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Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan, Hearing Before the Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, July 18, 2019
This is the July 18, 2019 hearing on "Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan" head before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform. From the opening statement of Elijah Cummings: "Today, the committee is examining the Trump administration's inhumane policy of separating children from their parents at the border and the dangerous conditions in which they are being held. Last Friday, we issued a staff report summarizing data on children who were separated from their families by the Trump administration. This report was based on information that we forced the Trump administration to produce to the committee pursuant to bi-partisan subpoenas after they refused to provide it voluntarily for months. The report found that the administration's child separation policy was more harmful, more traumatic, and more chaotic than previously known. The report also describes specific case studies of 10 children who were separated by the Trump administration, including several who were under the age of two. We sent our report to the Department last week, and we will be asking our witness about these children this morning. Today, we will hear from Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Impacts of Trump Policies on Border Communities, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, April 30, 2019
This is the April 30, 2019 hearing titled "The Impacts of Trump Policies on Border Communities," held before the House Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Kathleen M. Rice: "Earlier this month, I led a delegation to the U.S.-Mexico border to examine the reality of President Trump's increasingly restrictive border security and immigration policies. While in El Paso, our delegation was briefed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on their current border operations. We also toured the El Paso ICE Processing Center, where hundreds of migrants are currently being held. In addition, we had the opportunity to visit the pedestrian-only Paso del Norte Port of Entry and the cargo-only Bridge of the Americas, where hundreds of millions of dollars in goods pass through every day." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Jon Barela, Efren Olivares, Mark Seitz, and Mark D. Napier.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Free-Trade Zones: Productive or Destructive? Briefing of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, September 12, 2018
This is the September 12, 2018 briefing titled "Free-Trade Zones: Productive or Destructive?" held before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. From the Paul Massaro: "I would like to welcome you today on behalf of our bipartisan and bicameral leadership to discuss an underexamined threat to the national security of the United States: free-trade zones, or FTZs. FTZs are duty-free areas within a country's borders designed to encourage economic development by allowing goods to be imported and exported under less restrictive conditions than are present elsewhere in the country. In many places, these zones generate jobs and wealth. However, they are also hospitable to illicit trade and money laundering. In the worst cases, law enforcement fails and FTZs become global hubs of criminal activity, black holes that enable corruption." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Paul Massaro, Clay Fuller, Jack Radisch, Stephane Jacobzone, and Pedro Assares Rodrigues.
United States. Congress. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
2019
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Department of Homeland Security's Family Separation Policy: Perspectives from the Border, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, March 26, 2019
This is the March 26, 2019 hearing titled "The Department of Homeland Security's Family Separation Policy: Perspectives from the Border," held before the House Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Kathleen M. Rice: "Last summer, the Department of Homeland Security, under the leadership of Secretary Nielsen, implemented a zero tolerance policy which resulted in the separation of thousands of families. Despite knowing beforehand that this policy would immediately lead to family separations, DHS and specifically U.S. Customs and Border Protection, were completely unprepared and ill-equipped for the massive and delicate undertaking of sheltering thousands of separated children, with an unknown number of babies and toddlers. To make matters worse, within days of this policy's enactment, it became abundantly clear that none of the Federal agencies involved had any systems in place to effectively keep track of and reunite separated family members." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Jennifer Podkul, Michelle Brané, Julie M. Linton, and Tim Ballard.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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H. Rept. 116-163, Part I: Homeland Security Improvement Act, Report Together with Minority Views, to Accompany H.R. 2203, July 19, 2019
From the Document: "The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 2203) to increase transparency, accountability, and community engagement within the Department of Homeland Security, provide independent oversight of border security activities, improve training for agents and officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Serial No. 115-76: Hidden in Plain Sight: Understanding Federal Efforts to Stop Human Trafficking, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, September 26, 2018
This is the September 26, 2018 hearing on "Hidden in Plain Sight: Understanding Federal Efforts to Stop Human Trafficking" held before the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. From the opening statement of Martha McSally: "Human trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar industry, it enslaves approximately 25 million men, women, and children world-wide, through sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and forced labor. [...] We all need to wake up because human trafficking is happening right here in our back yards and the victims of the tragic crimes are often hidden in plain sight. I call this hearing to shine a light on the heinous crime of human trafficking and highlight the work being done by our Federal agencies who partner with State, local, and Tribal governments, and law enforcement agencies to eradicate human trafficking from our streets, our local businesses, and our neighborhoods." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: John H. Hill, Steven W. Cagen, John Gore, and Michelle Demmert.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Serial No. 115-72: Boots at the Border: Examining the National Guard Deployment to the Southwest Border, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, July 24, 2018
