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Medical Isotopes, Hearing Before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, First Session to Receive Testimony on H.R. 3276, the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009, December 3, 2009
From the opening statement of Jeff Bingaman: "Today's hearing is to receive testimony on H.R. 3276, the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2009, which was voted out of the House on a bipartisan basis. It addresses the recommendations of the report prepared by the National Academies of Science on the feasibility of producing medical isotopes, principally molybdenum- 99 without highly enriched uranium, the principal material used in a fission-based nuclear weapon over 60 years ago and which we are urgently trying to collect around the world today. As an incentive to limit the export of HEU, the bill authorizes a $163 million program to work with industry to convert existing HEU-fueled reactors capable of producing isotopes, as well as other alternate methods such as accelerators." [...] Representatives Edward J. Markey and Fred Upton add the following statement: "The American Medical Isotopes Production Act will safeguard Americans' healthcare and our national security. By helping to establish production of critical medical isotopes here at home, the American Medical Isotopes Production Act will end our dependence on aging nuclear reactors outside of our borders. And by responsibly ending the export of weapons-usable highly enriched uranium for medical isotope production, this bill will give a much-needed boost to U.S. efforts to permanently convert all reactors away from the unnecessary and dangerous use of bomb-quality material." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Jeff Bingaman, Roy Brown, Kevin D. Crowley, Lisa Murkowski, Edward J. Markey, Fred Upton, and Parrish Staples.
United States. Government Printing Office
2010
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Biometrics Task Force Annual Report FY09
This 2009 annual report from the Biometrics Task Force discusses the background of biometrics, and the role that it plays in protecting troops and civilians at home. This report discusses some of the accomplishments from 2009 and what the future holds for this technology. From the conclusion: "Biometrics enables and supports high-value target tracking, Maritime Interception Operations, personnel recovery, facility and logical access control, disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, security operations, in-theater interagency operations, access to services for non-U.S. persons, and U.S. border protection. IdM [identity management] using biometrics has proven its utility for the warfighter. It is working so well in Iraq to track and detain known and suspected terrorists that those lessons learned are being shared in Afghanistan. In the past few years, the use of biometrics by DOD [Department of Defense] has increased rapidly. The technology is improving such that a search result can be returned to theater in less than two minutes. Because biometrics is enabling the warfighter and the mission, IED [improvised explosive device] makers and insurgents are continually being identified and taken out of circulation, further protecting forces in the field and citizens at home. Enabling critical DOD warfighting missions and DOD business functions while protecting the warfighters, privacy, and the data is at the heart of Identify, Enable, Protect."
United States. Department of Defense. Biometrics Task Force
2009
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Combating Terrorism: Planning and Documentation of U.S. Development Assistance in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas Need to Be Improved, Report to Congressional Addressees
"Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has been a recognized safe haven for al Qaeda leadership and a base for the Taliban to launch cross-border attacks into Afghanistan. The United States, in an effort to assist Pakistan in addressing this threat, pledged $750 million between 2007 and 2011 to support development activities in the FATA region. This report focuses on (1) the extent U.S. development objectives align with U.S. national security goals and Pakistan's objectives, (2) U.S. efforts to track the pledge, (3) U.S. efforts to measure program performance in the FATA, and (4) efforts to monitor assistance in the FATA. GAO [Government Accountability Office] reviewed U.S. and Pakistani documents and interviewed U.S. and Pakistani officials in Washington, D.C., and Pakistan. GAO has prepared this report under the Comptroller General's authority to conduct evaluations on his own initiative."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2010-04
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Bonded Warehouse
"A Customs bonded warehouse is a building or other secured area in which imported dutiable merchandise may be stored, manipulated, or undergo manufacturing operations without payment of duty for up to 5 years from the date of importation. Authority for establishing bonded warehouses is set forth in Title 19, United States Code (U.S.C.), section 1555. The regulations covered the operation of bonded warehouses is found at 19 CFR 19. Upon entry of goods into the warehouse, the warehouse proprietor incurs a liability for the merchandise under a warehouse bond. This liability is generally cancelled when the merchandise is: 1. Exported; 2. Withdrawn for supplies to a vessel or aircraft; 3. Destroyed under CBP supervisions; or 4. Withdrawn for consumption within the United States after payment of duty. "
