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CBP Enforcement Statistics Fiscal Year 2020
From the Document: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection [CBP] is the nation's largest federal law enforcement agency charged with securing the nation's borders and facilitating international travel and trade. Our top priority is to keep terrorists and their weapons from entering the United States. [...] The following is a summary of CBP enforcement actions related to inadmissibles, apprehensions, arrests of individuals with criminal convictions and individuals who have been apprehended multiple times crossing the border illegally."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
2020-01-30
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U.S. Ports of Entry: Update on CBP Public-Private Partnership Programs (January 30, 2020)
From the Document: "On a typical day in fiscal year 2019, over 1.1 million passengers and pedestrians and over 78,000 truck, rail, and sea containers carrying goods worth approximately $7.3 billion entered the United States through 328 U.S. land, sea, and air ports of entry (POE), according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CBP is the lead federal agency charged with a dual mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons, criminals and their contraband, and inadmissible aliens out of the country while facilitating the flow of legitimate international travel and trade through the nation's POEs. CBP's Office of Field Operations is responsible for conducting passenger and cargo processing activities related to security, trade, immigration, and agricultural inspection at the nation's POEs. [...] We conducted this performance audit from September 2019 to January 2020, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2020-01-30
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Independent Auditor's Report on the FY 2019 DoD Detailed Accounting Report for the Funds Obligated for National Drug Control Program Activities
From the Document: "Public Law 105-277, Title VII, 'Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 1998 (the Act),' October 21, 1998, requires National Drug Control Program agencies to submit detailed accounting each year to the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The detailed accounting reports all funds expended by the agencies for National Drug Control Program activities during the previous fiscal year. The Act also requires each agency Inspector General to authenticate the detailed accounting before it is submitted to the ONDCP Director (section 1704(d), title 21, United States Code). The ONDCP National Drug Control Strategy, 'FY 2020 Budget and Performance Summary,' May 2019, identified that the DoD enacted $1.4 billion in FY 2019 for DoD drug control spending. Additionally, $2.5 billion was transferred to the Drug Interdiction and Counterdrug Activities appropriation for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' construction of the Southwest Border barrier in support of the Department of Homeland Security."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2020-01-30
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 2750, Operation Stonegarden Authorization Act
This is the Congressional Budget Office [CBO] Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on November 6, 2019. From the Document: "S. 2750 would codify Operation Stonegarden, a grant program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Under the program, FEMA awards grants to state and tribal law enforcement agencies to enhance security along the nation's borders and to improve coordination between those agencies and the federal government. The bill would authorize the appropriation of $110 million annually through 2024 to award grants. CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted in 2020. In 2020, FEMA received appropriations totaling $90 million to administer the program, thus, CBO estimates $20 million of that total authorization would remain effective in 2020. Using information provided by FEMA, CBO estimates that, implementing S. 2750 would cost $412 million over the 2020-2025 period and $49 million after 2025, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2020-01-29
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Privacy Impact Assessment for the Trusted Worker Program System (TWP)
From the Abstract: "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is responsible for vetting and monitoring the eligibility of workers applying for access to sensitive CBP-controlled areas or positions. CBP uses the Trusted Worker Program System (TWP), which is a subsystem of the e-Business cloud and is hosted on the CBP Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud East (CACE), to facilitate enrollment and vetting of applicants for eBadge, Bonded Worker, and Broker's License. In 2019, CBP migrated the data and vetting of trusted workers from the Global Enrollment System (GES) Trusted Worker (TW) to TWP. CBP has developed this overarching Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to: (1) document the creation of a new privacy sensitive system, TWP, (2) and provide notice of a web-service interface data exchange mechanism between CBP and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Transportation Vetting System (TVS) for the eBadge program."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2020-01-24
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Department of Homeland Security: Employee Morale Survey Scores Highlight Progress and Continued Challenges, Statement of Chris Currie Director, Homeland Security and Justice, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability, Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives
From the GAO [Government Accountability Office] Highlights: "DHS is the third-largest cabinet-level department in the federal government, employing more than 240,000 staff in a broad range of jobs, including countering terrorism and homeland security threats, providing aviation and border security, emergency response, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure protection. Since it began operations in 2003, DHS has faced challenges with low employee morale and engagement. [...] This statement addresses our past and ongoing work monitoring human capital management and employee morale at DHS and select work on employee engagement across the government. This statement is based on products GAO issued from September 2012 through May 2019 as well as GAO's ongoing efforts to monitor employee morale at DHS as part of GAO's highrisk work. For these products, GAO analyzed DHS strategies and other documents related to DHS's efforts to address its high-risk areas, interviewed DHS officials, conducted analyses of FEVS [Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey] data, and interviewed officials from other federal agencies that achieved high employee engagement scores, among other things."