This is the July 24, 2018 hearing titled "Boots at the Border: Examining the National Guard Deployment to the Southwest Border," held before the House Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. From the opening statement of Martha McSally: "Today, our focus is on personnel and the capabilities at the border. Staffing shortages at both the ports of entry and in Border Patrol are exacerbated by both the hiring process that takes far too long and retention challenges that have persisted for years with no signs of abatement. CBP [Customs and Border Protection] is critically understaffed and remains well below its Congressionally-mandated staffing levels by more than 1,000 CBP officers and 1,900 Border Patrol agents. Combined with the growing crisis along the Southwest Border, this shortage has put our Nation's security at risk." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Rodolfo Karisch, John F. Nichols, and Michael T. McGuire.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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H.A.S.C. No. 115-93: Hearing on National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 and Oversight of Previously Authorized Programs Before the Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, Subcommittee on Strategic Forces Hearing on Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request for Nuclear Forces and Atomic Energy Defense Activities, March 22, 2018
This is the March 22, 2018 hearing titled "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 and Oversight of Previously Authorized Programs," held before the House Committee on Armed Services. From the opening statement of John C. Rood: "Today, the United States faces an increasingly complex global security environment in which the central challenge to our prosperity and security is the reemergence of long-term strategic competition by revisionist powers in China and Russia. While they pose separate challenges with unique attributes, both China and Russia seek to reshape the world order and change territorial borders. Consequently, they pose increasing security threats to us, our allies, and partners. Long-term competition with China and Russia requires increased U.S. and allied military investment because of the magnitude of the threats they pose today and the potential that these threats will increase in the future. We must also simultaneously strengthen our efforts to deter and counter the clear and present dangers posed by rogue regimes such as North Korea and Iran. The U.S. military remains the strongest in the world. However, our advantages are eroding as potential adversaries modernize and build up their conventional and nuclear forces. They now field a broad arsenal of advanced missiles, including variants that can reach the American homeland." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Terry Benedict, Lisa E. Gordon-Hagerty, James Owendoff, Robin Rand, and John C. Rood.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Review of the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, May 9, 2019
This is the May 9, 2019 hearing titled "Review of the Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services," held before the House Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Kathleen M. Rice: "Immigration detention is supposed to be civil detention. However, I have seen ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] detention facilities, and I can assure you, there is nothing civil about them. ICE's detention facilities look and feel like prisons. I saw them with my own eyes last month when I led a delegation from this committee down to El Paso. These facilities are chronically cited for conditions that are hazardous to the health and safety of its detainees, including lack of medical care, overuse of solitary confinement, spoiled and rotten food, and unreported health and security incidents. That is to say nothing of the repeated reports of abuse toward LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning] individuals, pregnant women, and other vulnerable populations. To make matters worse, ICE has consistently failed to hold detention facilities accountable to performance standards. How in good conscience can we increase their capacity for detention when they have proven incapable of properly overseeing their existing facilities?" Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Robert E. Perez, Matthew T. Albence, and Tracy Renaud.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Examining the Department of Defense's Deployment to the U.S.-Mexico Border, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, June 20, 2019
This is the June 20, 2019 hearing on "Examining the Department of Defense's Deployment to the U.S.-Mexico Border," held before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the opening statement of Kathleen M. Rice: "The subcommittee is meeting today to receive testimony on examining the Department of Defense's deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border. [...] The DoD's presence on the border is not new. Their support of DHS operations has indeed evolved over the past year. Right now it would appear that this administration is testing the limits of that relationship." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Carla Provost, Robert G. Salesses, and Michael T. McGuire.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Meeting the Challenge of White Nationalist Terrorism at Home and Abroad, Joint Hearing Before the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, with the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Conterterrorism of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, First Session, September 18, 2019
This is the September 18, 2019 hearing on "Meeting the Challenge of White Nationalist Terrorism at Home and Abroad," held before the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism of the Committee on Foreign Affairs with the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Conterterrorism of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the Opening Statement of Max Rose: "White nationalist terrorists have killed more people in recent years than any other type of domestic extremist. We also know that 78 percent of extremist-related murders in the United States last year were attributed to those adhering to a white nationalist ideology. [...] Unsurprisingly, all of this has also shed a light on the world of social media companies as a catalyst for the spread of white nationalist propaganda both here and abroad. [...] This threat knows no boundaries. It does not end at traditional borders, and it tears across continents. [...] We have to make sure that the Federal Government is working better at data provision. Right now, the capacity of the Federal Government to provide high-level analytics on the white nationalist threat, the white extremist threat, and domestic terrorism is not nearly satisfactory." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Christian Picciolini, and Sharon Nazarian.
