Policy
Reps. Cuellar, Rogers back bill to reinstate overtime pay for border agents
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) recently expressed support for the Border Patrol Pay Security Act of 2019 (H.R. 2335), which would reinstate overtime pay for Border Patrol agents. “More manpower is desperately needed at our southwest border,” Rogers, ranking member of the House Homeland Security... Read More »
California man arrested in foiled terror plot
Justice Department officials said a foiled terrorist plot has resulted in a Reseda, California, man’s arrest under an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation. Authorities said Mark Steven Domingo, 26, was recently arrested after he received what he thought was a live bomb, but it was an... Read More »
ICE resources fortify Southwest border initiatives
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reallocating Southwest border resources as a means of addressing human smuggling operations and immigration law exploitation. ICE is using personnel to investigate the use of fraudulent documents to create fake families seeking to exploit immigration... Read More »
CBP purchases biometric fingerprint sensors for ports of entry
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently purchased mobile biometric fingerprint sensors from Integrated Biometrics. CBP purchased Kojak Light Emitting Sensor technology 10-fingerprint scanners to use at more than 5,000 workstations at the United States Ports of Entry. The scanners... Read More »
Sens. Markey, Thune seek remote identification rule for drones
U.S. Sens. Edward Markey (D-MA) and John Thune (R-SD) are urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to publish a proposed rule for remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also called drones. Remote identification would allow the public, the FAA, law enforcement, and... Read More »
Cybersecurity agency holds safety exercise with Jewish community
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently held a tabletop exercise in collaboration with the Secure Community Network (SCN), a Department of Homeland Security Initiative for the American Jewish community. The purpose of the exercise was to examine how federal and state... Read More »
DHS to construct new bollard walls in Yuma, El Paso
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is planning to construct new bollard walls within the U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma and El Paso sectors in Arizona and Texas. The projects call for approximately 53 miles of new bollard wall -- which is a wall made up of steel slats -- in place of... Read More »
Chavez tabbed for Laredo Sector CBP post
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have selected Felix Chavez to serve as Chief Patrol Agent within the Laredo Sector. Border Patrol Chief Carla L. Provost recently announced the selection, noting Chavez entered on duty with the Border Patrol in July 1985 as a member of Academy Class... Read More »
CDC finds record measles cases in US, prompting heightened vaccine outreach
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last week that the number of measles cases in the United States have reached levels unseen since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000 and poses a real threat of a country-wide endemic. In all, 695 cases have spread across 22... Read More »
Rep. Thompson has questions about contracting process for disaster recovery efforts
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on the contracting processes of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster recovery efforts. The report, entitled “Actions Needed to Improve the Use of Post-Disaster Contracts to... Read More »
CBP announces retention incentive for US border patrol agents
In accordance with the Border Patrol comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently unveiled a new retention incentive for GS-12 and GS-13 Border Patrol agents. “Investing in the men and women of the United States Border Patrol continues to be... Read More »
Mississippi senators commend selection of their home state for nextgen polar icebreaker
U.S. senators from Mississippi praised the announcement on Tuesday that Pascagoula, Miss.-based shipbuilder VT Halter Marine Inc. was awarded a major contract to build the next generation of U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers. A United States presence in the polar regions is vital given the... Read More »
Former State Department employee pleads guilty to conspiracy
A former employee of the U.S. Department of State pled guilty to the charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Federal officials charged Candace Marie Claiborne with lying to law enforcement and background investigators and hiding her extensive contacts with, and gifts from, agents of... Read More »
LAX to add Guardian Active Shooter Detection System to Automated People Mover Facility
The Los Angeles Airport (LAX) is adding a program that detects gunshots for its new Automated People Mover Facility, interfacing it with the facility’s video, access control, notification, and critical emergency management systems. The program is part of a joint effort by Shooter Detection... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven lauds Super Corridor establishment
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) is praising the collaboration of Grand Sky and the Harris Corporation, resulting in a new Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Super Corridor in the Red River Valley. The endeavor will enable small and large unmanned aircraft to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of their... Read More »
Northeastern US residents will need REAL ID cards to board aircraft in 2020
The Transportation Security Administration is reminding residents of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania that they will need REAL ID cards to board airline flights beginning Oct. 1, 2020. REAL ID driver’s licenses and identification cards have a small gold star in the upper right corner.... Read More »
Interpol deploys team to Sri Lanka to help investigate bombing
Interpol is sending a team to Sri Lanka to help national authorities investigate the Easter bomb attacks that left nearly 300 dead and approximately 500 injured. Interpol will deploy its Incident Response Team (IRT), which includes specialists with expertise in crime scene examination,... Read More »