United States. Government Accountability Office
Currie, Chris
2020-01-14
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Department of Homeland Security: Border Security Status Report: First Quarter, Fiscal Year 2019 (Fiscal Year 2019 Report to Congress)
From the Legislative Language: "This report has been prepared pursuant to the direction in Senate Report 115-283 accompanying the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act (P.L. 116-6). Senate Report 115-283 includes the following provision: The Committee continues its requirement that the Department submit quarterly Border Security Status reports and data on the deportation of the parents of U.S.- born children semiannually, as in prior years."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Directorate for Management
2020-01-08
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Comparing DHS Component Funding, FY2020: In Brief [Updated January 3, 2020]
From the Document: "The homeland security appropriations bill includes all annual appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), providing resources to every departmental component. This report reviews the budget authority provided to DHS for FY2019 and requested by the Trump Administration for FY2020, as well as the funding levels proposed by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in their reported legislation for FY2020 and ultimately enacted in P.L. [Public Law] 116-93, Division D. In the process, it also includes information on DHS funding from two enacted FY2019 supplemental appropriations measures: P.L. 116-20, a disaster relief supplemental; and P.L. 116-26, a supplemental appropriations bill funding humanitarian and security operations at the U.S.-Mexico border. The report provides a look at the resources available to DHS components that are described in appropriations committee reports, and examines 'net discretionary annual appropriations' for DHS--a perspective on the net impact of legislation funding DHS on congressionally tracked budget totals."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Painter, William L.
2020-01-03
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security: FY 2020 Summary of Performance and Financial Information
From the Document: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a fundamental duty--to safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values with honor and integrity. During Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, DHS delivered results across all mission areas, ensuring lawful trade and travel, enhancing border security, combatting transnational criminal organizations, and vetting all domestic passengers and checked baggage. Our results demonstrate the Department's efforts to secure key leaders and critical infrastructure, to continue enhancing our immigration system, and to constantly develop our capabilities for response and recovery in the face of disasters and pandemics."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2020?
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Building Resilience Together: Military and Local Government Collaboration for Climate Adaptation
From the Webpage: "As part of the RAND Corporation's Security 2040 Initiative, the authors of this report explored a critical global challenge that will shape the security landscape over the next 20 years: contending with and preparing for the effects of climate change. Within the United States, many governmental entities, from cities to counties to military services, have already begun to prepare for and directly address climate change's impacts. The resilience of these communities and installations does not lie neatly within designated jurisdictional borders. Communities are dependent on how their neighbors, which include local military installations, choose to adapt to climate change. Likewise, military installations require the communities on which they depend for transportation, resources, and personnel to contend with and plan for climate change. Military installations and communities are coexisting and codependent entities, relying on mutual infrastructure and resources to support their respective functions."
