Security Debrief

A New Year's Wish for DHS

There is every reason to applaud the beginning of a new year. It brings a sense of hope and renewed energy for the future, and if ever there was a place for that, it’s the Department of Homeland Security. Yet, with many confirmed leaders in critical DHS positions, there should be no more excuses when it comes to actions and decision making. Leadership vacuums and transitions are certainly reason enough why some decisions can’t be made immediately, but those excuses are no longer plausible or believable.

Millions allowed into U.S. without proper border documents

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

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.

Total Compliance with Western Hemisphere Border Security Unrealistic

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.

Trusted Traveler Program Sparks Fears That Mexican Drug Cartels Could Bypass U.S. Airport Security

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

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.

US-Canada Perimeter Security in 2011

By Edward Alden
Nearly a decade after the United States and Canada set the early template for cross-border cooperation in the post-9/11 era with the 2001 Smart Border Accords, the two governments finally appear ready to take the next step towards a genuine system of “perimeter security.” While the initiative as outlined makes tremendous sense on both sides of the border, it will face significant opposition in Canada from those who fear that national sovereignty will be sacrificed on the altar of continental security, and in the United States from those who favor unilateral approaches to securing the borders.

Security Debrief’s Stewart Verdery moderated a panel at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars regarding trade and border security on the Canadian border. Specifically, the panel was titled “Mixed Signals at the Border: The Future of U.S.-Canada Preclearance Programs.”

US Chamber forum participants discuss global cargo security

The US Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum on global supply chain this week, which of course had to include a discussion on international cargo security. Check out the video of CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin speaking to the group.

Border Agencies Having Trouble Keeping Up With Trafficking on Federal Lands

Border Agencies Having Trouble Keeping Up With Trafficking on Federal Lands – CQ Homeland Security
The rate of illegal entries into federal lands along the U.S.-Mexico border has outstripped the pace of Border Patrol apprehensions in those areas — and the threat shows no sign of abating, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.