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Border and Port Security
commentary
Hadrian's Wall Was a Policy Statement; So Is Donald Trump's
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Mar 6, 2019
United Press International
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.
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Politics and Government
blog
Shutdown, Hezbollah, Border Wall: RAND Weekly Recap
Feb 15, 2019
This weekly recap focuses on Americans' financial fragility, Hezbollah in Venezuela, assessing the effectiveness of a border wall, and more.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
The Wall Is Not the Only Answer
Blas Nunez-Neto
Feb 8, 2019
The Hill
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.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
What Border Walls Can and Cannot Accomplish
Raphael S. Cohen
Jan 8, 2019
Fox News Channel
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?
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Migrants
commentary
America's Overwhelmed Immigration System
Blas Nunez-Neto
Dec 5, 2018
Dallas Morning News
The Trump administration's options to deal with the surge of asylum seekers arriving at the U.S. border appear to be limited. What policies could help address the problem?
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Mexico
commentary
How the Results of the Mexican Election Could Impact U.S. National Defense
Sean M. Zeigler
Jun 7, 2018
Dallas Morning News
The United States and Mexico collaborate in several important areas. In particular, the relationship is strong on the military-to-military front. But the upcoming Mexican presidential election could change this dynamic.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
Prioritizing Security at the U.S. Border with Mexico
Blas Nunez-Neto
Jan 29, 2018
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
The Big Border Security Question
Blas Nunez-Neto
Dec 9, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
Broken Border or Broken Policy?
Blas Nunez-Neto
Nov 17, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Immigration and Emigration
commentary
Would a Border Wall Be Effective?
Scott Savitz
Sep 26, 2016
Dallas Morning News
A wall along the U.S. border with Mexico would be a wasteful endeavor. Like many walls throughout history, it would probably be undermined by tunnels. And in general, fences and walls don't prevent people from crossing boundaries. They merely slow people down.
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Immigration and Emigration
commentary
Understanding and Addressing the Unaccompanied Minor Immigration Issue
Ernesto F. L. Amaral, Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Apr 22, 2016
The Hill
The number of unaccompanied child immigrants apprehended at the U.S. southwest border is on the rise again, the majority of them coming not from Mexico, but from Central America. Research could provide valuable information to policymakers as they try to find ways to help young immigrants.
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Border and Port Security
commentary
Walls Won't Keep Us Safe
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Apr 15, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
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.
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Crime
commentary
El Chapo's Prison Escape Should Come as No Surprise
Scott Savitz
Jul 24, 2015
Fox News Channel
Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel and similar criminal organizations have long used tunnels to literally undermine security along the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Security Cooperation
commentary
If U.S.-Mexico Get Security Right, Other Good Policy Will Follow
Agnes Gereben Schaefer
May 29, 2013
Houston Chronicle
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.
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Illegal Drug Trade
commentary
Legalization in the U.S. and Crime in Mexico
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
May 23, 2013
NYTimes.com
Driving Mexican marijuana out of the U.S. would probably reduce the traffickers' export revenue by a few billion dollars a year, writes Beau Kilmer. But would reducing that revenue lead to a corresponding decrease in trafficker violence?
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Drug Policy and Trends
commentary
Drug Cartels an X-Factor for Obama, Peña Nieto
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Feb 20, 2013
The Orange County Register
Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto and President Obama both face daunting domestic challenges and have ambitious domestic agendas, but both presidents are savvy politicians who realize that each will benefit from the other's success, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Immigration Legislation
blog
Potential Path to Citizenship for Undocumented Immigrants Takes Shape
Jan 31, 2013
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.
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Mexico
commentary
Will Mexico's New President Continue the War on the Cartels?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Nov 16, 2012
The RAND Blog
During his campaign, Enrique Peña Nieto, the victorious PRI candidate, promised frightened and war-weary Mexicans a reduction in the violence, but since his election victory in July, he has sounded more and more bellicose, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.
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Illegal Drug Trade
commentary
Assessing Mexico's Narco-Violence
Benjamin Bahney, Agnes Gereben Schaefer
May 14, 2009
The San Diego Union-Tribune
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.
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Mexico
commentary
Could Mexico Fail?
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Feb 13, 2009
Homeland Security Today
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.
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