Critical Releases in Homeland Security: October 3, 2012

"Statistical data on immigration have been published annually by the U.S. government since the 1890s. Over the years, the federal agencies responsible for reporting on immigration have changed, as have the content, format, and title of the annual publication. Currently, immigration data are published in the 'Yearbook of Immigration Statistics' by the Office of Immigration Statistics in the Policy Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security. The '2011 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics' consists of a compendium of tables organized by subject matter." These categories include: Legal Permanent Residents, Refugees and Asylees, Naturalizations, Nonimmigrant Admissions, and Enforcement Actions.

"This document outlines the Homeland Security research plan for EPA's Office of Research and Development, and how it will address science and technological gaps and improve the Agency's ability to carry out its responsibilities associated with preparing for, and responding to, terrorist attacks and other disasters. Although the United States has not experienced a large scale chemical, biological or radiological-based terrorist attack since 2001, many experts agree that more attacks are inevitable. The sustainability of U.S. communities requires that they be resilient to such disasters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a responsibility to help communities prepare for and recover from disasters, including acts of terrorism. EPA's role includes helping to protect water systems from attack, assisting water utilities to build contamination warning and mitigation systems, and leading remediation of contaminated indoor and outdoor settings and water infrastructure. Critical science gaps exist in all these areas."

"The OIG's [Office of the Inspector General] review focused on ATF's [Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives] handling of Operations Wide Receiver and Fast and Furious. In addition, the OIG reviewed the Department's knowledge about those cases, as well as the Department's statements to Congress about them. [...] This report is divided into seven chapters, including this Introduction. Chapter Two provides relevant background information about federal firearms regulations, firearms trafficking enforcement, and several Department and ATF memoranda that concern efforts to combat firearms trafficking to Mexico. Chapter Three describes Operation Wide Receiver, which came to our attention due to allegations that, as in Operation Fast and Furious, ATF agents had failed to seize firearms despite having the legal authority and opportunity to do so. [...] Chapter Four describes Operation Fast and Furious, and the operational and oversight roles in the investigation played by the ATF Phoenix Field Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office. [...] In Chapter Five, we describe the information that staff and managers at ATF and DOJ [Department of Justice] headquarters learned about Operation Fast and Furious from the investigation's inception in late 2009 to January 25, 2011, the date of the press conference announcing the indictment. [...] Chapter Six addresses the Department's response to the January 27 and 31, 2011, letters that Senator Grassley wrote to the ATF raising concerns about ATF's implementation of its Southwest Border firearms interdiction strategy. [...] In Chapter Seven, we summarize our overall assessment of the conduct of Operations Wide Receiver and Fast and Furious and the Department's statements to Congress concerning these investigations."