Homeland Security Digital Library

SEARCH THE HSDL

Searching for terms: ALL (Border AND Security) in: title or summary

Results 61 - 90 (of 4,513) sort by relevance sorted by date

Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).

Federal Government Perspective: Improving Security, Trade, and Travel Flows at the Southwest Border Ports of Entry, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session, November 17, 2021

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the November 17, 2021 hearing on "Federal Government Perspective: Improving Security, Trade, and Travel Flows at the Southwest Border Ports of Entry," held before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the Opening Statement of Krysten Sinema: "As always, the key part of improved border security is a strong border workforce. Our port officers have worked the past year in challenging circumstances in the midst of a global pandemic, and I honor their efforts. I hope today's hearing can help us focus our border security discussions back toward ports of entry. I want to continue gathering an understanding of the current challenges at our Southwest Border ports and discuss the appropriate technology, infrastructure, and personnel investments needed to ensure our ports can be secure and fully operational today, tomorrow, and years into the future." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Diane Sabatino, Joe Jeronimo, and Stuart Burns.

United States. Government Publishing Office

2022
Immigration: Information on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Report to Congressional Requesters

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Highlights: "In June 2012, DHS established the DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] initiative. Under DACA, DHS has the discretion to provide temporary protection from removal from the U.S. (or, deferred action) for certain noncitizens who came to the U.S. before age 16. DACA recipients are neither granted lawful immigration status nor put on a pathway to lawful status. Rather, they are considered to be lawfully present in the U.S. during the 2-year period of deferred action. USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] has granted DACA to more than 800,000 noncitizens. In July 2021, a federal court ruled that USCIS may not approve first-time DACA requests but temporarily permitted USCIS to continue to approve renewals of previously approved requests. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review the extent to which USCIS shares information on DACA requestors and recipients with immigration enforcement agencies. This report describes (1) the circumstances under which USCIS shares information on DACA requestors with immigration enforcement agencies and (2) how CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] and ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] have applied DHS's immigration enforcement priorities to DACA recipients and those who may have potentially qualified for DACA since 2012."

United States. Government Accountability Office

2022-01
Improving Security, Trade, and Travel at Land Ports of Entry at the Southwest Border, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session, June 16, 2021

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the June 16, 2021 hearing on "Improving Security, Trade, and Travel at Land Ports of Entry at the Southwest Border," held before the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the testimony of Kevin K. McAleenan: "The topic of this hearing, Improving Security, Trade, and Travel at Land Ports of Entry on the Southwest Border, is a critical one and it is a privilege to be with such a knowledgeable group, knowledgeable panel, on Southwest Border operations. [...] Over the past decade, Congress has provided significant resources to CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] for land border ports of entry and enhanced legal authorities to enter into innovative public-private partnerships and CBP has endeavored to deploy them to continually improve the facilitation of lawful trade and travel while enhancing security. As a result, CBP has made substantial progress in improving operations at ports of entry toward that goal of an increasingly well-managed border, that [sic] one that efficiently and effectively identifies and interdicts threats while expediting the vast majority of lawful travel and trade. More investment, however, infrastructure, technology, and personnel is needed to sustain and build on this progress and that investment can have substantial benefits for the United States economy impacting all 50 States." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Kevin K. McAleenan, Anthony Reardon, Samuel Vale, and Guillermo Valencia.

United States. Government Publishing Office

2022
National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activity in North and South America, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, First Session, April 14, 2021

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the April 14, 2021 hearing on "National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activity in North and South America," held before the U.S. House Committee on Armed Services. From the Opening Statement of Adam Smith: "[O]ur committee hearing is on 'National Security Challenges and U.S. Military Activity in North and South America.' [...] Obviously, there are a lot of challenges going on in the world right now, and, you know, the one that dominates is COVID [coronavirus]--its impacts, how it is impacting your commands, how it is impacting stability in your areas of responsibility. We are very interested to hear how it is going in terms of making sure that we protect our service members, maintain our ability to train and meet our readiness requirements, and, at the same time, how COVID may be impacting your areas of responsibility. Obviously, there is a great deal of instability, in particular in South America--two hurricanes, continued economic challenges. We have the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, and we have seen the impact in the flow of folks coming to the border. There are a lot of challenges in that region. [...] I am very curious to get your take on how you perceive the threats to the homeland, the rise of both Russia and China in terms of their global capability. North Korea, as well, has introduced a level of threat to the homeland that we haven't seen before. How do we need to respond to that? What is the most intelligent spending we can do in the Department of Defense budget to meet those challenges? And then what is the whole-of-government response as well?" Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Craig S. Faller, Roert G. Salesses, and Glen D. VanHerck.

