ROLE OF IMMIGRATION IN NATIONAL SECURITY

Explain the role of immigration to national security Framework
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CARIBBEAN MARITIME INSTITUTE
Kingston, Jamaica
Bachelor of Science in Customs Processes, Freight Forwarding Management
And Immigration
The Role of Jamaica Immigration
The role of immigration in national security and its impact on the western world.
Year: 4 (Full-time)
Prepared by: Sharone Francis
ID#: 20111074

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Purpose
This article offers a pronged investigation report on immigration role in national security
framework for evaluating immigration as it regards policies and strategies in light of national
security goals. In the course of this paper, emphasis and highlights as it regards the role of
immigration ofﬁcials in national security framework, thus illustrating their responsibilities of
collect information on how people enter the Jamaica, conditions in countries from which they
come, and what documents they use to travel. This information could be just as valuable in
ﬁghting terrorism as it is in stopping smugglers, drug merchants, or transnational crimes.

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Introduction
This article begins with a brief introduction to the explanation of national security and the
explanation of the term immigration and also as it relates to immigration roles and function in
national security. It then sets forth a methodology literature for measuring the success of
immigration related security measures, and then it concludes by offering both a theoretical and
practical framework for future developments by policymakers and government agencies.

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Background
The Immigration Authority’s commitment to building Jamaica's future through the well-
managed movement of people across international border. The immigration authority hence set a
standards and operational roles, which must be able to identify who has entered and left the
country and, in ways that go well beyond even a fully operational program, therefore partnering
and liaison with law enforcement agencies to collect and track more information on select
visitors into the country. Based on their task, he carry them out with great security expertise
knowledge of best practice, thus have identiﬁed an expanded information collection role for the
immigration system. To start, immigration authorities conducting of enhanced background
checks on certain visitors, such as running the applicant’s name through the relevant databases,
verifying his identity and etc.

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National Security is a public good to be delivered by the State through its agents and
institutions. Hence a countries National Security seeks to establish a safe and secure environment
in which it can focus on achieving a prosperous, democratic, peaceful, just and dynamic society
which upholds the fulfillment of human rights, dignity for all, and build continual social progress
based on shared values and principles of partnership. Mr. Wilbert McKnight (2007).
Henceforth stronger partnerships and cooperation must be established between citizens,
the private sector, civil society and all Government agencies involvement in delivering security
services. Therefore it now becomes every member of the public a key role in the fight to
safeguard the nation and also to play a key role in helping to make Jamaica a safer and more
secure place to live, visit and enjoy. Therefore this requires greater public involuntary and
voluntary participation and support of law enforcement and justice activities and also an
increased police accountability toward a relationship that is more directly responsive to the
citizens. Subsequently a vigilant analysis of the many threats to National sovernity of the country
my research accounts for the question in regards to the role of immigration in national security.
National security issues greatly affect the nation’s chances of achieving its social and economic
goals, including ensuring human security for its people. These issues also have local, regional
and international magnitudes.
According to Emmer’s (2007), the terminology securitization, involves a two-stage
process. “First, it portrays ‘certain issues, persons or entities as existential threats to the referent
objects’ and second, upon successfully labeling the issue, it convinces ‘a relevant audience that a
referent object is existentially threatened’’. Another important ideology of the securitization
theory focuses on the role of the securitizing players. Hence there other contributing sectors to
major element of national security thus, these other division create room or identifying the

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security threat and prioritizing them as being critical to the protection and safeguarding of a
countries sovernity, people, resources and security.
In keeping with national security the Agency Immigration, serves as a gatekeeper for the
nation's border, determining who may enter, how long they may stay, and when they must leave.
Therefore immigration plays it vital role in national security, though its regulations and laws.
The Immigration agency enforcement of law determines whether a person poses any threat to
health, Public safety, resources and nation security.
According to Article by the Government of Jamaica National Security Policy; towards a secure
and prosperous nation. These areas of accountability which is traditional thought of in terms of
the role of immigration to National Security Framework:
 Alien smuggling and human trafficking.
 International fugitive investigations.
 Intelligence collection.
 Investigations of document counterfeiters/printers overseas.
 Illegal import and export of cultural property, stolen artwork and other items child
pornography, sex tourism and child exploitation.
 Maintains close liaison with local law enforcement, intelligence, regulatory and
representatives and organizations throughout their geographic area of responsibility.
 Detecting the movement of criminals across the borders.
 Regulate both legal and illegal immigrants.

