Policy
GAO recommends that CBP finalize a plan to improve, maintain Automated Commercial Environment
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommended the creation of a finalized interagency approach to the post-core management of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), the information system used for import processing. The study recommended that the Secretary of Homeland... Read More »
Sen. Markey introduces legislation to make Massachusetts firearm licensing standards a national model
Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced on Wednesday legislation that would incentivize states to adopt gun licensing standards similar to those in Massachusetts, which has the lowest gun death rate in the nation. Markey’s legislation, the Making America Safe and Secure (MASS) Act, would... Read More »
Military leaders highlight progress in cyber domain during U.S. Senate hearing
As cyber threats to military networks become more persistent and sophisticated, military leaders provided an update to a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday about recent efforts to bolster the military’s cybersecurity capabilities. In testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee,... Read More »
House panel considers bills addressing energy supply emergencies, cyber threats to energy sector
The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy considered four bills on Wednesday that address energy supply emergencies and cybersecurity threats to the electric grid, pipelines, and other areas of the energy sector. During its third hearing on efforts to modernize the U.S.... Read More »
Florida border patrol agents apprehend gang member
Florida Border Patrol agents recently arrested a gang member with an extensive criminal history during an immigration inspection at a Fort Lauderdale bus station. Officials said agents identified a suspicious passenger while conducting inspections and learned the man was from Honduras and not in... Read More »
DHS Science and Technology Directorate developing air surveillance standards
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced this week that it is working to create standards for air surveillance, known as DHS (Interim) Strategic Air Surveillance Requirements, or (I)SASR. DHS S&T is working with the Federal Aviation... Read More »
Indictment returned for alleged Chicago-area fentanyl importers
Two Chicago men were indicted on federal drug charges on March 7 for allegedly conspiring with others to ship a fentanyl derivative from China to 19 addresses in the Chicago area. Sanchez Lackland, 35, of Hazel Crest, Illinois, and Jermol Mixon, 35, of Orland Park, Illinois, were both charged... Read More »
Homeland security officials call for immigration reform to address border security
Homeland Security Director Kirstjen Nielsen noted that a border wall is only “one of the tools” required to secure the border following an operational briefing on border wall prototypes with President Donald Trump in San Diego on Tuesday. Nielsen and Trump were joined by acting Border... Read More »
House Speaker favors rebuilding military
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) maintains the nation’s military needs to be rebuilt. “Almost a decade under the Obama administration, during which the military was simply not a top priority, left major gaps in the readiness of our Armed Forces,” Ryan said. “Funding for modernizing the... Read More »
Four individuals arrested, charged with trafficking counterfeit FDA-regulated goods
Four individuals were arrested recently and charged with the alleged sale of counterfeit male enhancement pills, weight loss pills, condoms, and cosmetics. Carlos Enrique Velázquez-Gines, Mayra Evelise Gines-Otero, Noriam Ivette Flores-Deleon, and Vanessa Marrero-Hernández were charged with... Read More »
Bipartisan bill would reform DEA’s opioid production quota process
Bipartisan legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Monday would direct the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to consider opioid diversion, public health, and overdose deaths when setting opioid production quotas to help address the nationwide opioid epidemic. The DEA currently... Read More »
DHS announces formation of Executive Steering Committee to lead department-wide school security initiatives
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the formation of an Executive Steering Committee on Monday that will oversee the department’s school security efforts, ensure that funding and resources are best leveraged, and support state and local efforts. DHS also highlighted year-round... Read More »
OPCW Director-General meets with Belgian officials in Brussels
The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, recently traveled to Brussels, Belgium where he met with Belgian leaders The Director-General briefed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Affairs of... Read More »
DHS S&T provided evaluations, technology and analytics for Super Bowl
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently described its role in providing security for 52nd Super Bowl in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this February. DHS S&T efforts enabled liability protections for providers of security technologies, analytics for... Read More »
DIA Director Ashley discusses threats posed by North Korea, China, Russia before Senate panel
In testimony before a Senate panel on March 6, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Robert P. Ashley, Jr. discussed North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, China’s military modernization program and Russia’s goal to exert a “sphere of influence” over the United States. Ashley... Read More »
Joint operation in Arizona result in narcotics, weapons trafficking arrests
A joint operation led by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently resulted in more than 60 pounds of narcotics and five AK-47s being seized in three separate traffic stops on Interstate 10 in Arizona. The arrests were the result of Operation... Read More »
Measure combating vehicular terrorism advances
The House Committee on Homeland Security has approved a bill designed to improve vigilance in the wake of growing terrorist attacks using vehicles. The Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act, authored by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), received an amendment from Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) that aided committee... Read More »
