Government
Twenty-one members of a New York-based drug trafficking organization were indicted Dec. 27 following a 12-month wiretap investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations’ (HSI) Violent Gang Unit (VGU).
The individual face a range of charges, including first-, second-, and third-degree... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported Wednesday that CBP officers in the Rio Grande Valley Sector interrupted four alien smuggling attempts this past weekend, which resulted in failures to yield to law enforcement authorities.
“Transnational criminal organizations continue to... Read More »
The Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant programs will be reauthorized through fiscal year 2023 under a bill that the U.S. Senate recently approved.
The Fire Grants Reauthorization Act would ensure that the nation’s fire and... Read More »
Members of Michigan’s congressional delegation recently advocated for the Missile Defense Agency to name the Michigan National Guard Fort Custer Training Center in Augusta as a ground-based midcourse missile defense site.
The lawmakers made the plea in a letter to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen.... Read More »
San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense (DoD) for its failure to report dishonorable discharges and criminal conviction information to the national criminal background check system for gun sales.
The military is required to... Read More »
A former leader of the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia drug-trafficking ring was deported to Columbia on Tuesday after spending eight years in federal custody for conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine in the United States.
Hebert Veloza Garcia, 50, was deported to his native Columbia to... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) made two firearms purchases on the dark web without disclosing required background information during a recent review of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) ability to regulate online firearm sales.
The GAO review was... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would have more access to portable chemical screening devices to stem the flow of fentanyl across the nation’s borders under a bill that recently gained Senate approval.
The International Narcotics Trafficking Emergency Response by Detecting Incoming... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) awarded 1,039 other transaction agreements (OTAs) from 2012 to 2016 and improved oversight of those agreements over that time, according to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) review.
OTAs are not subject to federal contract laws.... Read More »
As part of an enforcement program aiming to disrupt illicit trafficking along the Miami River, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have seized thousands of pounds of cocaine and six vessels over the last three years, CBP said in a recent press release.
This summer, CBP officers... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators recently introduced a bill to improve election security and protect against foreign interference in U.S. elections.
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), James Lankford (R-OK), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Lindsey Graham... Read More »
The House of Representatives approved legislation last week that would reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to place a greater emphasis on pre-disaster planning and mitigation.
The bill, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA), was approved as part of a larger emergency... Read More »
As part of their required by executive order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) have released a quarterly Alien Incarceration Report, in which they found 94 percent of confirmed aliens in custody are unlawfully present.
Additionally, they determined that... Read More »
Authorities of the Counterterrorism Advisory Board (CTAB), which coordinates the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) various intelligence, operational and policy-making functions, would be extended for four years under bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate last week.
Established... Read More »
Acting Chief of the United States Border Patrol Carla Provost recently announced that Robert L. Boatright was named the new Chief Patrol Agent of the Big Bend Sector.
“I am looking forward to working with the Border Patrol Agents and professional support staff of the Big Bend Sector as well... Read More »
Waning U.S. federal and state funding for public health over the last 15 years has left many states ill-prepared to respond to acts of bioterrorism, infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters, according to a recent report by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH).
The annual report,... Read More »
The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Office of Field Operations at the Laredo Port of Entry announced measures being taken to accommodate an expected influx of travelers during the holiday season on Wednesday.
Travelers are encouraged to apply for I-94 tourist permits online ahead of time. The... Read More »
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) program recently developed a reusable Aircraft Explosive Testing Simulator to support the testing of explosive vulnerabilities in new generation commercial aircraft.
S&T’s Commercial Aircraft Vulnerability and... Read More »
The Department of Defense (DoD) recently granted Engility Holdings Inc. a position on the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense (JPEO-CBD) Joint Enterprise Research Development Acquisition and Procurement Omnibus contract.
JPEO-CBD manages the military’s... Read More »
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations (AMO) marine unit along with its Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RECOM) partners recently intercepted a vessel carrying 1500 pounds of marijuana off the Texas coast near Corpus Christi.
The AMO crew was patrolling the maritime... Read More »
Custom and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales seized heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine valued at more than $2 million in three separate incidents on Saturday.
The incidents led to the arrests of three U.S. citizens and one Mexican national. Their cases were... Read More »
Sandia National Laboratories announced on Tuesday that it has developed computer models that can provide both qualitative and quantitative data on how the hundreds of solder joints in a nuclear weapon will perform over time.
Sandia Labs has been using computational modeling to predict the... Read More »
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) welcomed Monday seven inspectors to its staff during a graduation ceremony held at OPCW headquarters in the Hague, Netherlands.
The recruits, who previously worked as chemical production technologists and analytical chemist... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently announced that a pilot project it launched remediated potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities in mobile applications used by public-safety professionals.
The pilot testing project, titled “Securing... Read More »
A former police officer from Fairfax, Virginia, accused of providing ISIS members with gift card codes that could be used to communicate with potential recruits was convicted on Monday of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization.
Nicholas Young, 38, was working as a... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized approximately 62 pounds of alleged methamphetamine estimated to be worth more than $1 million at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry.
“Our CBP officers maintain constant vigilance in protecting the United States,” Port Director for the... Read More »
A group of Republican lawmakers raised questions on Monday about allegations that members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) improperly communicated information about the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
In a letter to leaders of the... Read More »
In an effort to ensure the reliability and resilience of timing systems used by civilians and the military, a bill recently introduced in the Senate would direct the secretary of transportation to establish a land-based alternative timing system to GPS satellites.
Under the National Timing... Read More »
The San Diego Sector Border Patrol recently held a Change of Command ceremony in Coronado, California, to formally establish Rodney S. Scott as the chief patrol agent (CPA) for the San Diego Sector.
U.S. Border Patrol Acting Chief Carla Provost presided over the ceremony.
“I am honored... Read More »
The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) recently joined the Congressional Task Force on Election Security in calling on Congress to direct $396 million in existing funds to modernize aging election systems across the country.
Congress authorized nearly $3.9 billion to help... Read More »
Members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) gathered in Romania last week as part of a rapid response and assistance training exercise based around chemical attacks.
The Rapid Response and Assistance Mission, of which this was a part, was created in 2016 as an aid... Read More »
Countries taking part in the visa waiver program (VWP) will now be required to better screen travelers, to implement aviation safeguards and to administer public education campaigns to reduce visa overstays, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday.
DHS also called on... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Del Rio International Bridge recently discovered approximately 11.5 pounds of suspected heroin worth an estimated $260,000 hidden in a vehicle coming from Mexico.
Upon inspection of the 2007 Nissan Murano, CBP officers found three wall... Read More »
Election industry representatives recently met with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and representatives from the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) in Arlington, Virginia, to launch the formation an industry-led Sector Coordinating Council (SCC).
The council will support critical... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a series of recommendations on Thursday that aim to improve Transportation Security Administration (TSA) surface transportation security inspections for freight rail, passenger rail, and maritime activities.
GAO conducted the review in light of... Read More »
