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Border and Port Security

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The UK Should Be Careful Not to Hand the Middle East to China
The UK's commitment to its relationship with Oman remains stable but it should not take its position west of India for granted. As the UK turns its gaze to the Indo-Pacific, Beijing is moving to strengthen its relations with Oman and increase its influence in the region.
Aug 13, 2024

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The Baltimore Bridge Collapse Is Also a National Security Problem
The accident in Baltimore is both a human tragedy and a reminder of how an adversary could seek to close critical waterways. By taking sustained actions to prevent and respond more effectively to obstructive attacks, the United States can help mitigate the risk and protect the maritime movements on which its security depends.
May 1, 2024
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The Crisis at the Border: A Primer for Confused Americans
A holistic update to U.S. immigration laws—based on American immigration needs and the factors that are driving people to make the dangerous trek to cross the border—would be politically challenging. But it would help reduce the numbers of daily migrants and the challenges that migration poses to receiving localities.
Feb 28, 2024
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IUU Fishing: A Maritime Security Threat Requiring Unique Solutions
Fish depreciate, have tighter profit margins than drugs, and have a consumer base that can impact demand. Using the weak points in illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing business models to decrease profitability won't solve IUU fishing worldwide, but it can decrease IUU fishing.
Feb 8, 2024
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Preparing for the Next India-China Border Crisis
Mounting tensions between India and China due to Chinese encroachment on their disputed border affect the United States and its Indo-Pacific strategy. Washington should assist New Delhi in deterring further Chinese attempts to nibble away at Indian territory and be ready to respond quickly in case events spiral out of control.
Feb 15, 2023
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Unblocking the Black Sea for Ukrainian Grain
As Russia has been blockading ports around Odesa, Ukrainian grain exports in May were more than 60 percent lower than a year ago. Global hunger has hit a new high while 22 million tons of grain in Ukraine could rot if not exported soon.
Jun 15, 2022
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How the EU Can Overcome Barriers to Using Artificial Intelligence in Border Security and Beyond
Artificial intelligence is increasingly a crucial tool for improvement and innovation in public policy and services. While there are opportunities to harness AI as a tool for improving the effectiveness of border-security functions, there are also barriers to its adoption.
May 17, 2021
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The Suez Grounding Was an Accident. The Next Blocked Chokepoint Might Not Be
The recent spectacle of a hulking container ship wedged into the Suez Canal is a reminder of how vulnerable maritime transportation is to blocked chokepoints. The fragility of maritime lifelines may encourage the use of this tactic in future conflict.
Mar 30, 2021
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Most Popular RAND Blog Commentary of 2019
Terrorism. The humanitarian crisis at the border. How to engage friends and foes on the world stage. Here are the top 10 commentaries that readers engaged with most on The RAND Blog in 2019.
Dec 23, 2019
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Common Sense Solutions to the Border Crisis
After years of declines, apprehensions of undocumented immigrants at the U.S.–Mexico border are set for their largest year-on-year increase in history. There is, in fact, a humanitarian crisis on the border. How did this come about? More importantly, what can be done to address it?
May 2, 2019
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Hadrian's Wall Was a Policy Statement; So Is Donald Trump's
It's not clear if Hadrian's Wall was necessary to prevent Scottish fighters from invading the Roman Empire. Neither is it clear how effective Trump's wall would be at repelling undocumented immigration and smugglers. Hadrian's Wall may have been of symbolic value to those on both sides of it. Trump's could be, too.
Mar 6, 2019
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Terrorists on the Border and Government Secrecy
Detailed information on how many would-be terrorists may have sought to cross the southern border is being withheld on the grounds that it is sensitive. The refusal of officials to offer a fuller explanation of the numbers illustrates how the continued expansion of secrecy in government is damaging the ability of the public to assess the risk and evaluate the response.
Feb 13, 2019
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The Wall Is Not the Only Answer
The president and Congress have just days to negotiate an agreement over border security, or the government may shut down once again. Until a bipartisan effort is made to reform U.S. immigration laws, policy options to address the incentives that cause people to risk their lives to come to the border to claim asylum will continue to be limited.
Feb 8, 2019
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State of the Union 2019: Insights from RAND
To shed light on a wide range of topics that figured in President Trump's second State of the Union address, we've rounded up insights from some of RAND's objective and nonpartisan research, analysis, and expertise.
Feb 6, 2019
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Shutdown Could Provide Opening for Adversaries to Corrupt Those Protecting the U.S. Homeland
Every day that the government shutdown continues prolongs the financial hardship for those on the front lines protecting the United States and gives cartels and transnational criminal organizations an opening to try to corrupt the DHS ranks. As negotiations continue to stall, the Trump administration and Congress should consider taking steps to guard against this vulnerability.
