Border
In one of the more unusual discoveries at a United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility last month, agriculture specialists discovered a first-in-nation pest hiding in a shipment of fresh-cut flowers.
The bug, later lab identified as Corimelaena palmeri, was the first intruder of... Read More »
U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-MT) and Katie Britt (R-AL) recently proposed legislation they maintain would secure the southern border and keep American communities and families safe.
Hoeven and Britt joined 17 colleagues in co-sponsoring a resolution forcing the Biden administration to acknowledge... Read More »
Although crossing into the United States unlawfully is a crime, some argue financially assisting that crime is only vaguely addressed as a crime itself - so this week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and several colleagues set out to change that through the No Coyote Cash Act.
“President... Read More »
A coalition of 21 Republican state attorneys general wrote President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week urging them to designate Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and provide additional federal resources for combating fentanyl.
“The national... Read More »
As part of ongoing bi-national efforts, Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents spent Jan. 9-20, 2023, training 13 members of Mexico’s border rescue agency, Grupos Beta, to undertake migrant rescue along the United States-Mexican border.
“It is important that we continue... Read More »
According to the second annual report from the Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT), a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 2022 brought implementation plans for a new victim-centered approach at the agency, along with hundreds of victims aided and thousands of... Read More »
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officials said the agency's newly released FY 2023-2026 Strategic Plan targets strengthened capabilities and aids the nation in attaining its highest ideals.
“The work of USCIS makes the possibility of America a reality for immigrants from... Read More »
According to preliminary figures touted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), new measures deployed by the Biden administration have led to drastic reductions in illegal border crossings in the first month of 2023, setting January up for the lowest levels of monthly border encounters since... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Bob Latta (R-OH), and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) recently introduced the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act, which seeks to permanently schedule fentanyl analogues while granting researchers the ability to conduct fentanyl substance... Read More »
In its latest operational update, covering the final month of 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures showed a mix of figures, with overall encounters along the border increasing even as unlawful crossings fell and migration patterns shifted overall.
Large numbers of people... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new process of deferred action requests for noncitizen workers victimized by or witnesses to the violation of labor rights, allowing them greater potential protections against exploitation.
The change in process will shift more scrutiny... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently expressed concerns regarding increased paramilitary vigilante groups patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border.
The senators forwarded correspondence to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Homeland... Read More »
As part of new methods to enhance border enforcement and expand tools for local immigration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week debuted a new scheduling function on the CBP One mobile application to allow appointment requests at land ports of entry.
Only specific land ports... Read More »
A new directive from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service determined that changes were needed and clarity provided for weighing the risks of vehicular pursuit but refrained from banning the practice.
The decision followed an extensive review of the agency’s past... Read More »
Justice Department officials have detailed a Southern District of Georgia federal indictment naming 76 defendants stemming from a drug trafficking investigation tied to the Ghost Face Gangsters criminal street gang.
Authorities indicated the indictment includes allegations of multiple deaths from... Read More »
A delegation from the Senate headed to the United States-Mexican border this week in Texas and Arizona to explore issues related to security and humanitarian and economic challenges in the region and related to larger immigration concerns.
The group, which included U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CN),... Read More »
In an attempt to hasten the deportation of convicted illegal immigrants, United States Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) reintroduced the Help Ensure Legal Detainers (HELD) Act this week, a bill that would incentivize state and local law enforcement to transfer those immigrants to federal... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have outlined the U.S. Border Patrol's Morelos Dam construction plan, noting the effort would close gaps in the border barrier.
“The safety and security of our workforce, law enforcement partners, and the local community are a top priority,”... Read More »
Currently, immigration to the United States is still bound by the requirements of the Title 42 public health order enacted in March 2020, but while the legality of this remains bound up in court, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated this week that it is preparing for a return to Title 8... Read More »
Last year brought serious increases in encounters along south Texas ports of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who reported 10,243 pounds of cocaine seized and 57,732 non-U.S. citizens encountered in violation of immigration laws.
The figures spanned the... Read More »
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials have detailed the seizure of more than 50.6 million fentanyl-laced, fake prescription pills and over 10,000 pounds of fentanyl powder this calendar year.
“In the past year, the men and women of the DEA have relentlessly worked to seize over 379... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Labor (DOL) officials noted the agencies are issuing a temporary final rulemaking 64,716 additional H-2B nonagricultural worker visas available.
The action applies to temporary nonagricultural workers for fiscal year (FY) 2023. The... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have outlined the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti for an additional 18 months, from Feb. 4, 2023, through Aug. 3, 2024.
DHS Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas noted the action stems from extraordinary and temporary conditions... Read More »
Moving to increase supply chain visibility and more swiftly identify high-risk shipments, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced the beginnings of a pilot program known as the Global Business Identifier (GBI) last week.
Undertaken with 13 partner government agencies, the concept behind GBI... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and John Katko (R-NY), ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, recently introduced the CBP Behavioral Health Act, which seeks to provide behavioral health support to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel working to secure the Southwest... Read More »
Over the last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials reported that three methamphetamine and cocaine seizures at the Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry yielded narcotics with a street value of more than $14.4 million.
These events occurred on Nov. 16 and Nov. 17,... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cautioned consumers heading into the holiday shopping season to be on the lookout for counterfeit products in the wake of the agency’s largest seizure of fake products to date.
Most pirated items include apparel, accessories, watches, jewelry, and... Read More »
Earlier this month, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) held a training exercise on enforcement of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, also known as the Jones Act, a complex and tricky law that demands specificity from federal agents.
When established, the law limited how cargo could be... Read More »
In a letter to their Canadian counterparts last week, four U.S. representatives sought to kick off a joint fix for the growing logjam in the NEXUS system, the Trusted Traveler Program for the U.S.-Canadian Border.
That system requires travelers to undergo in-person interviews with agents from... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have detailed a recent $6.1 million narcotics seizure in separate incidents at the Gateway to the Americas Bridge and World Trade Bridge.
“The dedicated employees of CBP continue to fulfill the agency’s border security role,” Laredo Port... Read More »
Global consulting and digital services provider ICF has secured a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract to enhance Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) technology.
"For over 20 years, ICF has been a trusted partner to DHS,... Read More »
The September operational statistics from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveal a dramatically changing landscape, showcasing significantly increased migrant encounters.
Individual encounters reached 182,704 in September, a 15 percent increase over the previous month. Only 55,068... Read More »
A pair of lawmakers have introduced a measure they said seeks to designate New York's Plattsburgh International Airport and Valley International Airport in Texas as Ports of Entry (POE).
Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mayra Flores (R-TX) recently introduced the Border Airport Enhancement Act,... Read More »
Effective immediately, Venezuelans who enter U.S. ports of entry without authorization will be deported to Mexico, according to new enforcement rules laid out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week.
The announcement came alongside declarations of new agreements between DHS and its... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced efforts to issue a regulation making an additional 64,716 H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas available for fiscal year (FY) 2023.
The effort is focused on providing a supplemented number of visas to employers in... Read More »