United States. Government Publishing Office

2022
Chief Human Capital Officers at 20: What is Needed to Empower CHCOs to Ensure HR Practices Support Agencies' Mission Success, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, Second Session, March 2, 2022

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the March 2, 2022 hearing on "Chief Human Capital Officers at 20: What is Needed to Empower CHCOs [Federal Chief Human Capital Officers] to Ensure HR [human resources] Practices Support Agencies' Mission Success," held before the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Border Management of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. From the opening statement of Kyrsten Sinema: "A more effective and efficient Federal Government starts with a better Federal workforce. It does not matter how much we spend or how many laws we pass; if we do not have the right people in the right jobs, our Federal Government will not be successful in providing the services that my constituents in Arizona count on every day. CHCOs play a critical role in this effort. They oversee day-to-day workforce management to ensure the right employees are hired, trained, managed, promoted, and retained. The Chief Human Capital Officer role was created in the Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 to elevate human capital efforts within agencies. After 20 years, it is important to explore what works about the CHCO role, what additional authorities they need to be successful and innovative, what gets in the way of their success, and how Congress can set up CHCOs for success." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Michael J. Rigas, Angela Bailey, Teresa W. Gerton, and Steven V. Lenkart.

United States. Government Publishing Office

2022
Examining the Court-Ordered Reimplementation of the Remain in Mexico Policy, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, Second Session, March 2, 2022

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the March 2, 2022 hearing on "Examining the Court-Ordered Reimplementation of the Remain in Mexico Policy," held before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations of the Committee on Homeland Security. From the Opening Statement of Nanette Diaz Barragan: "Thank you for joining today's hearing to examine the court-ordered reimplementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols, MPP. Donald Trump's Remain in Mexico policy, or MPP, was inhumane. Rather than upholding U.S. asylum laws, he dismantled the asylum process and forced migrants to wait in dangerous conditions in Mexico until their asylum hearing. Under President Trump, there were more than 1,500 documented reports of kidnapping, torture, murder, rape, and assault amongst the 70,000 migrants he enrolled into MPP. That is why the Biden administration is working to terminate this program." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Blas Nunez-Neto, Benjamine ''Carry'' Huffman, Emily Mendrala, and Timothy Roemer.

United States. Government Publishing Office

2022
Department of Homeland Security Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021, Hearings Before a Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Second Session on H.R. 7669, an Act Making Appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2021, and for Other Purposes

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
These are the February 25, 2020 and March 3, 2020 hearings on "Department of Homeland Security Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021," held before a U.S. Senate Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations. From the opening statement of Chad Wolf: "In fiscal year 2021, I hope to build on the progress made in the fiscal year 2020 bill, which was enacted on December the 20th, 2019, on a broad bipartisan basis. Our 2020 bill provided a total of $50.46 billion in discretionary funding, and included several significant investments that will shape and protect the homeland for years to come. [...] We helped provide what was needed at the border, but, at the same time, we, as a subcommittee, did not lose sight of the Department's many other critical missions throughout the duration of the crisis. And just name some: counterterrorism, trade enforcement, human trafficking, maritime security, opioid and drug interdiction, presidential protection, cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, emergency management, continuity of government, immigration services, law enforcement training, countering weapons of mass destruction, State and local information-sharing, and, most recently, supporting efforts to contain the coronavirus, just to name a few. I know, going forward, we'll remember the role that this subcommittee played in enabling and scrutinizing all of the missions of the Department." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Shelley Moore, David Pekoske, Jon Tester, and Chad Wolf.

United States. Government Publishing Office

2022
U.S. and International Humanitarian Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on National Security of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Seventeenth Congress, Second Session, June 10, 2022

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the June 10, 2022 hearing on "U.S. and International Humanitarian Response to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine," held before the U.S. House Subcommittee on National Security of the Committee on Oversight and Reform. From the opening statement of Stephen F. Lynch: "Now in its fourth month, Russian President Vladimir Putin's unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine has taken a devastating toll on the Ukraine people. This unjust war of aggression has resulted in the tragic loss of thousands of innocent lives and precipitated a grave humanitarian crisis that is already having cascading effects in areas of the world far beyond Ukraine's borders, such as Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. [...] In steadfast and continued support of the Ukrainian people, the U.S. Congress recently enacted a bipartisan aid package to provide $40 billion in security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. I'm grateful that the legislation included $9 billion in direct economic assistance for Ukraine as well as additional funding for refugee support programs and global emergency food relief." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Jose Andres, Christopher Stokes, Amanda Catanzano, and Pete Walsh.

