Homeland Security & Border Patrol

Growing Political Risks In Border Patrol

One of the roles of Homeland Security forces is to defend the border against intrusion. Border patrol threats typically take the form of illegal immigration between countries, especially where there is a large economic variance between two nations.

The shooting of an unarmed 17-year-old sparked new controversy and demands from NGOs and human rights organizations.

An example of this situation is the border control between Mexico and the United States. Between 2010 and 2013, 20 unarmed civilians killed. Reasons cited involved the self-defense of border patrol officials against unarmed civilians who threw rocks at them from the Mexican side of the border. In another border incident in November 2013, the shooting of an unarmed 17-year-old sparked new controversy and demands from NGOs and human rights organizations. These organizations urged the U.S. Border Patrol to change its policy of using lethal force in rock throwing scenarios. As similar incidents continue to occur in the coming years, the use of less-lethal weapons (LLW) will become an issue of greater importance for U.S. Homeland Security.

Special Need For Less-Lethal Ammunition Accuracy And Distance

In a border control environment, the more accuracy and range a less-lethal ammunition holds, the greater its utility and potential for application. Range and accuracy are especially important for officers who must deliver impact on targets fleeing capture, as is often the case with migrants at porous border points.

Most manufacturers of less-lethal 37/40mm impact rounds claim accuracy at approximately 100 feet. Because the target of a less-lethal weapon is typically on the move, striking a subject or target at a longer range becomes problematic. It is assumed within the industry that hitting a mobile target beyond 50m is unrealistic.

The Application Of Payload Delivery In New Compliance Tactics

Using less-lethal weapons (LLW) versus lethal weapons to apprehend fleeing migrants makes a lot of sense in a border control scenario. less-lethal weapons in this application can be enhanced by the use of chemical payloads delivered via a grenade launcher. Marker rounds can be used with special paints that are temporary or permanent to mark suspects for apprehension by immigration officials at a later point.

Malodorant compounds can be used to inflict a very powerful and unpleasant stench on individuals or groups using accurate impact munitions. Impact on or near the target coats them with a terrible odor that lasts for days or even weeks. In the previously mentioned Mexican scenario, a cluster of malodorant rounds could have dispersed the rock throwers rather than resorting to lethal force. This tactic is called area denial.

U.S. Border Patrol officers face a common tactic whereby groups of illegal aliens rush the border all at once in order to overwhelm security personnel by their numbers. A border guard with a 40mm semi-automatic grenade launcher loaded with marker rounds or malodorant payloads could use area denial to stop the success of these border attacks and their role in border penetration.