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 Prevention of the spread of human and animals diseases.
According to article report by Miss Carol Charlton (2007), Senior Director, Immigration,
Citizenship & Passport Divisions. At least about 362 million travelers both citizens and non-
citizens entered the border of Jamaica including about 102 million air passengers and crew, 18
million sea passengers and crew, and 242 million incoming land travelers. At the same time
about most of these visitors are regarded as aliens. Furthermore a large number of these visitors
are referred to as alien to the state and are often times denied admission at ports of entry and
some of these persons are arrested at Port of entry on outstanding criminal warrants or as
undesirable persons. On the other hand, up-to-date security studies have verified that the state is
not the only actor in international relations nor is it the primary referent for security.
Immigration however highlights another often overlooked, aspect of the debate over the
role it has in relations to national security framework. From a broader perspective, security in the
context of immigration implies more than just safeguarding the nation from attacks by foreign
terrorists and it natives. Immigration also pledges to ensure that, the citizens of the country are
shielded from primary treats such as, heath issues such as diseases, and maintains of law and
order, within its sovernity. However the course of their role in the national security doesn’t stop
there, immigration ofﬁcials often collect information on how people enter the Jamaica sovernity,
conditions in countries from which they come, and what documents they use to travel. This
information could be just as valuable in ﬁghting terrorism, and very much highly contagious
communicable diseases, as well as it’s in stopping smugglers, drug dealers, or those who seek to
enter the country, to work illegally.

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Immigration ofﬁcials are uniquely situated to collect information on how terrorists
operate, including how they process documents and other travel techniques. Whilst immigration
official’s roles helps significantly in detecting trends, patterns, and new terrorist strategies, it also
is a venture through which numerous unprocessed information is provided to them on terrorist
methods. Immigration roles nonetheless allows for them carries out these various task, at the
same time impacting the nation security framework drastically in a positive way, as it relates to
the borders management and control.
Yet while most people would agree that terrorists, criminals, and immigration violators
are appropriate enforcement targets, no consensus exists about how to prioritize these threats
because the likelihood of each type of illegal entry is unknown, and because the potential
consequences of these threats are subjective and difficult to measure. The likelihood of each of
these threats occurring also varies by geography and mode of entry. For example, certain types
of illegal migrants may be more likely to travel by bus or car across the southern border,
smugglers may favor other distribution routes, and terrorists may be likely to reach the border
whether by air or by sea.
Nevertheless how has the immigration role lais with the national security framework is
clear hence in the case of immigration inspections, risk management involvement in screening
travelers at multiple points in the immigration process to distinguish between low- and high-risk
travelers? The immigration authorities conduct enhanced background checks on certain visitors,
which includes conducting a check of the applicant’s name through the relevant databases,
verifying his identity, conﬁrming that he has not been involved in radical organizations abroad,
and identifying the source of funding for his travel and activities. With the increased focus after
9/11 on national security during immigration screening, Profiling has the most significant impact

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hence it is regarded as a means of screening individual to gather information to determine
whether or not the individual is suitable to entry the island.
Immigration is having it impact no matter how much it may cost the government ,things
are indeed in place to ensure that they are performing up to all international standards and
assisting the fight against crime and national security. Further so more than 30 officers from the
Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), are benefiting from training, as the
Government of Jamaica intensifies efforts against terrorism, travel fraud, and other forms of
criminal activity. Jennifer McDonald (2013) “As an agency that is mandated to protect our
nation’s borders, we understand how important it is to be one step ahead of those who try to
outsmart the system. As such, we value this training initiative, as it will assist us in detecting
instances of fraud, particularly in the area of travel document fraud and identity theft,” with
continuous training and skill improvement, the immigration agency is accurately kept up to date
with new technologies, gadgets and equipment which allows them to properly carry out their task
effectively and efficiently.
Immigration roles haven continually proven its significance though, in terms of
simplifying the institutional national security framework within which the armed law
enforcement and civil institutions of the State will coordinate their activities to create an
integrated and cohesive national security network to safeguard Jamaica’s national interests.
Furthermore as well as to advise the complementary roles and responsibilities of citizens and
civic groups in supporting national security. Government ministries, departments and agencies
also contributes to the player of great impact none the less as having a part to play in Jamaica’s
national security which has embrace this National Security Plan framework, hence its extremely
critically in its scrutiny and its directives and conduct on their own internal assessment of its