United States. Government Publishing Office

2022
National Drug Control Strategy Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Introduction: "Criminal activity along the Southwest Border (SWB) poses a significant national security threat to the United States. The almost 2,000-mile border that separates the United States and Mexico includes major population centers, transportation hubs, Tribal lands and Tribal Trust lands, and large tracts of uninhabited desert. Mexican Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) are the greatest drug trafficking threat to the United States; they control most of the U.S. drug market and have established varied transportation routes, have advanced communications capabilities, and hold strong affiliations with criminal groups and gangs in the United States. Mexican TCOs supply the majority of the heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, and foreign-produced marijuana available in U.S. illicit drug markets. These drugs are also smuggled into the United States across other land, sea, and air borders, but not on the same scale as the substances transported across the SWB."

United States. White House Office; United States. Executive Office of the President; United States. Office of National Drug Control Policy

2022
CBP Enforcement Statistics Fiscal Year 2022

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
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. At the nation's more than 300 ports of entry, CBP officers have a complex mission with broad law enforcement authorities tied to screening all foreign visitors, returning American citizens and imported cargo that enters the U.S. Along the nation's borders, the United States Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations are the uniformed law enforcement arms of CBP responsible for securing U.S. borders between ports of entry. Visit CBP's Southwest Border Migration page for demographic information regarding apprehensions and inadmissibles on the southwest border and the Assaults and Use of Force page for data on assaults on agents and officers, and uses of force by CBP personnel."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

2022
Immigration: Apprehensions and Expulsions at the Southwest Border [December 22, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Summary: "In FY2021, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded 1,659,206 border enforcement encounters with foreign nationals (aliens), the highest number in the agency's history. About two-thirds (1,063,285; 64%) involved single adults. The remainder included individuals in family units (451,087; 27%) and unaccompanied children (144,834; 9%). Immigration observers continue to debate the many factors that explain current elevated migration levels and how they compare to previous levels. Historically, migrants apprehended crossing the Southwest border illegally were motivated largely by the prospect of U.S. employment. More recently, migrants are also increasingly fleeing harsh conditions and seeking asylum, simultaneously hoping to reunite with family members. Often, multiple factors drive migrants' decisions to risk crossing the border unlawfully. The past decade has also seen a shift to many more migrants coming from the 'Northern Triangle' countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). In FY2021, migrant origins expanded beyond Mexico and Central America to include South American countries and the Caribbean. Sizeable migrant flows also originated from countries as distant as Romania, India, and Turkey. The size and diverse origins of migrants have some questioning whether those seeking asylum are using false asylum claims to enter the United States."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Singer, Audrey; Kandel, William A.

2021-12-22
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: S. 2322, CTPAT Pilot Program Act of 2021

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on November 3, 2021. From the Document: "S. 2322 would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to carry out a five-year pilot program to include certain third-party logistics providers in the customs trade partnership against terrorism (CTPAT) program. CTPAT is a voluntary program that encourages entities involved in international trade to cooperate with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to strengthen international supply chains, improve border security, and facilitate the movement of secure cargo through the supply chain."

United States. Congressional Budget Office

2021-12-22
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Authorities and Procedures [December 20, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Document: "Through legislation, Congress has specified the conditions [hyperlink] under which non-U.S. nationals ('aliens' [hyperlink], as the term is used in the Immigration and Nationality Act [INA]) may lawfully enter or remain in the United States. Under this framework, aliens who satisfy applicable requirements may qualify for certain types of immigration benefits, such as adjustment to lawful permanent resident [hyperlink] (LPR) status. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services [hyperlink] (USCIS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is tasked with adjudicating immigration benefit applications. This Legal Sidebar provides a brief overview of USCIS's authorities and procedures. (Two other DHS components, Immigration and Customs Enforcement [hyperlink] [ICE] and Customs and Border Protection [hyperlink] [CBP]), are primarily responsible for the agency's immigration enforcement activities, and their authorities are discussed in other CRS products [hyperlink].)"

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Smith, Hillel R.

