Border Security Doesn’t Yield Consistent Results (CRS)
Border security to prevent unauthorized migration along the U.S-Mexico border is a dynamic and challenging problem that has not consistently been mitigated by allocating increased resources, such as fencing and surveillance, says a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service.
“Robust investments at the border were not associated with reduced unauthorized inflows during the 1980s and 1990s, but a range of evidence suggests a substantial drop in unauthorized inflows from 2007 to 2011, followed by a rise from 2012 to 2014 and a decrease in 2015,” CRS said. See Border Security: Immigration Enforcement Between Ports of Entry, updated April 19, 2016.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service that Congress has withheld from online public distribution include the following.
DHS Appropriations FY2016: Protection, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, updated April 18, 2016
Escalating Violence in El Salvador, CRS Insight, updated April 20, 2016
Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, updated April 15, 2016
Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy, updated April 18, 2016
What’s on Television? The Intersection of Communications and Copyright Policies, April 20, 2016
Funding for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CSS) at DOE: In Brief, April 19, 2016
The National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP): Issues in Brief, updated April 19, 2016
Arms Sales: Congressional Review Process, updated April 19, 2016
The Islamic State’s Acolytes and the Challenges They Pose to U.S. Law Enforcement, April 19, 2016
Investing in interventions behind the walls is not just a matter of improving conditions for incarcerated individuals—it is a public safety and economic imperative. By reducing recidivism through education and family contact, we can improve reentry outcomes and save billions in taxpayer dollars.
The U.S. government should establish a public-private National Exposome Project (NEP) to generate benchmark human exposure levels for the ~80,000 chemicals to which Americans are regularly exposed.
The federal government spends billions every year on wildfire suppression and recovery. Despite this, the size and intensity of fires continues to grow, increasing costs to human health, property, and the economy as a whole.
To respond and maintain U.S. global leadership, USAID should transition to heavily favor a Fixed-Price model to enhance the United States’ ability to compete globally and deliver impact at scale.