United States. Government Publishing Office
2019
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Department of Homeland Security: FY 2019 Budget in Brief
From the Document: "The President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Budget Request of $4 7 .5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reflects our continued focus on strengthening the safety and security of our Nation and the American Public. Homeland security is the most fundamental responsibility that government provides to its people and this budget does much to build on the Department's effectiveness. This FY 2019 Budget Request provides funding to sustain and strengthen our most critical programs and capabilities and places emphasis on border security, enforcing and administering our immigration laws, preventing terrorism and enhancing security, and increasing our Nation's cybersecurity defenses."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2019
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Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief [December 14, 2018]
"Israel relies on a number of strengths to manage potential threats to its security and existence. It maintains conventional military superiority relative to its neighbors and the Palestinians, and it takes measures to deter attack and defend its population and borders--including from evolving asymmetric threats such as rockets and missiles, cross-border tunneling, drones, and cyberattacks. Israel also has an undeclared but presumed nuclear weapons capability. Israel's leaders and supporters routinely make the case that Israel's security and the broader stability of the region remain critically important for U.S. interests. A10-year bilateral military aid memorandum of understanding (MOU)--signed in 2016--commits the United States to provide Israel $3.3 billion in Foreign Military Financing annually from FY2019 to FY2028,along with additional amounts from Defense Department accounts for missile defense. All of these amounts remain subject to congressional appropriations."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Zanotti, Jim
2018-12-14
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H. Rept. 115-1070: Securing Our Borders and Wilderness Act, Report Together with Dissenting Views to Accompany H.R. 3593, Including Cost Estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, December 10, 2018
"The purpose of H.R. 3593 is to amend the Wilderness Act to authorize U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct certain activities to secure the international land borders of the United States."
United States. Government Publishing Office
2018-12-10
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Management Alert -- CBP Needs to Address Serious Performance Issues on the Accenture Hiring Contract
"For your action is our final management alert, 'CBP [Customs and Border Protection] Needs to Address Serious Performance Issues on the Accenture Hiring Contract,' the purpose of which is to notify you of issues that require immediate attention. Specifically, we are recommending that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) assess Accenture Federal Services' (Accenture) performance under its contract with CBP. Issuance of this management alert is consistent with our duties under the 'Inspector General Act of 1978,' as amended, to conduct audits and recommend policies to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in Department of Homeland Security programs and operations. We have incorporated the formal comments provided by your office on the draft management alert and appended them verbatim. Your office concurred with the four recommendations we made to improve performance on the Accenture hiring contract. CBP's corrective actions will be critical to ensuring the contract structure going forward is in the best interest of the Government in terms of efficiency and effectiveness."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-12-06
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CBP's Searches of Electronic Devices at Ports of Entry - Redacted
"The 'Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015' (TFTEA) requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) t o establish standard operating procedures (SOP) for searching, reviewing, retaining, and sharing information in communication, electronic, or digital devices at U.S. ports of entry. The TFTEA also requires the DHS Office of Inspector General to conduct three annual audits to determine to what extent CBP conducted searches of electronic devices in accordance with the SOPs."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-12-03
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Applying the THIRA to Special Events: A Framework for Capabilities-Based Planning Adoption in Local Governments
From the thesis abstract: "Determining preparedness across the United States' homeland security enterprise (HSE) is a complex task because the nation's overall disaster management capability is an aggregation of the independently developed capabilities of local and state agencies. In 2012, FEMA promulgated a six-step capabilities-based planning (CBP) framework, the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA), to standardize how states and major cities assess preparedness. CBP is a non-linear planning process used within the Department of Defense (DoD) to determine how military capabilities should develop to ensure success in future conflicts, despite uncertainty around threats, actors, and theaters. This thesis proposes increasing CBP adoption by state and local governments through incorporating an adapted THIRA methodology into recurring, real-world interagency activities, such as mass-gathering contingency planning. An expanded THIRA framework is synthesized, which completes an initial DoD CBP sequence in the context of local government planning for a special event. Three policy options are developed that evaluate the adapted THIRA framework's implementation in these scenarios: no adoption, use in a local government-planned event, and adoption within a national special security event (NSSE). This thesis recommends implementing a THIRA framework into special-event planning to allow interagency stakeholders to perform and adapt CBP locally in real-world collaborative environments."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Bradley, Daniel J.
