• Alan D. Bersin is now Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs under Janet Napolitano
  • In the mid-1990's Bersin served in a similar role under President Bill Clinton's Attorney General, Janet Reno
 


On April 15, 2009, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano appointed Alan D. Bersin as Assistant Secretary for International Affairs and Special Representative for Border Affairs. Unofficially, Bersin has been dubbed the "Border Czar."

History of the Border Patrol

The Border Patrol began in 1904 under the control of what would eventually become the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) and was originally based in El Paso, Texas. Patrols were sporadic and irregular so Congress created the Border Patrol (1924) to increase border security due to Prohibition and immigration quotas in the Immigration Acts of 1921 and 1924. Border agents were given a badge and gun, but provided their own horses.

It eventually expanded to cover the Canadian border as well as the Mexican border. At the time, the Border Patrol came under the control of the Department of Justice and expanded to include air and sea divisions by 2001.

After 9-11 and the creation of DHS, the INS was abolished and Border Patrol was run by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The Border Patrol now has over 17,000 agents. The INS is now called United State Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

Bersin's Resume

Alan Bersin isn't new to the border or to the title of "Border Czar." In the mid-1990's he worked in a similar role under then Attorney General Janet Reno. There he increased federal criminal prosecutions for illegal immigration entries. However, his time there wasn't without controversy. Bersin oversaw efforts to stop illegal entries near San Diego. His focus was on criminals and smugglers, not economic migrants - those entering the US to earn more money. Critics say the program led to a spike in migrant deaths by pushing them further east into the hostile desert and mountains.

His credentials are impressive. He has a B.A. from Harvard and a law degree from Yale. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, and was a United States Attorney for San Diego from 1993-1998. He's also fluent in Spanish. Bersin reports directly to Secretary Napolitano.

His duties include improving relationships with the international, state and local communities. He'll also lead efforts to decrease violence along the southwest border. To do this he will use additional staff and better technology to help Mexico target illegal guns, drugs and money.

Geography of Our Borders

The Canadian border is almost 4,000 miles long and touches 13 states, excluding the Alaskan border, which is over 1,500 miles by itself. The Mexican border is mostly isolated and desolate terrain. It touches four states and is almost 2,000 miles long. For decades, both borders have been tempting targets for smugglers of contraband such as humans, drugs, alcohol, tobacco and firearms. Now, stopping terrorists is at the top of the CBP and Border Patrol's agenda.

Mr. Bersin's work is cut out for him. The spike in violence along the Mexican border and the complications caused by the H1N1 flu virus will give this talented professional the challenge of a lifetime.