Security Debrief

The Administration's Mixed Signals on Immigration Policy

By federal government standards, there has been a veritable frenzy of activity related to immigration at the Department of Homeland Security. With three high-profile appointments in the last couple of weeks, the Administration has sent mixed signals about the direction it intends to take on immigration policy from a public perspective, as well as how it intends to manage the effort from an internal perspective. Oddly, the mainstream media has missed or ignored these developments.

Breaking: John Morton Nominated to Lead ICE

President Obama announced today his intention to nominate John Morton to be the Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Opportunity Knocking

Here’s a statement that should be obvious by now: Our economic stability and national security are conjoined twins – one can’t exist without the other. As this administration focuses on economic stimulus packages to respond to our country’s economic crisis, it is easy to lose sight of Homeland Security priorities.

Can the government compete in today's underworld of terror and criminal finance?

When I managed the El Dorado Task Force, the top money laundering task force in the nation, I had a nagging belief that some of the criminal and terrorist organizations we were up against were conducting sophisticated money laundering schemes that the federal government lacked the capacity to identify, investigate and neutralize. Simply put, the government lacked the necessary resources and expertise to compete with the criminal minds set on exploiting the ever-evolving complexities of the financial world.

Conviction in Holy Land Foundation a Significant Victory in the War on Terrorism

This week’s conviction of five former organizers of the Holy Land Foundation, an Islamic charity operating in Dallas, for funneling more that $12 million to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, is clearly the most significant victory in the effort to crack down on terror financing through certain Islamic charitable groups that serve as front groups for terror operations.

Yet Another Front in the War on Terrorism

John Kiriakou’s essay on “Iran’s Latin Inroads” is a must read for all concerned with homeland security and international relations. Iran’s influence in Central Eurasia is well documented but did you know:

At the invitation of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Iran has established an ammunition factory, cement factory, and a car assembly plant in Venezuela. Iran Air has established direct air service between Tehran, Syria, and Caracas, Venezuela.

Peru's Shining Path highlights Drug-Terror Nexus

The illicit global drug trade as a ready source of funding for terrorist organizations is a dimension of terrorism that many in Washington, D.C. fail to comprehend, and many more neglect to even talk about.

Essential Reading Series: Ghost Wars by Steve Coll

I would place Coll’s book along side Lawrence Wright’s “The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11″ as indispensable books for anybody wishing to understand what led to al Qaeda’s murderous attack on the United States in 2001. (Not to mention the 1993 forerunner attack on the World Trade Center, the 1996 Khobar Tower bombing and the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.)

Why do the media refer to the FARC as "rebels"?

In all of the coverage of the rescue of the hostages from the Colombian terrorist organization known as the FARC, it is disturbing to see the mainstream media nearly universally refer to the FARC as “Colombian rebels” or a “feared insurgent group.” The FARC is one of the globe’s most lethal narcoterrorist organizations. Or was, anyway. It seems to be imploding even as a criminal and terrorist organization.

Government Must Prove That Crime Pays

Two U.S. Supreme Court rulings this month on the application and definition of federal money laundering statutes are problematic for federal investigators and prosecutors. The Cuellar v. United States case, a 9-0 decision, was a “no brainer” and addressed the act of concealment to avoid detection. The second case, Santos v. United States, a 5-4 decision, is more complicated and will prove to be even more frustrating in government efforts to crack down on criminal activity.