Health and Economic Concerns among Border Security Agencies and The Issues in Immigration

Border and Coastal Security
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Border and Coastal Security
Border and port security have changed dramatically across the United States. The government enacted various policies and procedures in response to the September 11 terror attack. The incident influences the multiple strategies that the government passes. The critical objective of border and port security is to enhance the safety of citizens. The paper discusses topics that relate to health and economic concerns among border security agencies. For instance, theft of intellectual property (IP) and counterfeits affects government and citizens’ well-being. Equally, the research explores the issue of immigration as an equally relevant aspect that relates to border security. In this case, the paper reveals ways the European Union established the procedures and policies that effectively deter threats. A key aspect is to compare European Union’s border ideologies to U.S/Mexico. Lastly, the paper reveals the implementation of SMART Port Security, Marine Transportation Security Act, SAFE Port Act, and the Small Vessel Security Strategy.
Intellectual Property (IP) and ways that Counterfeit Merchandise Impact the U.S Economy
Intellectual property entails any product of the human intellect that the government protects from unauthorized use by others. The sale, importation, and trade of counterfeit merchandise have significantly impacted the United States’ economy. Handbags, jewelry, accessories, and apparel are the common forms of counterfeit merchandise. Notably, China has been one of the significant manufacturers of intellectual property rights. According to Zagaris and Boyle (2020), statistics indicate that the United States law enforcement agencies picked a total of $1.2 billion worth of limitations from China. The sale of counterfeit goods costs the economy billions of dollars annually, with the United States being the main destination of counterfeit merchandise. For that reason, federal agents commit to enhancing border security to deter the entry of counterfeit products. Apparel and accessories are the main counterfeit products for homeland security.
American industries and businesses lose billions of revenues annually resulting from counterfeits. Besides, other organizations realize an increased cost of operations and loss of productivity, which affects their growth. The emergence of the counterfeit, black market has resulted in high employment rates. However, such markets have continued to shatter personal financial situations while causing financial constraints in most families. Equally, counterfeits are major burdens on federal and state welfare programs. Counterfeit products with harmful chemicals and ingredients are likely to cause injury or even death.
Counterfeits are the leading cause of abuse and misuse of intellectual property rights. For instance, a misappropriation of trademarks is likely to compromise and destroy the value of products to consumers. Pharmaceuticals are the main products that lack adequate protection for intellectual property rights. For instance, some medicines are likely to cause infections, poisoning, and even allergic reactions after their consumption. As such, related companies are at a high risk of incurring high costs in research and development, especially in developing new products. Notably, counterfeits are likely to jeopardize economic growth and brand reputation.
Intellectual property includes artistic designs, symbols, inventions, and blueprints. Laws and policies protect improved inventions to protect the government, assets, and organizations. However, some of the regulations fail, increasing intellectual property theft that affects all the involved parties. Just as aforementioned, IP theft entails stealing blueprints, actual design, and sensitive data. Following an increase in counterfeits and IP theft, companies and the government incur heavy losses resulting from loss of revenue and taxes, respectively.
Safety and Health Concerns that Counterfeit Products Pose
Counterfeit products pose safety and health concerns across the United States and even globally. For instance, counterfeit medicines and cosmetics have adverse health impacts. Although some customers might prefer such products since they are cheaper than genuine products, the costs saved far outweighs their negative effects. According to LaDou et al. (2018), customs border agents seized more than 2,000 shipments of counterfeit cosmetics in 2016, which might have caused adverse impacts to the consumers. Replica makeup contains harmful chemicals, such as aluminum, arsenic, and mercury, that are likely to cause skin rashes, swollen lips, chemical burns, and other allergic reactions. Brenda Smith, the executive assistant commissioner at Trade Office at Customs and Border Protection, reported that unsafe consumer products have unsanitary conditions. The significant risk is that consumers ignore that there could be some ingredients in makeup that would compromise their health, which worsens the situation.
Besides, the sale and distribution of counterfeit medications have emerged as a significant concern since it is a threat to public health. Counterfeit medicines are unsafe for humans, resulting from their likely potential harm. The major producers of such products are the countries without any regulations o making drugs. Developing countries are the primary distributors of counterfeit medicines (LaDou et al., 2018). However, the United States experiences a major opioid crisis resulting from poisoning. Equally, consumers of counterfeit medications are likely to experience worsened health conditions or even death since such products have fewer or no active ingredients. The lax in law enforcement is likely to lead to the sale of counterfeit drugs being a primary concern across the United States and other parts of the world. For that reason, public health ought to be the key priority to the government, especially in preventing the sale and distribution of counterfeit medicines.
Ways that IP Theft pose Existential Threat to National Security
IP theft is one of the significant threats to national security and the United States economy. In such a case, the United States incurs millions of dollars as a major economic constraint and compromise national security. Cyber-attacks have emerged as diplomacy tools, especially in the technology-driven era. Despite the significant development in the United States, any threat to national security results in devastating impacts. Following the adoption of modern technology in most sectors of the economy, IP theft negatively impacts jobs, businesses, and the general economy.
The United States has encountered heightened threats over the last five years. The country has been a target of retaliation, with IP theft being the foremost revenge. Notably, cyber threats have risen annually, primarily to national and economic security. The country depends on the internet to facilitate primary operations and life facets (Rosenbaum, 2019). Cybercriminals utilize malware, phishing, and remote hacking intrusions to execute malicious intentions. Equally, cyber threats result from attackers who exploit the available information systems to gain a financial advantage or insight into U.S Military. Therefore, the government should safeguard national security against cybercriminals.
Counterintelligence and economic espionage are significant threats to national and financial security. In most instances, hackers target critical infrastructures and learning institutions. According to Rosenbaum (2019), cyberattacks are a lea...