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implications on their roles and structures. Likewise, individual citizens and members of civil
society groups must scrutinize themselves and everyone concerned must take the necessary
actions to contribute to the achievement of the national security goals nonetheless. Without
withstanding the focus of the country’s border control concerns which will be impacted by the
need to balance security with free movement of all aliens, and native to the island both entering
and existing.
Hence the Jamaican national security, not been undermined by the immigration roles and
responsibility must see the huge transformational impact on numerous crack down and stoppage
of potential risk target for drug syndicates in both its practical capabilities and its image, by
establishing appropriate approaches. Thus the government’s greatest role and obligation is the
protection of its borders and the safety and protection of its citizens with it reputable agencies
and ministries been full equip and performing up to international standards. This remains a
fundamental responsibility of the state and must be achieved through normal or abnormal means,
via politicization or securitization.
Although National security embraces all of the measures taken by a State to ensure
survival, security and protection of its interests. Sometimes national security is considered to be
synonymous with defense from external threats, but in the Jamaican framework, national security
includes the maintenance of armed forces, and the provision of human security, civil defense
measures and emergency preparedness, even the creation of resilience in national infrastructure,
maintenance of intelligence services to detect and deter threats, protection of sensitive
information, and maintenance of law and order. Moreover making fair and reasonable decisions
for people entering or leaving the country, ensuring compliance with Jamaica’s immigration laws

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and the integrity in decision-making, thus keeping Jamaica secure through border management
and facilitation of travellers crossing the border.

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Conclusion
In my conclusion it recommendation I think will work best to improve the current standard at
which our immigration officials are performing. In addition, to the great work by them it should
be noted that their ability to stop aliens with unscrupulous intention those from entering who
appear on watch lists or who otherwise meet behavior and intelligence based proﬁles. There
should be a distinguish difference between proﬁles other the primarily base on religion,
nationality or race, hence those based on behavior and evolving intelligence which we support as
indispensable security tools. Conversely, i think that the Jamaican immigration system should
facilitate the admission of persons who contribute to our economic security and our safety. In
particular, and i support visa policies which would increase the entrance of foreign students,
scientists, engineers, and others. Our immigration system should also be able to help locate
certain visitors to the country and to assure that they respect the conditions of their admission.

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Reference
Charlton, Miss Carol (2007); Senior Director, Immigration, Citizenship & Passport Divisions,
retrieved from: http://www.oas.org/csh/spanish/documentos/National%20Security%20Policy%20-
%20Jamaica%20-%202007.pdf
Mc Donald ,Mrs. Jennifer (2014); Chief Executive Officer of the Passport, Immigration and
Citizen Agency (PICA), retrieved from: http://jis.gov.jm/pica-officers-benefitting-training-travel-
document-fraud.
Emmer’s, Ralf (2007) ‘Securitization’ in Contemporary Security Studies, 109-125, Alan
Collins: Oxford University Press, p. 11
Francis, A. and K. T. Campbell. (2001). A Supply function For Violent Crime in Jamaica, 1970
1999. Kingston: University of the West Indies (Cited in World Bank “The Road to sustained
Growth in Jamaica” Country Study, 2004)
Harriott, A., A. Francis, C. Kirton and G. Gibbison. 2003. Crime and Development: The
Jamaican Experience. Kingston: University of the West Indies. (Cited in World Bank, op. cit.).
Jamaican Parliament. Knight, K.D. (Hon.) Sectoral Debate, 2002.

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Levy, Horace., et al. 1996. “They Cry Respect! Urban Violence and Poverty in Jamaica.
Kingston: University of the West Indies, Centre for Population, Community and Social Change.
Ministry of National Security. Gang Study: The Jamaican Crime Scene. Kingston: Ministry of
National Security, 1998.
Naim, Moises. February 2003 “The Five Wars of Globalization,” Foreign Policy, 29-36.
Planning Institute of Jamaica. Patterns of Substance Use and Abuse among Post Primary
Students in Jamaica. Kingston 2000: Planning Institute of Jamaica.
Royal College Defense Studies (2003), Lecture on Organized Crime.
Report of the National Committee on Crime and Violence (2000). Kingston.
Sullivan, John P. and Robert J. Bunker. 2002. Drug Cartels, Street Gangs, and Warlords, Small
Wars and Insurgencies. 40-53. In Non-State Threats and Future Wars, UK: Routledge.
World Health Organization (2002). . World Report on Violence and Health. Geneva: World
Health Organization,

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Ken Booth (2007); Theory of World Security, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 168.
Organization
A National Security Strategy Implementation Unit (NSSIU) appointed by the National Security
Council (NSC).

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