Homeland Security in the Post-9/11 Era: Forced Compliance Along the Northern Border

Authors

Nancy E. Marion, University of Akron
Ronald Gelleny, University of Akron

Abstract

"The border relationship between the U.S. and Canada has traditionally been very trusting, allowing for an ease of trade and travel. However, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 altered this comfortable association. Now, U.S. policy is geared toward protecting the homeland from illegal immigration and potential terrorist actions. In other words, for Americans, security concerns trump trade. At the same time, Canada remains concerned with maintaining an ease of trade and travel with the U.S. To do this, Canada has been forced to establish and implement increased security measures as outlined by U.S. officials, even though there is strong opposition from Canadian officials and stakeholders. This is largely due to the asymmetrical relationship that exists between the countries. Because of the contrast in size and power, the U.S. is able to dictate Canadian security policy at the border. This study examines the border policies since 9/11, particularly the Beyond the Border policy. Using personal interviews with officials and stakeholders in both Canada and the U.S., this study shows that the U.S. is co-opting Canada to increase its security initiatives to be in line with America concerns over homeland security."

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Marion, Nancy E. and Gelleny, Ronald (2016) "Homeland Security in the Post-9/11 Era: Forced Compliance Along the Northern Border," Qualitative Criminology (QC): Vol. 4: No. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/qc/vol4/iss1/3