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
2010
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Memorandum: Immediate Issuance of Forms I-688Bs to New Refugees and Asylees
"Effective November 10,2002, Form I-688B, Employment Authorization Cards, are to be issued to all individuals admitted as refugees under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) immediately upon their arrival in the United States and to all individuals granted asylum under section 208 of the INA immediately upon the grant of asylum. This on-the-spot employment authorization processing is being established by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (the Service) to implement section 309 of the Enhanced Border Security Act and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 (BSA), which President Bush signed into law on May 14, 2002. This law requires the Attorney General within 180 days of enactment of the BSA (which is November 10,2002) to begin to issue employment authorization documents to individuals admitted as refugees immediately upon their arrival and to asylees immediately upon the grant of asylum. This law also requires that the employment authorization document contain a photograph and fingerprint of the asylee or refugee. After a thorough examination of possible implementation solutions, the Service has determined that issuance of I-688Bs is the most expedient means to fulfill all of the law's requirements by the required implementation date. In addition to issuing I-688Bs, officers will continue to issue refugees and asylees at the time they attain such status the Form 1-94, Arrival-Departure Record, indicating their status. Issuance of the I-688Bs is delegated to Inspections, District Offices, and Asylum Offices in the manner prescribed below."
United States. Immigration and Naturalization Service
Williams, Johnny N.
2002-11-04
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Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 1517: An Act to Allow Certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection Employees Who Serve Under an Overseas Limited Appointment for at Least Two Years, and Whose Service is Rated Successful or Higher Throughout That Time, to Be Converted to a Permanent Appointment in the Competitive Service
"CBO [Congressional Budget Office] estimates that implementing H.R. 1517 would have no significant cost to the federal government. Enacting the legislation would not affect revenues or direct spending; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. H.R. 1517 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. H.R. 1517 would authorize U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Department of Homeland Security to change the employment status of certain individuals stationed overseas; this authority would expire two years after enactment of the legislation. The act would change those employees' status from 'overseas limited appointment' to 'permanent appointment in the competitive service' to comply with certain international agreements between the United States and other countries. The legislation would apply to 35 employees who began service with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service. H.R. 1517 would not change the salaries or significantly alter the benefits of those individuals. Thus, CBO estimates that implementing the act would have no significant effect on spending by CBP."
United States. Congressional Budget Office
2010-07-30
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Reevaluating U.S. Policy in Central Asia, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, First Session, December 15, 2009
From the opening statement of Robert P. Casey, Jr.: "This hearing will examine why Central Asia is important, what United States policy interests are in the region, and how the United States will implement these policies in the coming years. The Obama administration has just completed an internal review of our policy toward Central Asia, and we look forward to hearing the results of that review today. The countries of Central Asia are strategically important to the United States, due in large part to geography. The region shares borders with Afghanistan, Iran, China, and Russia. United States interests in recent years have centered on the role that Central Asia plays in Operation Enduring Freedom, but it is also important that we examine the issues and challenges that face the region in isolation. [...] So, while this hearing will focus on the main issues confronting the region, any examination of United States policy toward Central Asia must start with the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In that same testimony, Director of National Intelligence Blair warned that the growing challenges to Central Asia's stability ultimately, and I quote, 'could threaten the security of critical U.S. and NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] lines of communication to Afghanistan through Central Asia.' [...] From the threats to loose nuclear materiels to the rise of violent Islamic extremism, from the challenges posed by poverty, weak democratic institutions, as well as challenges posed by energy, U.S. engagement in the region requires a strategic and long-term approach." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Stephen J. Blank, Robert P. Casey, Jr., George A. Krol, John F. Kerry, Martha Brill Olcott, and David S. Sedney.