CBP discovers destructive Khapra beetle in passenger baggage at Dulles, BWI Airports
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists at Washington Dulles International Airport (Dulles) and Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) recently intercepted Khapra beetles, one of the world’s most destructive insect pests, in passenger... Read More »
Alabama man pleads guilty to attempting to support ISIS
An Alabama man, who allegedly distributed ISIS propaganda, researched how to produce explosive materials, and met with an undercover agent posing as a member of ISIS, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to provide services and personnel to a terrorist organization on Thursday. Aziz Ihab... Read More »
Senators call on President Trump to advance national cyber deterrence doctrine
Bipartisan members of the Senate Armed Service Committee urged President Donald Trump to advance a national cyber deterrence strategy on Thursday, noting that lack of clearly articulated consequence has served as “an open invitation” for cyber attacks against the United States. The group,... Read More »
Measures seek to extend border from American shores
Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) recently introduced a pair of bills authorizing two programs that are part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to extend the border far from American shores. McSally said the bills would codify the Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM),... Read More »
DHS must take action to comply with Workforce Assessment Act, GAO says
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently testified on the extent to which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified, categorized, and assigned employment codes to its cybersecurity positions and identified its cybersecurity workforce areas of critical need. The... Read More »
Rep. Lynch calls on State Department to step-up counter-propaganda efforts
Citing Russian efforts to meddle in U.S. elections, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) called on the State Department on Tuesday to use $120 million allocated by Congress to counter foreign propaganda and disinformation since 2016. The State Department’s Global Engagement Center (GEC) hasn’t... Read More »
Senate committee approves DHS reauthorization bill
The first-ever Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reauthorization bill cleared the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday with bipartisan support. The Department of Homeland Security Reauthorization Act, H.R. 2825, would establish a framework for regular DHS... Read More »
Experts analyze Trump’s Nuclear Posture Review
Nuclear experts recently met on Capitol Hill for a panel discussion on the Trump Administration’s recently released Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). The panel compared the NPR to past U.S. nuclear policy and expressed concerns about the future of the nuclear relationship between the United... Read More »
Sen. Rubio highlights steps to curb gun violence on Senate floor, highlights importance of bipartisanship
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) took to the U.S. Senate floor on Tuesday to outline steps that he’s taken or supported to curb gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead on Feb. 14. Rubio co-sponsored the... Read More »
Terror Threat Snapshot highlights ongoing efforts to combat ISIS
A Terror Threat Snapshot released by the House Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday notes that State Department has designated seven ISIS-affiliated groups to its Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and that ISIS fighters returning to their home countries continue to pose security threats.... Read More »
Gun safety bill aims to help states better enforce existing gun laws
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Monday would require federal authorities to alert state officials when attempted gun purchases are denied because individuals don’t have legal rights to possess a firearm in an effort to better enforce existing gun laws. Currently, federal... Read More »
CBP, ICE report record number of Intellectual Property Rights seizures for fiscal year 2017
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seized a record number of shipments of goods that violated Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in fiscal year (FY) 2017, CBP announced Monday. The two agencies seized 34,143 shipments of goods that... Read More »
Science and Technology Directorate seeks feedback on first responder technology integration guide
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) requested feedback on Monday on its Next Generation First Responder Integration Handbook, which it released in February. The handbook serves as a guide for industry and public safety agencies on the development,... Read More »
Bipartisan bill aims to shore up school security through increased federal support for training, school security infrastructure
The Department of Justice (DoJ) would be able to award grants that support training that helps students, teachers and law enforcers recognize early warning signs of violence and intervene under a bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday. U.S. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Amy... Read More »
Senators raise concerns about Vietnam-era helicopters patrolling nuclear sites
A bipartisan coalition of senators raised questions on Monday about the use of Vietnam-era Huey helicopters to patrol intercontinental ballistic missile sites across the country, noting that replacement helicopters for a handful of Air Force bases were recently delayed. In a letter to Air Force... Read More »
Raytheon, NOAA recognized for developing unmanned aerial vehicle to gather data in hurricanes
Aviation Week magazine named Raytheon Corp. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as the recipients of its Laureate award on Friday for the development of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can gather life-saving data during hurricanes in near real-time. The Raytheon... Read More »