Jan 22, 2019
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What Border Walls Can and Cannot Accomplish
States have been building walls since ancient times. Some were arguably quite successful, others less so. At the core of prudent policy lies a basic question: What can walls realistically accomplish?
Jan 8, 2019
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The U.S. Military's Border Enforcement Role
The Trump administration announced a deployment of at least 5,200 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border. Is a military response of this size needed to address the situation on the southern border?
Nov 19, 2018
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New Border Policy Could Have Unintended Consequences
The Trump administration has announced significant policy changes to deter migrants from coming to America. These changes will likely have a significant impact on border operations and the federal court system. But it's less clear whether they will have the intended impact of reducing illegal immigration.
May 21, 2018
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European Security Cooperation Should Remain Comprehensive—Especially After Brexit
During Brexit negotiations, it could be tempting for the UK and EU to use certain security structures as 'bargaining chips'. However, it is in no one's interests for both sides to adopt a 'zero-sum' approach to security discussions.
Mar 28, 2018
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Prioritizing Security at the U.S. Border with Mexico
As debate on border security continues, policymakers would be wise to look beyond the heated rhetoric to clearly identify priorities and make informed decisions about how best to deploy finite resources to get the strongest security for the investment.
Jan 29, 2018
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Is Macron Set to 'Take Back Control' of UK-France Border After Brexit?
As French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in London for the 35th UK-France Summit, there is growing French discomfort with arrangements at the UK-France border. The UK's decision to leave the European Union has added new urgency to this already fraught debate.
Jan 17, 2018
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The Big Border Security Question
What does a secure U.S.-Mexico border look like? And what kind of security measures are needed? Despite investing billions of dollars since 9/11, it's still a struggle to measure how effective U.S. border security operations are.
Dec 9, 2017
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Broken Border or Broken Policy?
What does a secure land border look like? The U.S. government's inability to provide an answer has trapped America in a vicious cycle. Every decade, the perception that the U.S.-Mexico border isn't secure enough leads to big investments—with mixed results.
Nov 17, 2017
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Addressing Europe's Migrant Crisis Takes More Than Stopping the Boats from Libya
Treating migration from Libya as a border security issue has reduced migration across the Mediterranean. But efforts to keep migrants in Libya are fraught with risks, exacerbate a massive human rights problem, and do not address Libya's long-term economic and political stabilization.
Sep 25, 2017
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Sixty Years Later European Integration Has Benefited EU Countries
Sixty years after the Treaty of Rome, the EU is facing one of its most challenging periods. Closer ties and shared values across EU member states have provided social and economic benefits but any moves towards closer integration in Europe will fail to materialize in the absence of political will.
Mar 28, 2017
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How Will Defence and Security Be Affected by Brexit?
Trade and migration issues have dominated Brexit discussions. But the UK's decision to leave the EU also creates challenges for security, deepening uncertainty at a time when little certainty exists.
Mar 16, 2017
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Why a Travel Restriction Won't Stop Terrorism at Home
It's not unreasonable to seek a review of immigration, and refugee-vetting procedures make sense. But America's jihadist terrorists are not imported from abroad. They are mostly homegrown.
Feb 10, 2017
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A Changing Cuba May Create Risks for Maritime Border Security
A changing Cuba may contribute to less secure maritime borders for the United States. The U.S. should plan accordingly to stop mass movements of both drugs and people.
Nov 5, 2016
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Why Re-Establishing Border Controls in Europe Could Come at a High Cost
Reversing the Schengen agreement would come at a high economic cost, while undoing many of the positive social and political developments of the past decade.
Oct 13, 2016
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Walls Won't Keep Us Safe
Experience along the U.S. southern border demonstrates that even with fortifications, a wall provides only modest capacity to stop illegal crossings. More emphasis should be placed on expanding border security beyond the physical dimension.
Apr 15, 2016
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Ten Years After the Safe Port Act, Are America's Ports Secure?
The economic importance and visibility of America's ports make them attractive terrorism targets. Port security has improved, but many of the threats that motivated the Safe Ports Act in 2006 remain, and new dangers have emerged, including cyber threats.
Apr 6, 2016
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Improving Domestic Security to Combat Today's Terrorist Threats
Today, the U.S. confronts a multilayered terrorist threat and the recent spate of attacks in Europe underscores the necessity for ensuring that intelligence keeps up with it. Intelligence services must continue to prevent terrorist assaults dispatched from abroad, head off new shoe and underwear bombers, intercept individuals returning from jihadist fronts with terrorist intentions, while at the same time uncovering and thwarting homegrown plots.