United States. Government Printing Office
2010
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Statement by the President on Senate Proposal Outlined Today to Fix Our Nation's Broken Immigration System [April 29, 2010]
In this April 29, 2010 statement, President Obama comments on a Senate proposal on immigration reform. He states: "It is the federal government's responsibility to enforce the law and secure our borders, as well as to set clear rules and priorities for future immigration. The continued failure of the federal government to fix the broken immigration system will leave the door open to a patchwork of actions at the state and local level that are inconsistent and as we have seen recently, often misguided.The proposal outlined today in the Senate is a very important step in the process of fixing our nation's broken immigration system. I am especially pleased to see that this detailed outline is consistent with the bipartisan framework presented by Senators Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham last month, and is grounded in the principles of responsibility and accountability."
United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary
2010-04-29
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CTC Sentinel [January 2009]
This January 2009 issue of the U.S. Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center CTC Sentinel features an article by The Combating Terrorism Center titled, "Al-Qa'ida's Five Aspects of Power." The article "examines al-Qa'ida across five factors that encompass all aspects of the group's power: 1) the power to destroy; 2) the power to inspire; 3) the power to humiliate; 4) the power to command; and 5) the power to unify." Other reports in this issue include: "A Case Study of the January 2008 Suicide Bomb Plot in Barcelona," by Fernando Reinares; "A Holisitc Critique of Singapore's Counter-Ideological Program," by Kumar Ramakrishna; "Shifting Trends in Suicide Attacks," by Assaf Moghadam; "The Future of Moqtada al-Sadr's New Jaysh al-Mahdi," by Babak Rahimi; "Reconsidering the Role of Militias in Iraq," by James J. Smith; "The Pakistan Army and it Role in FATA," by Shuja Nawaz; and "Iraq's Border Security: Key to an Iraqi Endstate," by Steven Oluic. This publication concludes with a section highlighting recent terrorist activity.
Combating Terrorism Center (U.S.)
2009-01
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Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on the State of Immigration and the No Match Rule [October 23, 2008]
From the remarks of Michael Chertoff on the state of immigration and the no match rule on October 2008: "As you know, over the last year we have provided State of Immigration addresses to the American people highlighting our efforts to secure our border, enforce our national immigration laws, and improve temporary worker programs, and legal migration. This is the fourth address and it comes at the close of the fiscal year that ended on September 20, 2008. It gives us an opportunity, at this point, to step back and assess our progress over the last past year using a variety of different measurements and also to look back over five years since the department was created in 2003."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
Chertoff, Michael, 1953-
2008-10-23
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H-2B Nonagricultural Temporary Workers Visa and Status: Fiscal Year 2010 Semiannual Report to Congress, Part 1: April 1, 2009 - March 31, 2010
"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has compiled this report on H-2B nonagricultural temporary workers from information provided by the Department of State (DOS), the Department of Labor (DOL), and three Components within DHS. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This report includes data for the second half of Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 and the first half of FY 2010. The data contained in this report is accurate as of February 2011."
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
2011-11-30
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Port Development in Latin America: A Key to U.S. Objectives
"Ports are complex arrangements of narrowly focused activities organized in whatever manner possible that allows each participating organization to meet its objectives. Because of this convergence of activity in seaports and airports, each person, each group, and each organizational entity bent on completing a set of tasks can benefit from corollary actions of others pursuing seemingly different ends. The priorities of the port involve issues not far removed from regional and national goals. Border security, quotas for industrial protectionism, immigration controls, national revenue collection, infrastructure development, and contraband interdiction, are just some of the policy issues that affect ports everyday and complicate the simple functional matrix of port organization. Yet in Latin America, it is this overlay of public policy issues upon existing and functioning port-based organizations that offers the port such remarkable potential for generating more effective host-nation programs while fostering new strategies and directions that meet growing U S interests in the region."
Industrial College of the Armed Forces (U.S.)
Boetig, Allen K.
