Many border security projects have suffered from the sloth, or indifference, of the senior political leaders responsible for their success. Far too often, senior leaders were unwilling to assume direct and full responsibility for their agency programs, and instead, delegated responsibility down to more junior, and less qualified, government officials, who then delegated responsibility down still further.
CQ Homeland Security The Drug Enforcement Agency says it doesn’t need additional manpower or resources to stem violence on the southwest border, despite interest in doing so from key lawmakers. “We have the authorities now, we just need to make sure that the DEA and other agencies use the tools that are available,” said Michele […]
Security Debrief contributor, and former head of the DEA, Asa Hutchinson debated pro-legalization activists today on CNN as to whether legalizing drugs would reduce violence on the southern border.
Yesterday, the administration announced a new “border czar” and a raft of new and ongoing border security initiatives to battle the smuggling cartels. It still not clear what the scope of the czar’s authority will be and how he will interface with all the folks working on the border.
News reports indicate that DHS Secretary Napolitano will announce Alan Bersin as a Counselor to the Secretary today with the informal title of “Border Czar” focusing on the Southwest border and the escalating violence in the region. So who’s now responsible for particular operations in the Southwest region at DHS HQ? And isn’t this similar to the original structure of DHS — the “Border Czar” then was Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano visited El Paso, Texas, today to highlight major DHS efforts to crackdown on illegal immigration and cross-border trafficking, which resulted in more than one million apprehensions of illegal aliens in fiscal year 2008—including nearly 800,000 along the Southwest border. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed 369,000 illegal immigrants from the United States during the same time period, a 27 percent increase from fiscal year 2007.
How is the air cargo industry preparing itself to implement the U.S. Government’s mandate for screening 100 percent of all international inbound cargo aboard passenger aircraft by August 2010? That’s the number one question for the air freight industry as it faces the challenge of meeting the 2007 Homeland Security law. Listen to an expert panel of security and industry experts in this exclusive webcast discuss how the air cargo mandates will impact security and trade.
Lieberman wants U.S.-Mexico border security funding in supplemental (4/13/09) — www.GovernmentExecutive.com President Obama is seeking $66 million in assistance for Mexico but no specific funding for U.S. border security efforts in the fiscal 2009 emergency supplemental funding request he submitted to Congress on Friday. That is far less than two key senators say is needed […]
Based on an article in today’s New York Times, the Administration may begin sharing its views and strategy on implementing immigration reform as early as May. One can already envision the pro- and anti-immigration fronts mobilizing, in preparation for another drama-filled showing of the national divide on this issue.
Those working and living along the US-Mexican border are hopeful that the new attention of the Administration will finally solve the long simmering problems, improve security and eliminate any trade frictions. Secretary Napolitano is to be commended for making a new effort, outlining some innovative solutions, and going to Mexico to talk directly with her counterparts in the effort to coordinate a bilateral approach to this problem.
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