Recent media reports have brought attention to the U.S.
border with Mexico and the crisis brought about by an
exploding and increasingly dangerous drug trade. Examples
of this crisis include countless reports of local Mexican
officials being murdered by those associated with the drug
trade in Mexico. While much of the intelligence focus in
the U.S. for the past seven years appears to have been upon
the Middle East and South Asia, a crisis does exist on the
U.S. southern border with Mexico and requires dedicated
intelligence analysts and federal agents to ameliorate the
situation. This article explains the current border crisis
along with the Obama administration plan to address this
situation, as well as some analysis on how intelligence
agency 'related jobs might be affected by this recent
legislation.

The Crisis

The deterioration of security along the U.S.-Mexico border
has increased significantly over the past year. Drug
cartels, bolstered by the increasing U.S. demand for
illegal drugs as well as the ease with which sophisticated
weapons can be purchased in the U.S., are growing in
influence throughout the border region. One report
indicates that over 90% of drug cartel weapons originate
from the U.S. and that around 90% of illegal drugs that
come into the U.S. enter through Mexico.1 The "drug war"
has been linked to around 7,000 deaths in the past sixteen
months in the border region.2

U.S. Response

In early March, President Calderón of Mexico ordered
over 7500 soldiers and 1700 federal officers into Ciudad
Juarez, the Mexican city across the border from El Paso.3
In addition to the Mexican military bulking up its border
presence, U.S. authorities are becoming more prominently
involved in this crisis. The Obama administration recently
announced a number of steps which would be taken to address
this crisis:

- The Obama administration will spend close to $700 million
in 2009 to work with Mexican law enforcement; around $30
million in stimulus funds will be applied to local and
state law enforcement agencies along the border.

- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that
360 agents will be sent to both Border Patrol and ICE units
on the U.S./Mexican border, along with 100 ATF agents.

- DHS, the Department of Justice, and the Treasury
Department are increasing efforts and personnel along the
southwest U.S. border. This plan includes doubling border
security task force teams, increasing the number of local
law enforcement officers and intelligence analyst
positions, tripling the number of DHS intelligence analysts
working along the southwest border, and increasing ICE
staff in the U.S. embassy in Mexico.

- The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will now allocate 29%
of its domestic agent positions to southwest border field
divisions, along with an increase in ATF agents.
Furthermore, the FBI is creating a Southwest Intelligence
Group, which will become a clearinghouse of all FBI
activities related to Mexico.4

Southern border crisis effects upon Intelligence Agency
Analyst and Federal Agent Jobs

Given the increase in attention and funding for southwest
border security initiatives, intelligence agency jobs and
federal agent job opportunities will be increasing
significantly. This could mean that in the coming year,
more openings for intelligence agency jobs and federal
agent jobs that focus on border security will be available
for qualified individuals that have the education and/or
work experience to help this cause. Those individuals with
a Spanish language background, regional experience, or
specific functional experience or advanced education, such
as a master's degree in a security-related field will be in
demand. Despite the current global economic crisis, U.S.
government agencies such as DHS, FBI, and DEA, among
others, will continue to hire individuals to fill
intelligence agency-related jobs such as intelligence
analysts as well as federal agent positions in order to
mitigate the crisis brought about by illicit drug trade.

1 "U.S. Taking Steps to Control Violence on the Mexican
Border," New York Times, 25 March, 2009.

2 "Clinton Visits Mexico as Strains Show in Relations,"
New York Times, 25 March, 2009.

3 "Mexico Bulks up Border Forces in Drug War," USA Today
online, 3 March, 2009.

4 "Obama Lays Out US-Mexico Border Strategy," The Boston
Globe, 24 March, 2009.


----------------------------------------------------
Daniel Sommer is Director of Marketing at Henley-Putnam
University. Henley-Putnam offers accredited online Bachelor
and Master of Science Degrees in Intelligence Management,
Terrorism & Counterterrorism Studies, and Management of
Protection Management, and a Doctoral Degree Program in
Strategic Security. For more information on Henley-Putnam
University, or Intelligence Agency Jobs, visit
http://www.Henley-Putnam.edu .


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