2018-12
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National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel of the United States of America
"The National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel presents an integrated plan to ensure the United States stops terrorist attempts to travel to conduct attacks on the homeland or against our interests abroad. The strategy outlines how the United States Government will expand coordination and maximize the full capabilities of Federal departments and agencies to identify, detect, and deter terrorists from transiting international borders. The United States Government will use all available tools to constrain terrorist travel planning, facilitation, and mobilization, including providing support to law enforcement, private-sector partners, and communities. Key to detecting and interdicting terrorists attempting to travel will be enhancing systems that validate identities and advancing the use of biometric technologies. The United States Government will work closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to achieve these goals. The strategy also recognizes that the United States cannot pursue these goals alone - our foreign partners are vital to the effort to identify, disrupt and deter terrorist travel. The United States Government will therefore leverage foreign partners to improve global travel security capabilities and capacity consistent with strong counterterrorism (CT) measures that the United States has pioneered since the attacks of September 11, 2001."
United States. White House Office
2018-12
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Out Through the Out Door: Policy Options in the Fight Against Visa Overstays
From the thesis abstract: "Foreign nationals admitted to the United States who remain beyond their period of admission present an enforcement problem for U.S. immigration agencies. These 'visa overstay' cases present a vulnerability for the homeland security enterprise. U.S. immigration enforcement agencies need to identify, apprehend, and remove foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas to address this issue. Identification of these subjects can be through biographical or biometric means. Current efforts to identify overstay violators rely mostly upon biographical data transmitted to enforcement agencies by third parties. Overstay violators are not normally targeted for apprehension and removal unless they present a threat to national security or public safety. Biometric exit system proponents have argued that the identification of violators through biometric means presents a faster, more efficient (albeit possibly expensive) method to determine who has overstayed their visas. These proponents also indicate that such a system will have an impact on the number of overstay violation cases each year. To date, this exit system has not been implemented at the U.S. border despite congressional mandates to do so. This thesis examines current visa overstay enforcement policies, evaluates the impacts of a biometric exit system, and makes policy recommendations for visa overstay enforcement efforts."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.); Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security
Spina, Michael L.
2018-12
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Feasibility Report: Establishing an Initiative Specific to Hiring American Indian Veterans into U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Fiscal Year 2018 Report to Congress)
From the Executive Summary: "Border security is a top priority for DHS. Improving relations with tribal communities is one of the many ways that DHS can strengthen security measures while safeguarding the American people, our homeland, and our values. The purpose of this report is to address the feasibility of establishing a tribal-specific branch within the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), similar to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Shadow Wolves Unit. This report contains data and information analysis, an overview of existing tribal liaison programs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, potential barriers to establishing a stand-alone unit within USBP, and next steps."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2018-11-27
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District Court Temporarily Blocks Implementation of Asylum Restrictions on Unlawful Entrants at the Southern Border [November 27, 2018]
"Prompted by reports of a 'migrant caravan' traveling to the United States through Mexico, on November 9, 2018, the Trump Administration took two actions to make most non-U.S. nationals (aliens) who unlawfully enter the United States (i.e., without inspection or 'between ports of entry') at the southern border ineligible for asylum. In one action, President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation suspending the entry of aliens at the southern border, other than lawful permanent residents, unless they arrive at designated ports of entry. In the other action, taken a few hours before the issuance of the proclamation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced new regulations that would make aliens who violate the proclamation ineligible for asylum. Together, the proclamation and new regulations would bar a covered alien at the southern border from pursuing asylum unless the alien arrives at a designated port of entry. (Neither the proclamation nor the new regulations, however, bar unlawful entrants from claiming other forms of relief--besides asylum-- based on persecution or torture if they overcome the stricter screening standards for those protections.)"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Smith, Hillel R.; Harrington, Ben