RAND Corporation
McCollester, Maria; Miro, Michelle E.; Van Abel, Kristin
2020
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Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, the Importation of Goods Produced with Forced Labor, and Child Sexual Exploitation
From the Executive Summary: "The prevalence of human trafficking, forced labor, and child sexual exploitation throughout the world is an urgent humanitarian issue with direct and far-reaching consequences on the United States. Within the United States, human trafficking and child sexual exploitation are grossly prevalent and affect diverse communities. These crimes threaten our physical and virtual borders, our immigration and customs systems, our prosperity, our national security, and are a direct attack on Americans' personal safety and our country's public safety. Accordingly, the United States has declared it a national priority to end human trafficking, the importation of goods produced with forced labor, and child sexual exploitation. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is on the frontlines of this fight, protecting the country and collaborating with our partners to stop these crimes. To leverage all of our authorities in this fight, DHS developed a first-of-its-kind 'Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, the Importation of Goods Produced with Forced Labor, and Child Sexual Exploitation.' It represents our vision to end this urgent humanitarian issue, articulates the Department's long-term approach for combating these crimes, and serves as a framework to prioritize our resources and monitor progress."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2020-01
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Northern Northern Border: Homeland Security Priorities in the Arctic, Part I, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, September 19, 2019
This is the September 19, 2019 hearing titled "Northern Northern Border: Homeland Security Priorities in the Arctic, Part I," held before the House Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of J. Luis Correa: "Today's hearing will discuss a changing Arctic and U.S. strategic interests in that region, specifically, priorities for securing the homeland. A change in climate has already led to diminishing sea ice, opening up parts of the Arctic for increased economic and maritime activity. Sadly, our Government is ill-prepared for this new reality. I am concerned that the aggressive actions of other nations, mainly Russia and China, threaten to undermine the international order. Russia has expended its military installations and footprint in the Arctic, investing heavily in a large icebreaker fleet of more than 50 icebreakers, reviving Cold War bases and deepwater ports and, of course, solidifying infrastructure in the region as well." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Michael Sfraga, Abbie Tingstad, Victoria Hermann, and Luke Coffey.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020
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Trade Facilitation Best Practices Implemented in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Overview: "Maintaining trade flows as much as possible during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic will be crucial in providing access to essential food and health supplies and in limiting the negative impacts on jobs and poverty. The implementation of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) provides governments with a sound framework for improving trade facilitation and border management. During this crisis implementing measures contained in the TFA can contribute to ensure that trade in critical supplies proceeds smoothly and safely thereby contributing to food security and the health of citizens. This document builds on the World Bank Group's Trade and COVID Guidance Note on Managing Risk and Facilitating Trade in the COVID-19 Pandemic which provides recommendations to governments in maintaining the supply chain that are facilitating the trade of critically needed commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic and protecting workers at ports, terminals and points of entry."
World Bank Group
Yang, Aileen; Sela, Shane; Zawacki, Marisa
2020
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Opioid/Fentanyl Detection Project
From the Document: "Through Executive Order 13784, the Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis was established to counter the public health crisis responsible for 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017. In direct response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has established a program in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to deliver improved drug detection capabilities within 12-18 months. [...] The Opioid/Fentanyl Detection Project will identify and develop capabilities to better detect and interdict synthetic opioids like fentanyl entering the United States through international mail and parcel shipments. This program will provide advanced detection technologies and analytics that increase screening capacity at international mail facilities, without unduly impacting the flow of legitimate trade. This program aims to increase the number of interdictions of illicit drugs, reducing the overall supply entering the United States."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate
2020-01
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Northern Northern Border: Homeland Security Priorities in the Arctic, Part II, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Second Session, February 5, 2020