1992-04
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Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Continued Coordination, Operational Data, and Performance Standards Needed to Guide Research and Development, Statement of Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph.D., Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House of Representatives
"Unmanned aircraft systems [UAS] are aircraft and associated equipment that do not carry a pilot aboard, but instead operate on pre-programmed routes or are manually controlled by pilot-operated ground stations. Although current domestic uses of UAS are limited to activities such as law enforcement, forensic photography, border security, and scientific data collection, UAS also have a wide range of other potential commercial uses. According to an industry forecast, the market for UAS is expected to grow and could be potentially worth $89 billion over the next decade. Concerned with the pace of UAS integration into the national airspace, Congress established specific requirements and set deadlines for FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] in the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act (the 2012 Act). This testimony discusses 1) the roles and responsibilities of and coordination among federal agencies and other UAS stakeholders involved in integrating UAS, 2) FAA's progress in complying with the 2012 Act's UAS requirements, and 3) research and development efforts by FAA and other entities to address challenges for safely integrating UAS. This testimony is based on a 2012 GAO [Government Accountability Office] report. In past work, GAO analyzed FAA's efforts to integrate UAS into the national airspace, the role of other federal agencies in achieving safe and routine integration, and research and development issues. GAO also conducted selected interviews with officials from FAA and other federal agencies, industry, and academic stakeholders."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2013-02-15
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Combating Terrorism
From the thesis abstract: "On September the 11th, 2001, radical Islamic terrorists proved that the United States was unprepared for terrorist type attacks. Since then the government has gone to great lengths to secure its borders, airlines, and infrastructure and improve its law enforcement abilities. Massive sums of money have been spent in each of these areas with mixed results. Training has been expanded and agencies are now working together that never did before the attacks. Weaknesses that were completely unknown are being addressed. Yet, while the country is much safer today than six years ago, the United States must continue to improve current programs while utilizing all resources to ensure that systems are in place to prevent future terrorist attacks."
US Army Sergeants Major Academy
Rek, Jan
2007-11-21
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Inspection of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of the Comptroller
" [1] In its short history, the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Office of the Comptroller (CA/C) has been plagued by insufficient and unevenly trained staff, interpersonal difficulties, and an uncertain mission. [2] Some of the roles and responsibilities of CA/C, particularly regarding contracting oversight and management controls policy, are not sufficiently clear to stakeholders and employees. [3] The over $2.5 billion Border Security Program (BSP) does not have a designated program manager; this deficiency diffuses responsibility for program oversight and administration. All findings and recommendations in this report are based on conditions observed during the on-site review and the standards and policies then in effect. The report does not comment at length on areas where the OIG [Office of Inspector General] team did not identify problems that need to be corrected. The inspection took place in Washington, DC, between January 14 and March 15, 2013."
United States. Department of State. Office of the Inspector General; United States. Broadcasting Board of Governors
2013-06
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Privacy Impact Assessment Update for the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS) [June 5, 2013]
"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is updating the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) in order to provide notice of the expansion in the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)'s 'temporary retention' of APIS information due to the March 2012 release of the 'Guidelines for Access, Retention, Use and Dissemination by the National Counterterrorism Center and other Agencies of Information in Data sets Containing Non-Terrorism Information' (AG Guidelines)."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2013-06-05
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Privacy Impact Assessment Update for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization
"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is publishing this update to the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in order to provide notice of a new information sharing and access agreement with the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) due to the March 2012 release of the 'Guidelines for Access, Retention, Use and Dissemination by the National Counterterrorism Center and other Agencies of Information in Data sets Containing Non- Terrorism Information' (AG Guidelines)."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2013-06-05
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Building Peace in a Post-Assad Syria
From the thesis abstract: "Syria's civil war remains a bloody stalemate between government forces and various opposition groups. The conflict continues to impact neighboring states with spillover fighting and increased economic burdens from refugees. In light both of Syria's importance to regional stability and in recent lessons learned from a lack of post-conflict planning, it is important for academics and policy makers to consider potential stabilization policies for a post-conflict Syria. This thesis explores a scenario where a post-Assad Syria faces a transition from civil war toward peace with its current borders and internal divisions. Under this construct, the challenges of creating a security environment, engineering a democracy, and achieving reconciliation stand out as both opportunities and obstacles in building a lasting peace in a divided Syria. Different approaches to each of these challenges are analyzed by comparing theoretical literature and case studies. In drawing lessons from different states' shared experiences, a rough outline of best practices is drawn. Finally, Syria's specific context is applied, offering a potential framework for a post-conflict Syria to build its peace."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Maddox, Jacob M.
