U.S. terror watch list streamlined, updated instantaneously – Homeland Security Newswire
Now a single tip about a terror link will be enough for inclusion in the watch list for U.S. security officials, who have also evolved a quicker system to share the database of potential terrorists among screening agencies.
Napolitano meets Karzai to discuss al-Qaeda fight, border – The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met Saturday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss the fight against al-Qaeda terrorists in the region.
Overflights over U.S. are not top-priority security concern – Homeland Security Newswire
Terrorists who are trying to exploit cargo planes to launch an attack on the United States may find a security weakness in screening of cargo planes flying over, though not into, the United States, but security experts say targeting overflights is a waste of scarce resources.
Millions allowed into U.S. without proper border documents – Homeland Security Newswire
A year and a half after the federal government strengthened rules on the documents needed to enter the country, millions of people are still being allowed to enter without passports or other hard-to-forge identification cards, a government audit has found.
DHS to speed traveler identity verification – NextGov
The Homeland Security Department plans to increase the speed of database searches that verify the identities of travelers entering the U.S. by land to finally enforce a June 2009 document requirement, according to an inspector general audit.
Printer Bomb Scare Raises Issues For Congress – Aviation Daily
Congress will have its hands full dealing with a multitude of policy issues raised by the October discovery of explosive printer bombs destined for U.S.-bound, all-cargo aircraft, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) says in a December report.
By Edward Alden
The DHS Office of the Inspector General this week released a report on implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which for the first time in U.S. history requires all crossers at the land borders with Canada and Mexico to present secure documents. While 96 percent of border crossers complied, four percent did not. Senator Cornyn voiced concern about this four percent, but in a free and open country like the United States, there can never be such a thing as a completely secure border.
Laws to Keep Out Terrorists Also Block Refugees, Groups Say – CQ Homeland Security
A group of security analysts and officials from religious groups gathered Monday to reiterate a point they’ve been making for more than a decade — that the anti-terrorism laws passed after Sept. 11, 2001, have come with the inadvertent consequence of delaying or prohibiting some refugees from escaping to America.
Trusted Traveler Program Sparks Fears That Mexican Drug Cartels Could Bypass U.S. Airport Security – FOX News
Mexican citizens will soon be eligible to apply for a “trusted traveler” status that will allow them to bypass some elements of airport security when they fly into the United States — a U.S. government-approved program that critics say could be exploited by violent drug cartels.
White House held up regulation to stop gun flow to Mexico – Homeland Security Newswire
This spring, President Obama promised Mexican president Felipe Calderon that he would work to deter gunrunning south of the border. Behind the scenes, White House officials were putting the brakes on a proposal to require gun dealers to report bulk sales of the high-powered semiautomatic rifles favored by drug cartels.
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