2021-12-20
Executive Order 14060: Establishing the United States Council on Transnational Organized Crime

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Purpose: "Transnational organized crime (TOC) poses a direct and escalating threat to public health, public safety, and national security. Transnational criminal organizations engage in a broad range of criminal activities, including drug and weapons trafficking, migrant smuggling, human trafficking, cybercrime, intellectual property theft, money laundering, wildlife and timber trafficking, illegal fishing, and illegal mining. These networks continue to expand in size and influence in the United States and abroad. Transnational criminal organizations contribute directly to tens of thousands of drug-overdose deaths in the United States each year and adversely affect American communities and economic prosperity. They also threaten United States national security by degrading the security and stability of allied and partner nations, undermining the rule of law, fostering corruption, acting as proxies for hostile state activities, directly or indirectly funding insurgent and terrorist groups, depleting natural resources, harming human health and the environment, contributing to climate change through illegal deforestation and logging, and exploiting and endangering vulnerable populations. In some regions, transnational criminal organizations wield state-like capabilities, disregarding sovereign borders, compromising the integrity of democratic institutions and threatening the legitimacy of fragile governments, and securing their power through intimidation, corruption, and violence. For these reasons, it is in the national interest of the United States to counter TOC. Addressing TOC requires a coordinated Federal framework accompanied by a cohesive whole-of-government effort executed in collaboration with State, local, Tribal, territorial, and civil society partners in the United States and in close coordination with foreign partners, international and regional organizations, and international and local civil society groups abroad."

United States. Office of the Federal Register

Biden, Joseph R., Jr.

2021-12-15
Migrant Crisis on the Belarus-Poland Border [Updated December 13, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Document: "Since May 2021, Belarusian authorities have been accused of facilitating migration flows--mainly from Iraq but also from Syria, Afghanistan, and other countries in the Middle East and Africa--to Belarus and on to Belarus's borders with neighboring European Union (EU) member states Lithuania and Poland (and, to a lesser extent, Latvia). See Figure 1 [hyperlink]. From August 2021, the Belarus-Poland border has served as the focal point for people seeking to reach the EU via Belarus. Media reports have cited both individuals who attempted the journey and European officials as stating that Belarusian state-run agencies encouraged and organized travel. They also reported that Belarusian security forces escorted people to the border, prevented them from leaving, and facilitated destruction of border fencing. The crisis heightened in mid-November 2021 but then diminished, at least for the present. Several thousand migrants or asylum seekers remain in Belarus, and many reportedly continue to seek to cross the border. The crisis that Belarus's purported actions provoked has raised U.S. and international concerns about the use of migrants or refugees for political ends. The developments relate to several issues of interest to Congress, including Belarusian authorities' human rights abuses and violations of international law, the use of so-called hybrid operations against U.S. allies in Europe, Russia's role in such operations, Russia's deepening military presence in and around Belarus and Ukraine, and humanitarian and legal concerns about the treatment of migrants and refugees."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Margesson, Rhoda; Mix, Derek E.; Welt, Cory

2021-12-13
Digital Trade and U.S. Trade Policy [Updated December 9, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Summary: "As the global internet expands and evolves, digital trade has become prominent on the global trade and economic policy agenda. According to the Department of Commerce, the 'digital economy' accounted for 9.6% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 and supported 7.7 million U.S. jobs, or 5.0% of total U.S. employment in 2019. From 2005 to 2019, real value added for the U.S. digital economy grew at an average annual rate of 5.2% per year, outpacing the 2.2% growth in the overall economy each year. Digital trade has been growing faster than traditional trade in goods and services, with the pandemic further spurring its expansion. Congress plays an important role in shaping U.S. policy on digital trade, from oversight of federal agencies charged with regulating cross-border data flows to shaping and considering legislation to implement new trade rules and disciplines through trade negotiations. Congress also works with the executive branch to identify the appropriate balance between digital trade and other policy objectives, including privacy and national security."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Fefer, Rachel F.; Akhtar, Shayerah Ilias; Sutherland, Michael D.