2013-03
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Fixing Our Broken Immigration System: The Economic Benefits to Agriculture and Rural Communities
"Currently, the agriculture industry is hampered by a broken immigration system that fails to support a predictable and stable workforce. Moreover, there continue to be insufficient U.S.--‐born workers to fill labor needs: of those crop workers surveyed between 2007 and 2009, 71 percent were foreign born. In June, the Senate passed historic legislation that is largely consistent with the President's principles for commonsense immigration reform with a strong bipartisan vote. The Senate's Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) represents a good opportunity for our country to modernize our immigration system. Among its most important provisions, the bipartisan bill would provide an earned path to citizenship for unauthorized farmworkers who are vital to our nation's agriculture industry, and a new temporary worker program negotiated by major grower associations and farmworker groups. It is time to act to fix the broken immigration system in a way that requires responsibility from everyone--both from workers here illegally and from those who hire them--and guarantees that everyone is playing by the same rules. To this end, the President urges the House of Representatives to take action and move the Senate bill or similar comprehensive legislation forward, and stands willing to work with all parties to make sure that commonsense immigration reform becomes a reality as soon as possible. This report highlights the important benefits provided by the bipartisan Senate bill for the domestic agriculture sector, its workforce, and rural American communities."
United States. Executive Office of the President
2013-07
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Reports and Testimonies Database [website]
This "Reports and Testimonies" database by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) hosts Executive documents regarding the United States Government. The database may be searched by keyword or report number, or by selecting one of several subheadings to narrow the search. The database holds documents from 1981 to present. Sample subgroups are: "Department of Defense, Executive" ; "U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Executive" and "Office of Management and Budget [OMB], Executive Office of the President, Executive."
United States. Government Accountability Office
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Russia's Counterinsurgency in North Caucasus: Performance and Consequences
"This monograph examines the underlying issues behind the continuing low-level Islamist insurgency movement in the Russian North Caucasus. It begins by analyzing the history of relations between the Russian and the North Caucasus nations, focusing specifically on the process of subjugating the region by the Russian Empire. Since the 18th century, Russia has used brutal force to expand territorially to the Caucasus. The mistreatment of the North Caucasus continued after World War I and especially during and after World War II, when entire North Caucasus nations faced persecution and forcible deportations to remote parts of the Soviet Union--in which up to 30 percent of the exiles perished. Thus, the Russians planted the seeds of resentment and hatred toward them that persist to the present time. […] Without immediate, thorough, and concerted international action, the challenges that the North Caucasus presents to the world may grow into major problems. The United States must engage its allies and work with Russia to strengthen its border security, invigorate law enforcement and counterterrorist cooperation with national and international agencies, counter Islamist propaganda, improve intelligence capabilities, and appeal for international cooperation to eliminate the financial support of terrorism that helps North Caucasus militant groups flourish."
Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute
Cohen, Ariel
2014-03
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Integration of Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS) Roadmap, First Edition - 2013
"Since the early 1990s, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have operated on a limited basis in the National Airspace System (NAS). Until recently, UAS mainly supported public operations, such as military and border security operations. The list of potential uses is now rapidly expanding to encompass a broad range of other activities, including aerial photography, surveying land and crops, communications and broadcast, monitoring forest fires and environmental conditions, and protecting critical infrastructures. UAS provide new ways for commercial enterprises (civil operations) and public operators to enhance some of our nation's aviation operations through increased operational efficiency and decreased costs, while maintaining the safety of the NAS. […] The FAA created the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office to facilitate integration of UAS safely and efficiently into the NAS. Toward that goal, the FAA is collaborating with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, which includes manufacturers, commercial vendors, industry trade associations, technical standards organizations, academic institutions, research and development centers, governmental agencies, and other regulators. Ultimately, UAS must be integrated into the NAS without reducing existing capacity, decreasing safety, negatively impacting current operators, or increasing the risk to airspace users or persons and property on the ground any more than the integration of comparable new and novel technologies. Significant progress has been made toward UAS-NAS integration, with many challenges and opportunities ahead."
