Violence related to drugs and human trafficking along the U.S. border with Mexico is a constant problem for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Heightened drug violence in Mexican border towns in response to Mexican President Calderon’s militarization of the fight against Mexican drug cartels has increased U.S. citizen’s concern for their own safety. U.S./Mexico border security is vital for continuous free trade between the two countries as well as the safety of U.S. citizens, and therefore the United States will continue to make border security a key priority. Because of this heightened threat along the border, border patrol agents and others who work in border security must continue to advance their formal protection education or protection training in order to meet the increasing security demands along the border. This essay provides an overview of the current security situation along the U.S./Mexican border and explains why continued protection training is important for all border agents and security specialists.

Border Violence

In February 2011, a U.S. ICE official was shot and killed by a group of Zeta drug cartel members while he was traveling by car in the northern region of Mexico. This attack illustrates the increasing level of drug-related violence in Mexico, which has claimed more than 28,000 lives since 2006. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano recently visited the border region to meet with border town mayors. She mentioned that despite the high level of violence on the Mexican side of the border, DHS was doing everything possible to strengthen border security in the U.S. Such measures include increasing the number of border patrol agents from 10,000 in 2004 to over 20,700 today as well as “doubling” the Border Enforcement Security Task Force. Over a quarter of all U.S. ICE employees have been assigned to the U.S./Mexico border region. Napolitano also commented on the augmented levels of collaboration between U.S. and Mexican security specialists in the areas of law enforcement, intelligence sharing, and joint operations. Napolitano further mentioned that DHS would continue to add new security features to the border, including the current deployment of 250 new border agents as well as 300 additional agents with 2011 budget approval.

Importance of continuous protection education

These ongoing initiatives are obviously vital for increasing safety and security of the border region, and highlight the demand for advanced protection education or protection training among security specialists. Agents and analysts working in border security must develop a deep understanding of the various threats facing stakeholders along the border, including private citizens and government officials. Protection is not simply about personal or physical protection. Rather, specialists in this area must learn to detect and mitigate threats before they become a reality. Security specialists would benefit from advanced protection education or protection training, whether by taking on-the-job courses through the U.S. government or advancing their knowledge of protection through outside education. Protection education includes coursework ranging from executive and dignitary protection, crisis preparedness, and advance work, to intelligence and counterterrorism analysis.

The difficult physical and mental demands of a career in border security require that even the most experienced professionals undergo protection training throughout their careers in order to stay ahead of the evolving tactics used by drug cartels. Border security specialists in both Mexico and the United States must continue to hone their protection skills in order to initially contain and ultimately reduce border violence.

Author Bio: Dan Sommer works for Henley-Putnam University, a leading educational institution in the field of Strategic Security. For more info on Henley-Putnam University, protection education, protection training, call 888-852-8746 or visit us online at http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu

Category: Education
Keywords: protection education, protection training