Increased risk of flooding
- Disruption to wildlife and plants
Non-environmental disadvantages include:
- Extreme cost considerations
- Ease of circumvention (ie. building a tunnel)
- Altered economy for both sides of the fence
Types of Border Walls
There are four basic types of border walls:
- Bollard wall/bollard fencing
- Levee wall
- Mesh wall/mesh fencing
- Pedestrian fencing
Border Protection
Maintaining good functional border protection programs has proven difficult due to the incredible amount of area that needs to be monitored. Border protection strategy will vary at different points along the wall: port of entry versus remote regions.
1. Border Protection at Ports of Entry
The ports of entry are checkpoints or gateways for persons and goods to pass legally from one country to another. Most of the issues with border protection at the port of entry center around inspection and policing.
Current protection methods:
- Use of drug-sniffing dogs
- Cargo scanners
- Detectors (ie. radioactive)
- Manual searches
- Video analytics
2. Border Protection for Remote Areas:
The cost of protecting the border with security patrols is expensive, as border patrol agents are tasked with monitoring miles of border wall. Security response has therefore become more reactive. The advancement of electronic surveillance systems has led to faster responses to security threats. These include:
- Ground sensors (ie. seismic)
- CCTV cameras
- Perimeter alarms
- Surveillance towers
- Drone surveillance
- Satellite surveillance
- Mobile surveillance gear for security staff