Immigration Webography

Immigration Webography
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Immigration Webography
Introduction
Border security and immigration are interrelated policy issues: the first is concerned with the integrity of our country’s borders while the second is concerned with migration flows in and out of the country. The US is facing significant border security issues stemming from illegal immigration across its northern and southern borders. This essay will conduct a webography of relevant federal, state, and local agency websites. It will outline a list of 7 websites that pertain to the topic of immigration and border security. The essay will evaluate each website based on its characteristics and quality of content.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2016)
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal agency tasked with protecting the United States from cross-border criminal activities and illegal movement of goods and people into the country. It is also the largest and principal agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The ICE’s enforcement authorities include over 400 U.S. federal statutes from human smuggling to narcotics to contraband. ICE’s website has an attractive appearance and is simple to navigate: in addition to having pleasing aesthetics, the website is easy to use in terms of moving from one item to another. More importantly, the content on the website is relevant to the issue of immigration and border security. The website contains all the information that is typically and commonly required by individuals accessing content related to the agency, immigration enforcement, transnational crime, among other correlated topics. For instance, the website has a About Us tab where visitors can learn the mission, history, and organizational structure of ICE. The Immigration Enforcement tub contains information on how ICE implemented immigration laws including its criminal apprehension program, fugitive operations, and immigration authority delegation program. The Combating Transnational Crime tab contains details on ICE’s operation priorities like protecting national security, securing the US border, investigating cybercrime, preventing crimes of exploitation, combating financial crime, ensuring public safety, and upholding fairness in global trade. On the other hand, the Newsroom tab contains ICE’s news releases and statements, social media, feature stories, multimedia, as well as speeches and testimonies. Furthermore, the website has additional resources including ICE check-in for noncitizens, online detainee locator system, victims’ engagement and services line, and attorney information and resources, among others. On the whole, the strengths of the website are professional aesthetics, usability, and informativeness. However, the website lacks enough visual components to complement its broad resources: the website relies on iconography mostly to support the extensive content. While the website is very informative and covers a broad range of relevant information on ICE activities, jurisdictions, and help resources, there is very little use of visual effects. Using different font and color or adding more pictures will help make the website less bland without detracting the quality of information. For instance, increasing color contract and adding more visual displays of relevant content will help improve the design of the website and draw more traffic.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(U.S. Customs and Border Protection, 2019)
The US Customs and Border Protection is a federal agency tasked with preventing illegal immigration and cross-border terrorism. CBP’s top priority is restricting illegitimate migrants, terrorists, and contraband from entering the country to ensure public safety, border security, and economic prosperity. The agency’s website is easy to use and site visitors do not have to seek for pertinent information on CBP or its activities. For instance, all content is neatly arranged into different sections. The website also employs iconography as visual cues to enhance functionality across the website: visitors can easily access what they are looking for given the website’s obvious logical navigation and hierarchy. Although there is limited use of visual effects, the website appears to be efficiently constructed and focused on optimizing ease of use and content quality. The website is very informative and all information is relevant to CBP and its initiatives. For instance, the Login to Global Entry tab opens to a new way that is focused on helping visitors interested in trusted traveler programs, which allow program members to use expedited lanes at ports of entry when entering into America. The find an I-94 record directs to another page, an official site for travelers entering into the country and who want to apply for or retrieve I-94 records. The border wait times tab contains information on advisories and wait times at various ports of entry across the country. On the other hand, the locate a port of entry tab is useful to site visitors, particularly immigrants, who want to find a port of entry in any state or territory. The know before you visit tab is meant to improve public awareness of inspection routines by CBP to ease and quicken travel into America. Moreover, the website includes a tab for site visitors who wish to apply for ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) and another tab for contact details. On the whole, the website is professionally designed, easy to use, and informative. However, the weaknesses of the website include limited use of visual effects and weak call to action. The website employs the same font and color throughout and except the use of iconography and a few images, it appears rather bland and too formal. CBP could include different visual elements to make the site more enticing for visitors as well as stronger calls to action.
Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security is the umbrella agency tasked with homeland security mission from cybersecurity to border security to emergency response. DHS was founded immediately after the September 11 attacks to counter new and emerging national security threats including transnational criminal organizations, terrorist groups, cyberterrorism, and illegal immigration. The agency’s website is well-designed with an attractive layout and clear and attention-grabbing features. For instance, the website is loaded with hero images that clearly communicate the website’s purpose and message as well as entice the visitor to explore further. The navigation menu is easy to use and visitors can quickly locate relevant sections and pages. More importantly, the website’s content is pertinent and easy to read, with understandable and consistent messaging. For instance, the website has a About DHS tab where visitors can learn everything about the agency including leadership, mission, priorities, organization, history, priorities, and contact information. The Topics tab covers nearly all aspects of DHS functions including citizenship and immigration, border security, cybersecurity, election security, preventing terrorism, immigration and customs enforcement, and disasters, among others. There is also a News tab where visitors can learn all DHS news, press releases, media contacts, and featured news. The In Focus tab contains information on DHS’s current priority issues relating to migration and borders, cybersecurity, addressing climate change, deferred action for childhood arrivals, operation allies welcome, and honoring veterans, among other issues. The Get Involve tab is a call to action and invites site visitors to volunteer in various DHS initiatives including the Blue Campaign, Nationwide SAR Initiative, Citizen Corps, Stop the Bleed, and US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Additionally, the website contains pertinent resources on homeland security careers, cybersecurity, how to report suspicious activity, and check wait times. On the whole, the strengths of the website are attractive layout, informative resources, usability, and call-to-action buttons. However, one weakness is the use of too many website elements. The website has a brilliant design and tries to be as informative as possible with easy to use navigation menus. However, some visitors may find the use of different visual elements a bit excessive and experience information overload. There are many visual elements competing for attention and this can be overwhelming for first-time web visitors.
Office of the Governor Katie Hobbs
(Office of the Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, 2023)
The newly elected Arizona Governor, Katie Hobbs, has a website where her office communicates to state citizens about her administration’s priorities and latest news. Arizona is one of the states on the Southwest land border with Mexico and has over the years been combating with the issues of immigration and border security. The security challenge of containing illegal immigration into America along t...