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Border Security

Arizona Worksite Statistics an indicator of ICE Audits

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August 19, 2010

By Dawn M. Lurie and Kevin Lashus
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of Investigations (OI) in Arizona released a snap-shot of its weekly operations. The report provides evidence of the increasing worksite enforcement activity affecting employers. Some may be questioning whether the snap-shot is representative of national trends: we are of the opinion it is. What should employers do? Be proactive. At a minimum, review and correct your I-9s before ICE does.

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Congress has already passed a law allowing state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration

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July 30, 2010

What has been curiously missing from the Arizona immigration debate is that back in 1996 Congress passed a federal law giving state and local governments (and their law enforcement organizations) the right to enforce immigration law. On the one hand the federal government is suing Arizona for authorizing local law enforcement to coordinate with federal authorities regarding illegal immigration; on the other hand, the federal government is simultaneously requesting such assistance from local governments.

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Bill Would Nix Deadline for Scanning Cargo at Foreign Ports

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July 28, 2010

Bill Would Nix Deadline for Scanning Cargo at Foreign Ports – CQ Homeland Security
A new bipartisan bill would eliminate the congressional mandate for the Department of Homeland Security to scan all U.S.-bound cargo in foreign ports for radiation by 2012. The bill is one of two measures introduced this week that would reauthorize the 2006 law known as the SAFE Port Act (PL 109-347), which aims to improve maritime and cargo security through layered defenses.

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E-passports Key to Border and Travel Security

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July 19, 2010

A top-rated lacrosse team representing the Iroquois Confederacy apparently won’t be competing in the world championship of the sport their ancestors helped invent. The United Kingdom—which is hosting the tournament—has indicated it will deny entry to the team because its members are not traveling on U.S. passports. The players are understandably upset that despite years of training and commitment, they won’t be able to compete for a championship. In addition, the team members and their supporters have made this an issue of Iroquois identity. However, the British authorities are correct that the decision is a matter of border and travel security rather than Iroquois sovereignty. Iroquois passports, which contain hand-written elements, simply aren’t as secure as the latest generation of U.S. passports.

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Va. Man on No-Fly List Can Return Home from Egypt

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July 16, 2010

Va. Man on No-Fly List Can Return Home from Egypt – Tickle the Wire
A Virginia man who had been in no-fly list hell for months will now be allowed to return to the U.S., the Associated Press reported. Yahya Wehelie spent 18 months in Yemen. In May, he was heading home to Virginia and was changing planes in Cairo when the FBI stopped him and told him he was on the no-fly list. He was then stuck in Egypt.

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Nine States File Legal Briefs Declaring Support of Arizona Constitutional Authority

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July 16, 2010

Nine States File Legal Briefs Declaring Support of Arizona Constitutional Authority – Blogs for Borders
States have the authority to enforce immigration laws and protect their borders, Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said Wednesday in a legal brief on behalf of nine states supporting Arizona’s immigration law. The Arizona law, set to take effect July 29, directs officers to question people about their immigration status during the enforcement of other laws such as traffic stops and if there’s a reasonable suspicion they’re in the U.S. illegally.

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Immigration Enforcement – What the Conventional Wisdom is Missing

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July 12, 2010

Enforcing criminal laws is always a matter of relative success and failure. Small increases or decreases in violent crime, drug trafficking, or white collar offenses are often seen, rightfully, as major accomplishments or setbacks. For some reason, however, immigration enforcement rarely gets treated the same way.

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The Value of Aspen

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July 9, 2010

As we continue to swelter in the ongoing summer heat wave, it is easy for me to reminisce about my recent visit to Aspen, Colo. Tucked amongst the Rockies with its clean air, fervent green and majestic views, a town known primarily for its skiing with the rich and famous was home to what was, simply put, the best conference program I have ever attended. The first annual Aspen Security Forum put forward a program that I can only describe as pleasant, informational waterboarding. By the time each of the presenters and panelists were done, my hand was dead from writing so much and my head hurt from being given the firehouse treatment of a candor and content overload. Here’s a rundown of some of the sessions.

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"The US border has never been more secure"

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June 23, 2010

Before a packed audience at CSIS, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered what can only be described as a pointed and aggressive defense of the Obama Administration’s border security efforts. The Obama Administration rolled out their most experienced border expert to take on its critics and declare what had been done. Pointedly saying, “the numbers tell a story and don’t lie,” the Secretary detailed increases in border patrol hiring and deployments, increases in enforcement and deportations, and in technology deployments. The numbers were impressive and they do tell a positive story, but sitting in the audience, I and a number of other attendees noted that many of the investments and numbers she heralded were initiated by her predecessor, Michael Chertoff and the previous Administration. The “facts also tell a story.”

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Police chief: Cartels threaten U.S. law enforcement in Arizona

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June 22, 2010

Police chief: Cartels threaten U.S. law enforcement in Arizona – Homeland Security Newswire
We reported two months ago that there is a new twist in the on going war along the U.S.-Mexico border: Mexican smugglers now use “cloned” Border Patrol vehicles to smuggle drugs into the United States. There is an added danger here, as Mexican drug cartels have launched an assassination campaign against U.S. law enforcement personnel along the border; driving a Border Patrol look-alike vehicle allows the assailants to get closer to their targets without arousing suspicion.

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