Considering the Wrong Metrics for Border Wall Funding
Using total drug seizures as a guide for expanding U.S. border security infrastructure is not as logical as it seems.
Virtual Kidnappings on the Rise – Law Enforcement Needs to Do More
Transnational organized criminal groups are using virtual kidnapping to extort money from Americans, and the U.S. law enforcement response seems to fall short.
Border Wall Impact on Drug Flows Could Deliver National Cost Savings
A southern border wall could be cost-beneficial if it limits narcotics trafficking and reduces the number of drug overdose fatalities, but it is worth considering regulatory alternatives, as well as whether the border wall will actually impact drug flows.
Touring San Ysidro and Otay Mesa Ports of Entry
Folks at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) put together a tour of the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry for a small number of bloggers and think tank representatives to take a look behind the scenes at the daily operations at these vital and busy locations. This is what we saw.
Happy Anniversary, Coasties
On August 4, 1790, the U.S. Congress authorized then-Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton to create a maritime service to enforce customs laws. President George Washington signed this bill, creating the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
Increase in C-TPAT Enforcement — and Enforcement Costs
As C-TPAT has matured, Customs and Border Protection’s emphasis on compliance is sensible, and CBP is to be commended for ensuring that the program is a real security program and not merely a “paper program.” But CBP also must be careful to ensure that suspension and revocation decisions are made consistently across C-TPAT membership and that decisions are made in a timely way and in accordance with transparent procedures. There is anecdotal information that consistency and transparency are not yet hallmarks of CBP’s compliance efforts.
Time to Measure Progress at the Border With Mexico
After two decades of pouring resources and technology into patrolling the U.S. border with Mexico, there are encouraging signs that Congress is about to start asking the right question: what exactly have we bought for all that money? But the administration is continuing to drag its heels. A May 8 hearing of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on border and maritime security was intended to provide some answers to the critical question of how to assess progress along the border.
The Homeland Security Show with Janice Kephart
On Monday, I hosted the premiere of my new international internet radio show, “The Homeland Security Show with Janice Kephart.” My first guest was Emmy Award-winning investigative journalist William LaJeunesse, who has done the most extensive investigative journalism on the federal government’s arms trafficking operation known as Fast and Furious.
U.S. military concerned about drug trade opening routes for terror groups
CQ Homeland Security The top U.S. military officer overseeing South and Central America said Wednesday that his forces interdict only about 25 percent of all the observed illicit drug shipments transiting from his region to the United States, routes the military has reason to believe Iran might someday seek to exploit. Air Force Gen. Douglas […]
An Anti-Crime Strategy to Combat the PKK
This month, the U.S. Treasury Department designated three individuals as narcotics traffickers acting on behalf of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), or Kongra-Gel. That the PKK is deeply engaged in a wide array of criminal activities should not be surprising to those familiar with the group. U.S. authoraties have had success in targeting narco-terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah or the PKK, both of which should be of concern to law enforcement and intelligence services.