This is the February 5, 2020 hearing on "Northern Northern Border: Homeland Security Priorities in the Arctic, Part II," held before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the Opening Statement of J. Luis Correa: "Today, we will discuss the U.S. Homeland Security priorities in the Arctic following a productive hearing with non-Government issues on this witness in September. We have seen the Arctic climate changing with diminishing ice openings and with maritime activity increasing in parts of the world that were essentially unnavigable and untouched in years before. It seems that we are ill-prepared for the changes brought about by a warmer climate in the Arctic. I am very concerned about the number of aggressive actions of other nations in the region, especially China and Russia. We in the United States, we have had a long history of supporting an internal rules-based order in order to foster a spirit of cooperation in the Arctic states. But in recent years, we have seen Russia expand its military installation in the area and expand its activities in the Arctic." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Charles W. Ray, Michael J. Murphy, and Marie A. Mak.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020
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Assessing the Adequacy of DHS Efforts to Prevent Child Deaths in Custody, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Second Session, January 14, 2020
This is the January 14, 2020 hearing titled "Assessing the Adequacy of DHS Efforts to Prevent Child Deaths in Custody" before the House Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Kathleen M. Rice: "We have seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of families and children arriving on the Southern Border over the past several years. Most of these families and children arrived from Central America, fleeing vicious cartels, gang violence, and extreme poverty. After surviving long dangerous journeys, these families should have been met with safe refuge, but instead they encountered this administration's myriad of inhumane border policies like family separation, zero tolerance detention, and the Remain in Mexico policy. These policies and management decisions by the administration have contributed to mass overcrowding and wide-spread inhumane conditions at Customs and Border Protection facilities across our Southern Border." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Brian S. Hastings and Alexander L. Eastman.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020
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Examining the Effect of the Border Wall on Private and Tribal Landowners, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations, of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Second Session, February 27, 2020
This is the February 27, 2020 hearing titled "Examining the Effect of the Border Wall on Private and Tribal Landowners" before the House Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Kathleen M. Rice: "Over the past year, this subcommittee has sought to bring attention to the administration's misguided and dangerous border wall policy. We know the construction of a border wall will not stop the influx of drugs into our country, will be an unnecessary cost to taxpayers, and as we will discuss today, will have an irreversible impact on the rights of U.S. citizens and Native Americans." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Reynaldo Anzaldua, Nayda Alvarez, Ned Norris, Jr., and Jim Chilton.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020
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Department of Homeland Security 'U.S. Customs and Border Protection' Budget Overview: Fiscal Year 2021, Congressional Justification
From the Component Overview: "The strategic context presents the performance budget by tying together programs, or PPAs [programs, projects and activities], and performance measures that gauge the delivery of results to our stakeholders. The Common Appropriation Structure (CAS) allows DHS to integrate the programmatic view and a significant portion of the Level 1 PPAs represent what DHS refers to as our mission programs. A mission program is a group of activities acting together to accomplish a specific high-level outcome external to DHS and includes operational processes, skills, technology, human capital, and other resources. CBP's [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] mission programs are presented below. Performance measures associated with these programs are presented in two measure sets, strategic and management measures. Strategic measures communicate results delivered for our agency goals by these programs and are considered our Government Performance and Results Act Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) measures."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2020?
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Examining the Human Rights and Legal Implications of DHS's 'Remain in Mexico' Policy, Hearing Before the Submittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, November 19, 2019
This is the November 19, 2019 hearing "Examining the Human Rights and Legal Implications of DHS's 'Remain in Mexico' Policy" held before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the House Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Kathleen M. Rice: "Today we will examine the implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols more commonly known as the Remain-in-Mexico program. This morning we will hear the perspective of practitioners who witness the program's impact on the ground. Since this program went into effect on January 18, 2019, the Remain-in-Mexico Policy has forced tens of thousands of asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims are processed." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Laura Pena, Erin Thorn Vela, Todd Schneberk, Michael A. Knowles, and Thomas D. Homan.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020
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Promoting Safe and Efficient Travel and Trade at America's Land Ports of Entry, Field Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, December 2, 2019
