Southwest Border Technology Program

• NCJ Number: 197859
• Author(s): Bruce A. Wright; Scott G. Davis; Richard D. Salvatierra; Manuel Mascarenas
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 22 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-304-M
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

Addressing the time period from 1999-2001, this report reviews the activities of the Southwest Border Technology Program.

Abstract

Administered by the University of Arizona Office of Economic Development, this report details the activities of the Southwest Border Technology Program (SWBTP) from 1999-2001. Arguing that commercial activity thorough the United States-Mexican border has more than doubled since the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, the authors suggest that State and Federal agencies are experiencing significant pressures to inspect and process increasingly greater volumes of commercial traffic. Stating that the goal of the SWBTP is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of inspection, detection, and commercial processing procedures along the United States-Mexican border, this report details the reconciliation of the missions and duties of customs, law enforcement, immigration, and transportation agencies through the sharing of information and the coordinated use of border management technologies. After stating that a total of $150,936 was spent planning and establishing the SWBTP, the authors detail the administrative structure of the program, the scope of the SWBTP’s goals, and the program’s team members and strategic partners. After describing program team members’ travel schedules from 1999 through 2001, the authors provide contact information by listing SWBTP website information and summarize the key events at the SWBTP’s August 2000 conference and technology fair. Concluding, the authors indicate that extensive travels by SWBTP team members resulted in large numbers of partners indicating their willingness to worth with and support the SWBTP in developing more effective border management processes.