2018-11-27
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DHS Training Needs for Hiring 15,000 Border Patrol Agents and Immigration Officers
"On January 25, 2017, the President issued two Executive Orders directing the Department of Homeland Security to hire an additional 15,000 law enforcement officers. We conducted this audit to determine whether the Department and its components -- specifically FLETC [Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers], USBP [U.S. Border Patrol], and ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] -- have the training strategies and capabilities in place to train 15,000 new agents and officers."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-11-26
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 3593: Securing Our Borders and Wilderness Act
"H.R. 3593 would authorize Customs and Border Protection to conduct certain activities in designated wilderness areas along the international land border that are managed by the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service. Under current law, the three agencies coordinate such activities through a memorandum of understanding. The bill might change the timing of CBP [Customs and Border Protection] activities in those areas, but CBO [Congressional Budget Office] does not expect it would significantly change CBP's operations. Accordingly, we estimate that implementing the bill would have no significant costs."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2018-11-19
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Borders in Cyberspace: Strategic Information Conflict Since 9/11
"Ancient ways of mobilizing power for force and using it to scatter foes have gained new reach and impact in the last two decades, both on the battlefield and for internal security. It lies beyond the scope of this paper to explain how these new means became subject, for the sake of efficiency, to automated logical programs sorting digitized data and new concepts of international law. What the paper narrates is how that very technology opened new avenues for force and extraordinary opportunities for surveillance, while new ideas of law ironically canalized conflict in a 'humanitarian' direction. The question of trust remained throughout, at the level of the leader, the commander, and the individual. Can you trust those with whom you would do business? Can you trust that your computer is guarding your data, or presenting you the truth? Can you trust that international law will protect your sovereignty -- or protect you from your government? Conflict endured as regimes and organizations that could not live at live at peace with their own citizens ultimately could not remain at peace with their neighbors. The liberal ascendancy that President Clinton described in 1993 thus brought not peace but a long struggle for survival on the part of dictators against the ostensibly universal appeal of liberal ideals. For the foreseeable future that struggle will proceed on physical, legal, and virtual battlefields, with the 'borders' between narratives and visions - and the questions of trust - cutting across geographic terrain and reaching into every nation."
Army Cyber Institute, West Point
Warner, Michael
2018-11-14
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Presidential Proclamation on Unlawful Border Crossers and Asylum [Updated November 13, 2018]
From the Document: "On November 9, 2018, President Donald Trump issued a presidential proclamation to immediately suspend the entry of foreign nationals (aliens) who cross into the United States at the U.S.-Mexico border without inspection. The pronouncement further references that those who enter in contravention of the suspension will be ineligible for asylum under an interim final rule issued jointly by the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice on that same date. The proclamation and the rule are being challenged in federal court. In the words of the proclamation, its issuance was prompted by the anticipated arrival at the U.S. Southwest border of 'a substantial number of aliens primarily from Central America who appear to have no lawful basis for admission.' According to the proclamation, such migration 'has precipitated a crisis and undermines the integrity of our borders' and requires 'immediate action to protect the national interest, and to maintain the effectiveness of the asylum system.' The need to conduct foreign affairs effectively is another reason offered for the proclamation. Citing both constitutional and statutory authority, the President finds that the entry of aliens at the Southwest border without inspection 'would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and that their entry should be subject to certain restrictions, limitations, and exceptions.'"