This is the December 2, 2019 field hearing titled "Promoting Safe and Efficient Travel and Trade at America's Land Ports of Entry," held before the House Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Xochitl Torres Small: "Of the 110 land ports of entry on the U.S. border, 3--Santa Teresa, Columbus, and Antelope Wells--are all in the district that I represent. Earlier this morning, Ranking Member Crenshaw and I had the opportunity to visit one of these ports, the Santa Teresa port of entry, just down the road from here. The visit was valuable to understanding the critical role the ports of entry and the Customs and Border Protection officers who staff those ports play in facilitating commerce and preventing contraband such as illegal drugs from entering the country. Unfortunately, many land ports of entry have outdated infrastructure, lack technology to detect contraband, and suffer from staffing shortages. We saw that overwhelmingly today, the challenges that happen when you need a larger work force to get the job done." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Hector A. Mancha, Jr., Marco Grajeda, Jerry Pacheco, and Felipe Otero.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020
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Implications of the Reinterpretation of the Flores Settlement Agreement for Border Security and Illegal Immigration Incentives, Hearing Before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, September 18, 2018
This is the September 18, 2018 hearing on "Implications of the Reinterpretation of the Flores Settlement Agreement for Border Security and Illegal Immigration Incentives," held before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the Opening Statement of Ron Johnson: "This hearing really is a follow-on to a problem that I think everybody recognized. Obviously, it became pretty controversial, but we took a look at this on our Committee in August. We had a meeting with the Committee to figure out what we can do to solve the issue about being able to enforce our immigration laws without separating families. I do not think anybody wanted to do that. In that meeting I proposed four basic goals that I hoped we could agree on. I am not sure we have total agreement, but the goals that I proposed in trying to focus on fixing this problem--we are not talking about comprehensive immigration reform here. We are really talking about trying to fix this particular problem. The four goals I laid out was, hopefully we all want to secure our border-- I think a sovereign nation needs to do that--enforce our immigration laws, maintain reasonable asylum standards, and also keep asylum-seeking families together." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Matthew T. Albence, Robert E. Perez, Joseph B. Edlow, and Rebecca Gambler.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2020
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Unique Needs and Challenges of Border Law Enforcement 'and Promising Practices for Establishing a Criminal Interdiction Unit'
From the Document: "The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) and the National Sheriffs' Association (NSA) hosted a series of roundtable and focus groups, supplemented by a needs assessment, to determine the needs, promising practices, and challenges of sheriffs' offices along the northern and southern borders of the United States. This report summarizes the findings of those discussions. Border sheriffs' primary needs are for personnel; updated equipment and infrastructure, particularly along the northern border; and support in information sharing and communication across all levels of government. The report also focuses on a widely shared promising practice--the establishment of dedicated interdiction units. A COPS Office / NSA training on rural interdiction is summarized, along with lessons learned from an interdiction unit in North Texas."
United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
Barksdale, Kristi; Yount, Tully
2020
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Customs and Border Protection: Air and Marine Operations Statistics FY2020
From the Document: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) safeguards our Nation by anticipating and confronting security threats through our aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities, and partnerships at the border and beyond. With approximately 1,800 federal agents and mission support personnel, 240 aircraft, and 300 marine vessels operating throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands, AMO conducts its mission in the air and maritime environments at and beyond the border, and within the nation's interior. AMO interdicts unlawful people and cargo approaching U.S. borders, investigates criminal networks and provides domain awareness in the air and maritime environments, and responds to contingencies and national taskings. In Fiscal Year 2019, AMO enforcement actions resulted in the seizure or disruption of 284,825 pounds of cocaine, 101,874 pounds of marijuana, 51,058 pounds of methamphetamine, 935 weapons and $34.1 million, 1,575 arrests, 52,036 apprehensions of illegal aliens."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
2020
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Legal Authority to Repurpose Funds for Border Barrier Construction [Updated December 30, 2019]
From the Document: "President Trump has prioritized the construction of border barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. Over the course of negotiations for FY2019 appropriations, the Administration asked Congress to appropriate $5.7 billion to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for that purpose. When Congress appropriated $1.375 billion to DHS for border fencing, the President announced that his Administration would fund the construction of border barriers by repurposing funds appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) and transferring funds from the Department of the Treasury."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Elsea, Jennifer; Liu, Edward C.
