Introduction
The safety and security of the United States and its citizens were put into question after the events of 9/11. This event has caused a tremendous response from society, leading to the creation of The Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The DHS had to construct and continuously maintain a variety of agencies whose teamwork is essential for the United States. This paper will review four of its agencies and analyze the efficiency of its treatment prevention systems.
The Four Agencies of the Department of Homeland Security
Four agencies that are linked directly to border control will be reviewed. United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) manages immigration laws and ensures secure trade and travel (“Operational and support components,” 2021). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services deal with immigration requests and deportation (Gaines, 2012). United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) works on the prevention of cross-border criminal activities (Gaines, 2012). The final part of border protection agencies is the United States Coast Guard, which defends the U.S. marine borders and ensures safe passage for sea transport (Gaines, 2012). As the outside terrorist threats were the primary concern during the post-9/11 era, these agencies were greatly expanded throughout the years to ensure meticulous control over all potential weak points.
The DHS is an evolving organization that covers a wide variety of areas, requiring a complex network of cooperating agencies that have a single global purpose. The link between the CBP, the United States Coast Guard, USCIS, and ICE highlights the scope of impact of DHS. They serve to protect the U.S. borders and uphold immigration policies to ensure that no outside threat can enter the country by any means. Protection of marine approaches by the U.S. Coast Guard combined with the control by the ICE ensures that borders remain safe and devoid of illegal activities carried by foreign criminals (“Operational and support components,” 2021). At the same time, their actions are supported by the USCIS and CBP, whose task lies in regulating federal immigration and product import laws (Gaines, 2012). Illegal aliens who come with malicious intentions towards U.S. citizens have to pass a multitude of barriers that must detect and prevent any possibility of a terrorist attack.
The tasks performed by The Homeland Security Advisory System may not be apparent or extensively highlighted by media, yet they are paramount to the United States’ safety. The number of terrorist attacks in the U.S. is low, making it challenging to conduct statistical analysis, yet it can also serve as a sign of agencies’ efficiency (Dahl, 2021). The combined effort of the DHS can be seen through reports of prevented incidents. Dahl (2021) states that the combined effort of the security agencies “have effectively thwarted 230 terrorist attacks and violent plots in the U.S. since 9/11” (p. 1). Reports are being issued by the agencies to spread the word to the U.S. citizens who must know that they do not need to live in fear.
Recent efforts to counteract threats to national security are being posted regularly online by the DHS. For example, the report from August 2021 reveals what sources were identified and actively monitored by its agencies (“National terrorism advisory system bulletin,” 2021). Moreover, it points towards possible locations of acts of terrorism, includes motives for such atrocities, and ensures Americans that the response from the DHS is as complete and extensive as humanely possible (“National terrorism advisory system bulletin,” 2021). The bulletin also reveals that every person is able to contribute to the cause by staying prepared and informed regarding possibly suspicious activities (“National terrorism advisory system bulletin,” 2021). Such reports serve a crucial function in communication between the government and its citizens.
A portion of the success of the DHS’ efforts lies in managing communications. There is an evident cohesion among law enforcement, emergency, and national security forces that is greatly improved by the actions of the DHS in regards to efficient communication (Napolitano, 2019). Even such a mishap as the false alarm incident that occurred in 2018 in Hawaii shows that all systems for alerting citizens work at full capacity during all times (Napolitano, 2019). With the help of locals who often communicate their concerns over possible terrorist attacks, the DHS was able to avoid many mass casualties.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the DHS provides a multi-layer defense against outside and inside threats with the usage of the latest technologies and strategies. It efficiently ensures that the U.S. citizens will never face the tragedy of the size of 9/11 ever again. Cooperation is critical for the DHS agencies and between local organizations that take part in counteracting terrorist threats. Nowadays, the DHS serves as a link between law enforcement and emergency services to ensure a timely response to any source of danger to the peace of society. Strategies for protection may seem to be excessive for some, yet they are necessary for ensuring that the country will never have to witness mass murder and remain alert on possible sources of terrorist attacks.
References
Dahl, E. J. (2021). Assessing the effectiveness of the Department of Homeland Security, 20 years after 9/11. Watson Institute. Web.
Gaines, L. K. (2012). Homeland Security. Pearson.
Napolitano, J. (2019). How safe are we?: Homeland Security since 9/11. Hachette Book Group.
National terrorism advisory system bulletin. (2021, August 16). Department of Homeland Security. Web.
Operational and support components. (2021, December 13). Department of Homeland Security. Web.