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Bruno, Andorra
2018-11-13
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CBP Officer Overtime (Fiscal Year 2018 Report to Congress)
From the Executive Summary: "This report addresses the methodology for allocating officer overtime resources. Maximizing employee resources provides the agency with greater flexibility to ensure that enough frontline personnel are assigned to address peak travel times and increased workload, and that ports of entry (POE) have the appropriate number of personnel to maintain CBP's [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] core mission of antiterrorism and border security. This report provides the funding levels for COPRA overtime for FYs 2015, 2016, and 2017; the number of officers who reached the overtime cap in those years; and the process for determining and changing official hours at POEs."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2018-11-08
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Central America: USAID Assists Migrants Returning to Their Home Countries, but Effectiveness of Reintegration Efforts Remains to Be Determined, Report to Congressional Requesters
"In 2014, instability driven by insecurity, lack of economic opportunity, and weak governance led to a rapid increase of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras arriving at the U.S. border. In fiscal year 2017, the Department of Homeland Security reported (DHS) apprehending more than 200,000 nationals from these countries and removed nearly 75,000 nationals, including UAC, of these countries from the United States and returned them to their home countries. Current estimates also indicate nearly 350,000 individuals may need to be reintegrated to El Salvador and Honduras over the next few years when their Temporary Protected Status in the United States expires. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review U.S. efforts to support the reintegration of Central American migrants. This report describes (1) USAID [United States Agency for International Development] efforts to assist reception and reintegration of migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras into their home countries since fiscal year 2014; and (2) what is known about the effectiveness of these efforts. GAO reviewed agency program documents and funding data; interviewed officials from U.S. government agencies, IOM [International Organization For Migration], and host governments and beneficiaries; and conducted site visits in these countries. GAO is not making any recommendations in this report. USAID and IAF [Inter-American Foundation] provided formal comments, which are reproduced in this report, and all agencies provided technical comments, which were incorporated as appropriate."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2018-11
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Asylum and Related Protections for Aliens Who Fear Gang and Domestic Violence [October 25, 2018]
"Over the past year, non-U.S. nationals (aliens) from Central America (primarily Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala) have comprised an increasingly larger share of asylum applicants in the United States. And more recently, a 'caravan' of thousands of individuals from Honduras has been traveling north across the Guatemala-Mexico border, with many reportedly seeking to escape widespread gang and domestic violence in Honduras. Previously, federal courts and immigration authorities have considered when such circumstances may raise a viable claim for asylum or other forms of relief from removal. In June 2018, Attorney General (AG) Jeff Sessions ruled in 'Matter of A-B-' that aliens who fear gang or domestic violence in their home countries generally do not qualify for asylum based on those grounds -- a ruling that is binding upon immigration authorities within both the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The decision may foreclose some claims of relief by asylum seekers, and subject more aliens apprehended along the border to expedited removal in lieu of the more formalized removal process available to aliens whose asylum claims are deemed sufficiently credible to warrant further review. This Legal Sidebar examines asylum claims based on gang and domestic violence, the AG's decision in Matter of A-B-, and recent guidance from DHS's U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in light of that ruling."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Smith, Hillel R.
2018-10-25
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Iran and Israel:Tension Over Syria [October 24, 2018]
"Iranian military operations in support of the Syrian government since 2011 have exacerbated long standing tensions between Iran and Israel. These tensions have worsened considerably since late 2016 as Iran has helped Syria's government regain key territory, and in turn has sought a more permanent military presence in Syria.Israeli officials have described the deployment of Iran-backed forces in Syria--particularly in the southwest, near Israel's northern border--as a significant security threat compelling Israel to act.In September 2018, Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz stated, 'in the last two years Israel has taken military action more than 200 times within Syria itself.' During 2018, Israeli and Iranian forces have repeatedly targeted one another in and over Syrian-and Israeli-controlled areas.While Israel has conducted numerous air strikes inside Syria since 2012--mostly on targets linked to weapons shipments to Lebanese Hezbollah--the 2018 strikes appear for the first time to have directly targeted Iranian facilities and personnel in Syria."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Humud, Carla E.; Katzman, Kenneth; Zanotti, Jim
2018-10-24
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Test Results for Disk Imaging Tool: Falcon-NEO Version 1.1
From the Introduction: "The Computer Forensics Tool Testing (CFTT) program is a joint project of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Programs Office and Information Technology Laboratory (ITL). CFTT is supported by other organizations, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, U.S. Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division Electronic Crimes Program, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Secret Service. The objective of the CFTT program is to provide measurable assurance to practitioners, researchers, and other applicable users that the tools used in computer forensics investigations provide accurate results. Accomplishing this requires the development of specifications and test methods for computer forensics tools and subsequent testing of specific tools against those specifications. [...] This document reports the results from testing the disk imaging function of the Logicube FalconNEO Version 1.1 using the CFTT Federated Testing Test Suite for Disk Imaging, Version 3.1."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate
2018-10-20
