Final assignment. Protecting The Nation. Social Sciences Essay

Protecting The Nation
Name
Institution
Protecting The Nation
Immigration does not serve as the most important at this time due to emerging threats from terrorists, particularly from state-sponsored criminals. Currently, a large number of terrorist organizations are taking advantage of refugee programs so that they can infiltrate the United States. Most of these programs have been an easy target since the approaches used to vet and screen refugees were not useful, allowing a large number of terrorists to enter the country over the years (“Executive Order 13780—Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” 2017). The risks inherent in immigration programs expose a large percentage of the population to more threats.
Various programs have been initiated by the federal government to encourage individuals from religious minority groups to move to the US if they are facing persecution. However, such programs have become an opportunity for terrorists to enter the county. The changes in immigration policies also reveal the importance of protecting the country by ensuring that new immigrants are not a threat. This is a good step, especially since there are countries such as active conflict zones or those which have been compromised by terrorist organizations that can act as a source of attackers. It is also challenging to admit new individuals into the country since it is difficult to trust the validity and authenticity of their information (“Executive Order 13780—Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” 2017). It is very easy for terrorist groups to use false documents so that they can enter the country. The terrorists can quickly get sympathizers or operatives who are willing to travel to the US.
Additionally, once the individual gets to the US, it could be challenging to determine if they are involved in terrorist activities. Since 2001, the number of foreign-born people who commit terrorist crimes has been on the rise. This consists of individuals who have arrived in the country legally on visas to those who have also come to the country as refugees. For example, in 2014, a naturalized US citizen who was a native of Somalia and was brought into the country as a child plotted to detonate a bomb on Portland, Oregon (“Executive Order 13780—Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” 2017). It is also hard for the US government to get travel documents or other documents so that the person can go back. This acts like a loophole that the terrorist could use to ensure that they have operatives in the country.
It is imperative to limit the rate of immigration as a security measure. This entails temporary suspending travel to and from specific locations, which are deemed as a risk to the country’s national security. This also means that countries have to provide the US with particular information about the individual before they are allowed to immigrate country (“Executive Order 13780—Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” 2017). This is crucial since it ensures the security agencies carry out proper vetting and review of foreign nationals. This will make it harder for the terrorist to infiltrate the country.
Some unique cases also arise whereby it is impossible to get valid information about the individual from governments. This includes situations where the US does not have a positive relationship with a country such as Iran. The country is regarded as a state sponsor of terrorism, and this means it has the resources and power to infiltrate the US. Iran is also linked to various terrorist groups such as the al-Qa’ida and other groups in South Asia and Syria (“Executive Order 13780—Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States,” 2017). The country is also not cooperative with the US in regards to counterterrorism efforts. In this regard, immigration is not crucial at this point since it exposes the country to terrorist attacks. The presence of different “enemy” states means that strict immigration policies are a first step to counter the threats.
Critical Infrastructure
The sector that possesses the most significant risk when examining critical infrastructure is energy. The sector has been experiencing an increasing number of terrorist attacks due to the significance and even the impact of such attacks. The industry tends to account for a significant percentage of the country’s GDP. Most terrorists focus their attacks on infrastructure, which has a commercial interest, and the energy sector is diverse and has a wide array of activities. An attack can result in the disruption of economic activities, which can have a long term impact on a country (Kumar et al. 2018). The consequences can be costly since the country relies on the energy sector for different needs. The government’s revenues depend on taxes obtained from the energy sector. Al-Qaida is known for attacking personnel working in oil companies and various facilities in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Yemen, and Iraq. Besides physical destruction like bombing, the sector is also exposed to other types of attacks like cyber-attacks. The use of nuclear energy production approaches means that such systems can be attacked by malicious attackers that can lead to damages (Kumar et al. 2018). Other types of attacks that can occur are stealing nuclear waste, which can be used for terrorism activities. If there is no electricity, then it would mean various services that depend on power from the primary electricity grid cannot work, such as communications, transportation, food, or water cannot work. Cyber-attacks can easily affect the energy sector since it relies on interconnected systems that depend on technology to function (Baggett & Simpkins, 2018). The reliance on new technologies means that hackers can attack the systems while in a foreign country to cause significant disruptions in the electricity supply. Energy is an essential service for the population, and lack of electricity can negatively impact a large community.
It will not be accepted if the government relies on extreme measures of protecting these resources at the expense of individual rights, especially if they are protected by the constitution. The legal and ethical issues that the government should have to consider while trying to harden the energy sector form terrorists is that it should not act in an abusive or discriminatory manner (Baggett & Simpkins, 2018). The government should not enact policies that would seem discriminatory to a person’s religion or other attributes. This is crucial, especially when coming up with strategies to improve security in various facilities in energy security. The employment policies should not be discriminatory. Other legal issues can arise which violate privacy laws. This can occur when investigations occur without the person’s consent, such as when accessing their mobile device or home, and the security agency does not have a search warrant. These issues can arise, especially when implementing cybersecurity efforts to prevent terrorist attacks. The government must consider the current laws and regulations which apply to cybersecurity issues (Baggett & Simpkins, 2018). This is vital when dealing with problems that would arise and also protecting businesses and consumers. The government has to ensure that it prot...