2021-12-09
Fact Sheet: The National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking (NAP) [December 3, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Fact Sheet: "Globally, an estimated 25 million people [hyperlink] are subjected to human trafficking and forced labor, which is responsible for an estimated $150 billion annually [hyperlink] in illicit profits. It erodes the safety and health of our communities and transportation networks, the security of our borders, the strength of our economy, and the rule of law. The Administration is committed to keeping the fight to end human trafficking at the forefront of our national security agenda by releasing the new National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking[hyperlink]." [Document referenced found here: https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=861455]

United States. Office of the White House Press Secretary

2021-12-03
Prevent, Counter, and Respond--NNSA's Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats (FY 2022-FY 2026)

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Executive Summary: "Prevent, Counter, and Respond--NNSA's Plan to Reduce Global Nuclear Threats (FY 2022-FY 2026) is an annual report outlining the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration's (DOE/NNSA) activities to address the risk of nuclear terrorism and proliferation. Presidential guidance, including the 2021 Interim Nuclear Security Strategic Guidance, reinforces the important work of DOE/NNSA's nonproliferation programs to 'address the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons.' DOE/NNSA's nuclear threat reduction activities extend the nation's defenses far beyond America's borders. [...] This report describes DOE/NNSA's nuclear and radiological threat reduction activities within the prevent, counter, and respond strategic framework, and delineates key objectives, priorities from the fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget request, future plans for FY 2023-FY 2026, and key accomplishments from FY 2019-FY 2021."

United States. Department of Energy; United States. National Nuclear Security Administration

2021-12
Homeland Security Affairs: Volume XVII

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Website Description: "The December 2021 Issue of Homeland Security Affairs features a research article analyzing the differences in how police video is used in Canadian and American cities, a research article assessing the deterrence capability of different scanning technologies at border checkpoints, and an essay exploring the applicability of classical deterrence theory to WMD [weapons of mass destruction] counterproliferation efforts in maritime security regimes. In 'South of the Border: Legal and Privacy Underpinnings of Canadian and U.S. Approaches to Police Video Usage [hyperlink],' Shawna Coxon and Don Zoufal examine the different approaches to Police Camera technology in Canada and the U.S., and the legal and privacy concerns that underlie such those differences in usage. In 'Validating Deterrence Models for Scanning Technologies [hyperlink],' George Thompson assesses the potential capacity of different border checkpoint scanning technologies to deter smugglers. In 'Classical Deterrence Theory: Applicable to Maritime Counterproliferation Initiatives? [hyperlink]' Eric Taquechel examines the applicability of classical deterrence theory to maritime WMD counterproliferation programs."

Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security

2021-12
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Powers and Limitations: A Primer [Updated November 30, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Document: "U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a component of the Department of Homeland Security [hyperlink] (DHS), enforces federal customs and immigration laws at or near the international border and at U.S. ports of entry. Congress has established a comprehensive framework enabling CBP officers to inspect, search, and detain individuals to ensure their entry and any goods they import conform to these governing laws. That authority is not absolute. The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits government searches and seizures that are not reasonable. While the government has broader latitude to conduct searches at the border than in the interior of the United States, these searches must still satisfy Fourth Amendment requirements. This Legal Sidebar briefly explains CBP's customs and immigration enforcement powers and the constitutional limitations to that authority."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Smith, Hillel R.

2021-11-30
Immigration Arrests in the Interior of the United States: A Primer [Updated November 30, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Document: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement [hyperlink] (ICE), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is primarily responsible for immigration enforcement in the interior of the United States. ICE has authority to arrest and detain non-U.S. nationals ('aliens,' as the term is used in federal law [hyperlink]) identified for removal because of immigration violations. In recent years, there had been a marked increase [hyperlink] in arrests and removals conducted by ICE. As discussed in this Legal Sidebar [hyperlink] and as compared to prior administrations, the Trump Administration made enforcement a touchstone of its immigration policy, and ICE generally sought to enforce federal immigration laws against a broader range of aliens who had committed immigration violations. A recalibration of priorities by the Biden Administration has led ICE to focus its immigration enforcement actions on a narrower category of aliens [hyperlink]; namely, those who present national security concerns, those who pose a threat to public safety, and those considered a threat to border security (e.g., recent unlawful entrants). While immigration enforcement priorities may change over time, the governing authorities for ICE's activities have largely remained constant. This Legal Sidebar provides an overview of ICE's authority to conduct arrests and other enforcement actions. (A separate DHS entity, U.S. Customs and Border Protection [hyperlink] [CBP], enforces federal immigration laws at or near the border and at U.S. ports of entry; a discussion of CBP's authorities can be found here [hyperlink].)"

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Smith, Hillel R.