United States. Federal Aviation Administration
2013-11-07
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Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center Regarding Advance Passenger Information System Data
"The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), acting through the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), hereinafter collectively referenced as the 'Parties,' have entered into this Memorandum of Agreement ('MOA' or 'Agreement') to govern the sharing, use and safeguarding of data contained within the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) for the purpose of identifying information within APIS [Application Programming Interface] as Terrorism Information. The Parties agree that this MOA constitutes the for Terms and Conditions required by the United States Attorney General Guidelines for Access, Retention, Use, and Dissemination by the National Counterterrorism Center and Other Agencies of Information in Datasets Containing Non-Terrorism Information (March 22, 2012) for the sharing of APIS Data."
National Counterterrorism Center (U.S.)
2013?
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Budget Hearing: United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Before the U.S. House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Homeland Security, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, March 13, 2014
This testimony compilation is from the March 13, 2014 hearing before the Subcommittee on Homeland Security of the House Committee on Appropriations, "Budget Hearing: United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement." From the opening statement of John Carter: "Our job today is to learn whether the President's budget request enables you to do your jobs taking down transnational criminal organizations, combating illegal cross border activity, and enforcing immigration laws. Gentlemen, I'm going to be blunt. As Chairman of this subcommittee, I must be convinced the budget supports your operations. Unfortunately, from what I have reviewed so far, cuts to operational accounts aren't justified by facts, analysis, or data." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: John Carter, Daniel H. Ragsdale, Peter T. Edge, and Thomas Homan.
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations
2014-03-13
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Evolution of Los Zetas in Mexico and Central America: Sadism as an Instrument of Cartel Warfare
"Drug-related violence in the border town of Nuevo Laredo, the crown jewel for U.S.-Mexican commerce, left the bustling, crime-afflicted city of 350,000 with¬out a police chief. Alejandro Domínguez Coello, a print-shop owner and Chamber of Commerce president, accepted the post on the morning of June 8, 2005. 'I'm not beholden to anyone. My commitment is to the citizenry,' stated the 56-year-old father of three. Six hours later, he took the wheel of his Ford F-150 pickup. A vehicle pulled up next to him, and the crack of an AR-15 rifle sounded as 30 bullets ripped through his white shirt, splashing blood over his chin and chest. Los Zetas paramilitaries were sending a message: We control the streets of Nuevo Laredo. 'They are openly defying the Mexican state,' said Mexico City political scientist Jorge Chabat. 'They are showing that they can kill anybody at any time. It's chilling.' As a result of such carnage, virtually every other drug trafficking organization (DTO) in Mexico, the more professional law enforcement units, Mexican and U.S. security agencies, and the armed forces are committed to exterminating Los Zetas, who sprang to life in the late-1990s. Osiel 'The Friend Killer' Cárde¬nas Guillén, who aspired to lead the then-mighty Gulf Cartel based in Matamoros across from McAllen, Texas, feared assassination to the point of paranoia. Hooked on cocaine and haunted by internal demons, the 31-year-old Friend Killer became convinced that assassins were plotting his demise."
Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute
Grayson, George W., 1938-
2014-04
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Threat Analysis: Organized Crime and Narco-Terrorism in Northern Mexico
"Organized crime syndicates are modern enemies of democracy that relentlessly engage in kidnapping and assassination of political figures, and traffic not only in addictive and lethal substances, but also increasingly in human beings. To create an environment conducive to success in their criminal interests, they engage in heinous acts intended to instill fear, promote corruption, and undermine democratic governance by undercutting confidence in government. […]. In the long term, such actions erode individual civil liberties in America and Mexico by undermining both governments' abilities to maintain societies in which the full exercise of civil liberties is possible. This danger is ominously evident on the Mexican side of the border, where 86 percent of those responding to a poll in Mexico City in 2004 said they would support government restrictions of their civil rights in order to dismantle organized crime […]. These views suggest that an extremely unhealthy sociopolitical environment is evolving at America's very doorstep. We should see this not as a collateral issue associated with the War on Terrorism, but as a national security issue deserving of the same level of interest, concern, and resourcing as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This article provides an ethnographic analysis of narco-terrorism, narcocorruption, and human trafficking in the northern states of Mexico, and an overview of Mexican organized crime and its destabilizing effect on Mexico's attempts to create a functioning, uncorrupt democracy."
U.S. Army Combined Arms Center
Knowles, Gordon James
2008-01
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Important Change in International Land and Sea Travel Document Procedures
This January 31, 2008 DHS news release "reminds the traveling public that U.S. and Canadian citizens ages 19 and older should no longer expect that they will be able to prove identity and citizenship by relying on an oral declaration alone. Instead, travelers will be asked to present documents from one of the options below when entering the United States at land or sea ports of entry. Travelers who do not present one of the documents listed below may be delayed as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers attempt to verify their identify and citizenship."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
2008-01-30
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection Inspector's Field Manual
"The CBP, created in March 2003 as part of the massive government reorganization which created the Department of Homeland Security, represents a merger of components from the U.S. Customs Service, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Our attention as immigration lawyers is similarly directed to the inspections process. In fiscal year 2006, the CBP found over 200,000 persons to be either inadmissible aliens or interdicted as law violators. We are aware that inspection is a crucial function made difficult by the millions of travelers that enter the country each year. The high volume of international travel to the U.S. means that officers typically have little time to make decisions about who is permitted to enter the country lawfully. However, we are also aware that this time pressure leads to mistakes that adversely affect travelers with legitimate purposes. […] It is my hope that this publication, made possible through the use of the Freedom of Information Act, will encourage readers to find their own ways make our government more accessible to the public."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Miller, Charles M.
2006-02-10
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U.S. National Security Interests in Africa and the Future Global War on Terrorism (GWOT): A Proposal to Create an African Regional Combatant Command and a Regional African Special Operations Command
"The purpose of this thesis is to address the current need for a unified or sub-unified military regional combatant command headquarters within Africa. The United States needs such a command in order to protect U.S. national interests, provide a proactive forward deployed stance against the Global War On Terrorism (GWOT), and better execute crisis resource contingency operations throughout the entire continent of Africa. Thus, this thesis will argue that given the continued focus on the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), the United States should consider establishing a future political-military organization such as a unified or sub-unified African Regional Combatant Command (ARCC) and a Regional African Special Operations Command (RA-SOC) to both promote democratic initiatives and regional stability within the region, and to better assist and support U.S. national security interests by deterring and defeating international and regional terrorist networks well away from US borders. This newly proposed organization, at a minimum, should have a forward deployed political-military element positioned and located somewhere within the region of Sub-Saharan African. Specifically, this thesis will recommend that this proposed forward deployed regional headquarters should strategically be located within the sub-region of West Africa or East Africa."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Brown, Charles M.
2005-09
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Study in the States [website]
"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the 'Study in the States' initiative to enhance our nation's economic, scientific and technological competitiveness by finding new ways to encourage the most talented international students to study and learn about expanded post-graduate opportunities in the United States. This initiative includes a focus on streamlining the student visa process, enhancing coordination among government agencies and keeping international students better informed about student visa rules and regulations. 'Study in the States' serves as an innovative information hub for the international student community by bringing together the various federal agencies that play a role in implementing our student visa and exchange visitor programs, including the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs and Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The site offers the latest information and resources for international students and school officials through blog posts, news articles, interactive guides, and videos."
United States. Department of Homeland Security