Lockheed Martin secures electronic warfare system contract
Lockheed Martin recently secured a $20 million Navy contract to provide what officials are deeming the next generation electronic warfare system. Engineering and technical services work will be performed at the Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence in Syracuse, New York, and Manassas,... Read More »
Report examines Central American human smuggling
A new report has re-examined the role transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) play in Central American human smuggling. The report was undertaken by the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) analysis, operated by the RAND Corporation on behalf of the Department of Homeland... Read More »
Senators introduce bill to end wrongful detentions by Turkish government
A bill to address the wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens and diplomatic staff by the Government of Turkey was introduced in the U.S. Senate this week. The Defending United States Citizens and Diplomatic Staff from Political Prosecutions Act of 2019 (S. 1075) was co-sponsored by Sens. Thom... Read More »
Acting Homeland Security secretary offers McAllen trip assessment
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan recently offered an assessment of his McAllen, Texas, trip to gain insight regarding challenges faced at the U.S. Southern Border. The effort involved observing the potential strategic and operational obstacles encountered by law enforcement... Read More »
HSI New York hosts inaugural Cyber Crime Symposium
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York last week gathered prosecutors’ offices and law enforcement agencies together to promote greater cooperation in cybercrime cases at the first Cyber Crime Symposium. HSI would like the event to mark the first of an annual series. They are trying... Read More »
Two airports set passenger TSA records
LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport both set records Thursday for the number of passengers screened at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints. At LaGuardia, 59,698 people passed through the checkpoints and onto their departing gates. Newark saw 78,811... Read More »
Solicitation begins for implementation feedback on National Biodefense Strategy
As the U.S. government seeks to build its National Biodefense Strategy, more than 200 heavy hitters from federal, state and local agencies, national stakeholder organizations, academia and the private sector informed its future implementation during the April 17 Biodefense Summit held in... Read More »
Counter-drone firm secures government contract
The Department of Defense's Defense Logistics Agency has awarded a contract to Citadel Defense Company to counter drones increasingly threatening to U.S. forces around the world. The over $1 million contract is supportive of USSOCOM requirements and represents the company's sixth government... Read More »
Coalition launched to create AI aerospace systems
Sandia National Laboratories recently launched Autonomy New Mexico, an academic research coalition tasked with creating artificially intelligent aerospace systems. The coalition held its first meeting last week at the University of New Mexico to propose new ideas and discuss shared... Read More »
Canadian man given life sentence for attack on Bishop Airport police officer
A Canadian man was sentenced to life in prison last week a June 21, 2017, attack on a Bishop Airport police officer from Flint, Michigan. Amor Ftouhi of Quebec, Canada was charged with committing an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and with two other offenses linked to his... Read More »
Air Force seeking greater technology breakthroughs
Air Force officials maintain the recently unveiled Science and Technology Strategy places concentration on maximizing and expanding technological advantages in the era of the peer-to-peer threat. “This strategy isn’t just a list of technologies,” Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson... Read More »
Sen. Hoeven details North Dakota Guardsmen, Reservists initiatives
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) recently met with North Dakota National Guard and North Dakota State University (NDSU) Air Force and Army ROTC personnel to outline missions and benefits strengthening efforts. Hoeven, a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, provided specifics on securing... Read More »
Two reports address mental health, safety of law enforcement officers
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) published two reports this week focused on federal, state, local and tribal police officers’ mental health and safety. The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act: Report to Congress includes 22... Read More »
Sen. Collins meets with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard leaders over funding
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins met with leaders from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) Metal Trades Council (MTC) to discuss the Trump Administration’s proposal to divert funds, appropriated by Congress, from military construction projects. The PNSY was among the military installations that were... Read More »
Task force will work to enhance safety of religious communities
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretaries Michael Chertoff and Jeh Johnson have been named co-chairmen of the new Community Safety and Security Task Force designed to enhance the safety and resilience of religious communities. The task force will make recommendations on how to... Read More »
OPCW officials visit United States
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) officials recently visited the United States, touring Colorado's Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP). The group included the OPCW Director-General H.E. Fernando Arias, Chairperson of the Executive Council H.E.... Read More »
Legislation would require FBI to inform Congress when it investigates a candidate
Legislation introduced in the House this week would close a loophole in current law and require the FBI director to notify the House and Senate Intelligence Committee when a counterintelligence investigation is opened about a candidate for federal office. The requirement also would apply into... Read More »