2021-11-30
Impact of COVID-19 on the DPRK's Health System and Future Inter-Korean Biomedical Cluster Cooperation in the Post-Pandemic Era

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Introduction: "In this essay, Sang Min Park discusses the impact of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and the international sanctions regime on the DPRK [The Democratic People's Republic of Korea] healthcare system, trends in global health aid for the DPRK and the role of the ROK [Republic of Korea], and a future inter-Korean Biomedical Cluster Cooperation model in a post-pandemic era, with implications for cooperative threat reduction (CTR+). [...] The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is yet to confirm any official cases of COVID-19. Since the start of the pandemic in January 2020, the DPRK has taken extensive measures to control COVID-19, including imposing strict border controls, a 30-day quarantine for those with COVID-like symptoms, lockdowns of entire counties and cities, and a ban on travel between provinces. Several researchers have summarized the status of COVID-19 in the DPRK, its response to the pandemic, and the pandemic's impact on the economy and regional security of the DPRK. This paper will attempt to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the DPRK health system as well as its future implications in three major ways: 1) a brief update of the DPRK's response to COVID-19 epidemic in 2021 and its impacts on the DPRK health system; 2) trends in global health aid to the DPRK during the international sanctions regime and the role of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the COVID-19 pandemic era; and 3) how to build a sustainable and synergistic horizontal inter-Korean cooperation model in the post-pandemic era."

Nautilus Institute

Park, Sang Min

2021-11-08
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 4209, DHS Illicit Cross-Border Tunnel Defense Act

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate as ordered reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security on July 28, 2021. From the Document: "H.R. 4209 would require the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the Department of Homeland Security to develop a strategic plan for identifying and remediating cross-border tunnels into the United States within six months of the bill's enactment. [...] H.R. 4209 would authorize the appropriation of $1 million for each of fiscal years 2022 and 2023 for CBP to develop the strategic plan and carry out tunnel remediation operations. Using historical patterns of spending for similar programs and assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO estimates CBP would spend $2 million over the 2022-2026 period to implement the bill."

United States. Congressional Budget Office

2021-11-05
Border Security Metrics: Progress Made, but DHS Should Take Additional Steps to Improve Information Quality, Report to Congressional Committees

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Highlights: "The United States has approximately 6,000 miles of land borders, 95,000 miles of coastline, and more than 300 ports of entry where travelers and cargo are inspected. Securing U.S. border areas is a key part of DHS's mission, and its ability to measure border security activities is essential to managing its responsibilities effectively and efficiently. The 2017 NDAA [National Defense Authorization Act] requires DHS to report annually on 43 border security metrics. The act also includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office], within 270 days of receipt of the first report and biennially for the following 10 years, to review and report on the data and methodology in DHS's report. GAO issued its initial report in March 2019. This second report evaluates the report DHS issued in August 2020, which is known as the fiscal year 2019 report and contains data through fiscal year 2018. This report addresses the extent to which DHS (1) reported metrics outlined in the 2017 NDAA using quality information and (2) has taken steps to determine and convey the sensitivity of key assumptions and the statistical uncertainty of its unlawful entry metrics."

United States. Government Accountability Office

2021-11
Obedience in Times of COVID-19 Pandemics: A Renewed Governmentality of Unease?

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Abstract: "This article transects and articulates different disciplines and lines of thought in order to understand the redefinitions of the boundaries of political power in times of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019], and the practices which may outlive the potential normalization of the crisis when an efficient vaccine is discovered. We claim that the COVID-19 pandemic is an original form of governmentality by unease articulating three dimensions. First, the basic reaction of modern states when faced with uncertainty to apply national-territorial logics of controls. Second, bureaucracies consider the virus along the frame of a danger to security and organize public health emergencies according to the rules of the game of national security, creating tensions between internal security, public health and the economy because policy makers may be unsure about the priorities and may have privilege border controls. Third, resistance against the chosen national policies show that people are not led by a politics of fear and-or protection, but rather their own concerns about themselves with a peer-to-peer surveillance based on the denunciation of potentially contaminated persons as one key element of their compliance. Contact tracing technologies and strategies of border controls are key elements to analyze. We do so in different contexts: UK, European Union and Turkey."