2019-12-30
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Public Law 116-254: DHS Opioid Detection Resilience Act of 2019
From the Document: "An Act to ensure U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, agents, and other personnel have adequate synthetic opioid detection equipment, that the Department of Homeland Security has a process to update synthetic opioid detection capability, and for other purposes."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019-12-23
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Do Warrantless Searches of Electronic Devices at the Border Violate the Fourth Amendment? [December 20, 2019]
From the Document: "The Fourth Amendment commands that searches and seizures be reasonable, and generally requires the government to secure a warrant based on probable cause before arresting or searching an individual. But the Supreme Court has long recognized that the government may conduct routine inspections and searches of individuals entering at the U.S. border without a warrant or any individualized suspicion of criminal activity. In recent decades, some federal courts have applied the 'border search exception' to allow relatively limited, manual searches at the border of electronic devices such as computers and cell phones. Courts, however, have disagreed over whether more intrusive, forensic examinations of such devices require heightened suspicion of criminal activity. [...] This Legal Sidebar examines the application of the Fourth Amendment's border search exception to searches of electronic devices and the district court's decision in 'Alasaad' limiting the government's border search authority."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Smith, Hillel R.
2019-12-20
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Mexico: Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking Organizations [Updated December 20, 2019]
From the Summary: "Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) pose the greatest crime threat to the United States and have 'the greatest drug trafficking influence,' according to the annual U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA's) 'National Drug Threat Assessment'. These organizations work across the Western Hemisphere and globally. They are involved in extensive money laundering, bribery, gun trafficking, and corruption, and they cause Mexico's homicide rates to spike. They produce and traffic illicit drugs into the United States, including heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana, and powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and they traffic South American cocaine. Over the past decade, Congress has held numerous hearings addressing violence in Mexico, U.S. counternarcotics assistance, and border security issues."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Beittel, June S.
2019-12-20
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Audit of Jordan Border Security Program Oversight
From the Document: "The objective of this audit was to determine whether the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) ensured that contractor-provided equipment and training met the requirements for the Jordan Border Security Program (JBSP). [...] DTRA, through the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation Prevention Program, oversees the implementation of the JBSP. The JBSP is intended to enhance the capability of the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to deter, detect, and interdict weapons of mass destruction and related materials crossing its border. As a critical part of this effort, DTRA is responsible for ensuring that the contractor provides preventive and corrective maintenance, supply acquisition and management support, technical documentation for system architecture design, warranties, and training to the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) to achieve self-sustainment of the JBSP, which includes the Jordan Border Security System (JBSS)."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Inspector General
2019-12-20
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Statement of Alexis Arieff, Specialist in African Affairs, Before Committee on Oversight and Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, U.S. House of Representatives, Hearing on 'U.S. Counterterrorism Priorities and Challenges in Africa', December 16, 2019
From the Introduction: "Islamist armed groups have proliferated and expanded their geographic presence in sub-Saharan Africa ('Africa,' unless noted) over the past decade. These groups employ terrorist tactics, and several have pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS, aka ISIS or ISIL) and operate across borders. Most, however, also operate as local insurgent movements that seek to attack and undermine state presence and control. Conflicts involving these groups have caused the displacement of millions of people in Africa and deepened existing development and security challenges. Local civilians and security forces have endured the overwhelming brunt of fatalities, as well as the devastating humanitarian impacts. Somalia, the Lake Chad Basin, and West Africa's Sahel region have been most affected (Figure 1). The Islamic State also has claimed attacks as far afield as eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and northern Mozambique over the past year."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Arieff, Alexis
2019-12-16
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Lack of Internal Controls Could Affect the Validity of CBP's Drawback Claims
From the Document: "The 'Department of Homeland Security Fiscal Year 2018 Independent Auditors' Report on Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting' identified recurring CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] internal control deficiencies in drawback claims. Drawbacks are refunds of duties, taxes, and fees imposed on imported products later exported or destroyed. CBP management stated the timeframe for correcting deficiencies over drawback claims depends on successful implementation of information technology upgrades and legislative revisions. Our objective was to determine to what extent the identified control deficiencies impact drawback claims."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2019-12-12
