Legislation that would reauthorize the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Joint Task Forces authority was signed into law this month, officials said.
The legislation, authored by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (R-MI) would allow DHS to establish joint operations using DHS personnel and resources to secure U.S. land and maritime borders, address homeland security threats, and establish regional operations to tackle ongoing challenges like drug smuggling and trafficking. The legislation extended DHS’s authority for an additional two years, officials said.
“Joint Task Forces are an important tool to help DHS protect the homeland and combat transnational crime,” Peters said. “My new law will ensure DHS can continue to coordinate effectively across agencies, and with critical international partners, to address these complex security challenges.”
The legislation was initially passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act in2017/ DHS currently uses the authority through its Joint Task Force-East, which works to strengthen the coordination of U.S. government agencies and international partners to combat transnational criminal organizations and address maritime migration. The Joint Task Force-East has led efforts to improve intelligence sharing among the partners so that the task forces can operate more effectively, officials said. The efforts help partner organizations better identify suspicious vessels like those involved in drug smuggling, and target the pathways used for smuggling.
Officials said the DHS Joint Task Force Reauthorization Act will extend the Homeland Security Secretary’s authority to establish and operate the task forces for two more years. The law also requires the secretary to develop task force staffing plans and include those plans in reports to Congress. The secretary will also be required to give Congress an annual briefing on Joint Task Force-East’s staffing and resource needs.
The legislation was passed in the Senate on Sept. 19, passed in the House on Sept. 23 and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Oct. 1.