Centre Pour La Communication Scientifique Directe. HAL archives-ouerte

Bigo, Didier; Guild, Elspeth; Kuşkonmaz, Elif Mendos

2021-10-19
Department of Homeland Security's 'Metering' Policy: Legal Issues [Updated October 15, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Document: "Before the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) U.S. Customs and Border Protection [hyperlink] (CBP) had been limiting [hyperlink] the number of asylum seekers who were processed each day at designated ports of entry along the U.S. southern border. Aliens affected by this policy generally had not yet reached the U.S. border and were required to remain in Mexico until CBP decided it could process them. This policy-- known as 'metering'--sought to address an 'unprecedented rise in asylum requests,' [hyperlink] as well as safety and health concerns [hyperlink] resulting from overcrowding at ports of entry. The policy has led to [hyperlink] long wait times and overcrowded conditions on the Mexican side of the border, and has arguably incentivized [hyperlink] attempts to illegally cross the border between ports of entry. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CBP in March 2020 implemented a policy [hyperlink] that largely shut down asylum processing for many aliens arriving at the U.S. border (sometimes referred to as the 'Title 42' policy [hyperlink]). The policy remains in effect [hyperlink], but does not apply [hyperlink] to certain categories of aliens (e.g., unaccompanied minors and other individuals who CBP officials determine should be exempted for humanitarian reasons). As a result, since March 2020, CBP has largely suspended [hyperlink] metering, and most asylum processing 'waitlists' have been closed to aliens seeking to enter the United States after that date. To date, there has only been one challenge to metering that has resulted in a decision by a federal district court, though litigation in that case remains ongoing."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Smith, Hillel R.

2021-10-15
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate: H.R. 4094, One-Stop Pilot Program Act of 2021

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
This is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate as passed by the House of Representatives on September 29, 2021. From the Document: "Under current law, international air passengers arriving in the United States who have subsequent transfer flights generally must be screened at an airport security checkpoint before boarding the transfer flight. H.R. 4094 would authorize the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to conduct a pilot program that would allow passengers and baggage arriving from certain foreign airports to bypass that security screening, under conditions specified in the act. TSA could conduct the pilot program under agreements with up to six foreign airports and the program would terminate six years after enactment. H.R. 4094 would require TSA to brief the Congress before each agreement takes effect and report within five years of enactment on how the program was implemented. Using information from TSA on the cost of similar programs, CBO estimates that implementing the act would cost $1 million over the 2022-2026 period; any spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds."

United States. Congressional Budget Office

2021-10-12
CBP's FAST Program Exposes Borders to Security Risks

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Highlights: "As a Trusted Traveler Program, CBP [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] established the FAST [Free and Secure Trade] program to expedite processing for carriers and drivers pre-approved as low risk to enhance trade and safeguard against border security risks. We conducted this audit to determine the extent that CBP ensures only low-risk commercial drivers participate in the FAST program. [...] We made four recommendations to improve the program and mitigate risks at CBP land ports of entry."

United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General

2021-09-29
Central Asia: Background and U.S. Relations [September 24, 2021]

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Document: "U.S. security cooperation with Central Asian states may evolve in light of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. On September 1, 2021, the U.S. embassy in Dushanbe announced a project to construct new border guard facilities in Tajikistan along the Tajik-Afghan-Uzbek border. The United States has overflight agreements in place with all Central Asian countries other than Kyrgyzstan. Some speculate that the United States may request access to bases in the region to support counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan. Russia has expressed opposition to a U.S. military presence in Central Asia, however. Following a CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] summit held in Dushanbe on September 16, 2021, the government of Kazakhstan reportedly stated that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev 'supported the joint CSTO position that the placement of Afghan refugees or foreign military bases on our countries' territories is unacceptable.' Prior to the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the United States expanded its diplomatic engagement to encompass multilateral meetings involving Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. In May 2020, officials from the United States, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan held an inaugural trilateral meeting to discuss deepening cooperation on regional security and other issues. A similar meeting between the United States, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan took place in March 2021. In July 2021, the United States, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan announced a new quadrilateral format focused on enhancing regional connectivity. It remains unclear whether the United States will establish diplomatic relations with the Taliban government, as does the future of such multilateral meetings."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Blackwood, Maria A.

2021-09-24
CBP Continues to Experience Challenges Managing Searches of Electronic Devices at Ports of Entry (REDACTED)

Show summary Open resource [pdf] (open full abstract)
From the Highlights: "'The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015' (TFTEA) requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish standard operating procedures (SOP) for searching, reviewing, retaining, and sharing information in communication, electronic, or digital devices at U.S. ports of entry (POE). TFTEA also requires the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General to conduct three annual audits to determine to what extent CBP conducted searches of electronic devices at POEs in accordance with its SOPs. This is the second audit in the series."

United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General

2021-09-23

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8