Jan 30, 2015
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A Summer Reading List for Congress
No matter how policymakers spend their break—meeting with home-state constituents, traveling abroad with congressional delegations, or spending time with family—this summer reading list contains policy ideas that can help them hit the ground running when they return.
Jul 31, 2014
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Securing America's Ports by Better Measuring Capabilities
Funding for improving U.S. port security has declined from $389 million in 2008 to $100 million in 2014. This makes it more important than ever to ensure the highest possible return on investment from grant funding.
Jun 13, 2014
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Saving Money by Using Advanced DoD Sensors on the U.S. Border
There is no legal reason why a DoD sensor should be excluded from use in an interagency technology demonstration or in an actual counterdrug operation as long as a valid request for support is made by an appropriate law enforcement official and no personally identifiable or private information on U.S. citizens is collected.
Jun 6, 2014
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The Real Homeland Security Issues for 2014
Americans should be able to discuss the terrorist threat and how best to meet it, how much of the country’s precious resources should be devoted to homeland security, and the impact intelligence efforts can have on personal privacy and freedom.
Feb 5, 2014
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Border Security Is Key to Immigration Reform
Two important aspects of border security bear continued attention: strategy must be developed as one part of a holistic system of immigration management and any progress on improving this system is reliant on having concrete and sensible objectives and measures of success.
Jul 15, 2013
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If U.S.-Mexico Get Security Right, Other Good Policy Will Follow
Obama and Peña Nieto emphasized economic cooperation at their summit not because security issues have gone away, but because the new rules of the game in this nascent relationship between the two leaders are evolving, writes Agnes Gereben Schaefer.
May 29, 2013
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Is Enforcement Key to Fixing America's Immigration System?
The current debate regarding comprehensive immigration reform offers an opportunity to redesign the worksite immigration enforcement system to achieve more efficient enforcement with better intelligence on where undocumented workers are employed, say Andrew Morral and Peter Brownell.
Feb 15, 2013
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The State of the Union 2013
The 2013 SOTU address will be remembered for its impassioned call for greater gun control just two months after Sandy Hook. But President Obama's second-term agenda can be characterized by its sheer breadth, reflecting the broad range of policy challenges facing the United States today.
Feb 13, 2013
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Legalization and Border Security: Are We There Yet?
The White House and a bipartisan group of senators recently unveiled proposals for comprehensive immigration reform. The proposal raises a number of questions, says Peter Brownell: How would success in securing the border actually be determined? Would it mean absolutely zero unauthorized immigration across U.S. borders?
Feb 7, 2013
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Potential Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants Takes Shape
A group of U.S. Senators this week unveiled a proposal to reform the nation's immigration laws, outlining a path to citizenship for most of the nation's estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and endorsing an increase of certain types of foreign-born workers.
Jan 31, 2013
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Revisiting 100% Inspection
It is good that the congressmen have asked the Obama administration to revisit supply chain security. However, precipitous changes to how the global supply chain operates do not seem warranted, may not in fact improve security, and could have costly unintended consequences, writes Henry Willis.
Jul 6, 2012
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Assessing Mexico's Narco-Violence
Drug-related violence in Mexico has more than doubled over the past 18 months, with a sharp increase in crimes that can only be understood as atrocities. The executions, assassinations, and decapitations may all seem wanton and senseless. But this violence actually has a purpose, write Benjamin Bahney and Agnes Gereben Schaefer.
May 14, 2009
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Could Mexico Fail?
The lawlessness along the mexicanborder has gone way beyond alocal crime wave: there has beena dramatic increase in armed robberies, not by lone gunmen but by heavily armed gangs. Kidnappings and homicides are way up—and not just murders but beheadings.... It is starting to look like a terrorist campaign, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
Feb 13, 2009
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Speed Low-Risk Travelers Through Increased Security
Published commentary by RAND staff: Speed Low-Risk Travelers Through Increased Security, in Los Angeles Business Journal.
Sep 4, 2006
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Securing America's Ports
Published commentary by RAND staff: Securing America's Ports, in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Mar 26, 2006
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Securing U.S. Supply Chain
Published commentary by RAND staff:Securing U.S. Supply Chain appearing in United Press International.
Aug 29, 2005
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Selecting for Security
The recent decision to conduct random searches of backpacks and packages carried by passengers on New York and Boston subways, commuter trains, and buses has provoked controversy. Americans want better security, but remain wary about how it is provided.
Jul 26, 2005