Illegal Immigration And Its Effects On The United States

[Intro] The United States’ border with Mexico is nearly 2,000 miles long, and it is the duty of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to guard it from the illegal entry of immigrants. I am going to explain to you what this agency does, the methods they use to battle illegal immigration, and how immigrants continue to slip through the border.   [1] The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or “CBP,” is in charge of monitoring everyone and everything crossing our border. While welcoming all legitimate travelers and trade, CBP officers and agents enforce all applicable U.S. laws. CBP prevents narcotics, agricultural pests, and smuggled goods from entering the country, and also identifies and arrests those with outstanding criminal warrants. According to cbp.gov, the official website of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, last year the CBP officers welcomed 1.2 million people at the nation’s 314 land, air, and seaports while denying entry to more than 3,000 inadmissible visitors on an average day. The Border Patrol themselves use means such as jeeps, boats, helicopters, and miles and miles of barriers in the constant effort to stop the entry of illegal aliens.   [Transition] But even with all of those who work to prevent illegal immigration, thousands of illegal immigrants still slip through the United States border every year without being caught.   [2] One way immigrants are managing to cross the border is through areas with shoddy fencing in place and spots with no fencing at all. To some immigrants, coming to America may be as easy as finding an area seldom patrolled by guards and jumping a chain-link fence. On the other hand, most urban areas have primary barriers, which are comprised of things like vertical railroad rails and thin concrete walls, and secondary barriers, which resemble the chain-link fences found around a typical prison. In some of the more violent areas populated by gangs or drug cartels, the barrier has been improved with a third fence, but even...