Background

The United States Border Patrol was established on May 28, 1924 by an act of Congress in response to illegal immigration problems. The initial force was given the responsibility of combating illegal entries and the growing business of alien smuggling.
In their own words, the Border Patrol's mission is to secure our borders, which includes saving lives.

An independent study found that almost 1200 people died crossing the border between 1993 and 1996. In June 1998, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) first announce the border safety initiative, a strategy designed to make the border safer for everyone. Since then, over 1800 people have been killed crossing the border.

People in Mexico are seen through the U.S./Mexican border fence at Border State Park west of San Ysidro, California. It was originally hoped that it would become a bi-national peace and friendship park. The United States Government has abandoned this goal and has planned to replace the single fence with three parallel fences in a 200 foot swath lining the U.S. side of the border. The result of thisplan being a small seaside parkturned into a "No man's land," further contributing to the buffer the U.S. has afforded itself from its Mexican neighbor.

While this may provide greater control over illegal entry into the U.S. for Border Patrol agents, it also creates a potential safety hazard for those trying to cross. Additionally, an already weak link between these two neighboring cities will continue to diminish.