Government
WASHINGTON – Today, a U.S. delegation led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Deputy Under Secretary James McCament, joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Hugo Rodriguez, and a Honduran delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lisandro Rosales, as well as Minister of Security Julian Pacheco and Minister of Labor Carlos Madero, completed a series of productive meetings in Washington, D.C. on a broad range of topics related to border security, irregular migration, combating migrant smuggling and transnational criminal organizations, and expanding avenues for legal migration. This meeting is the latest in a series of ongoing discussions and agreements between the United States and Honduras, including a meeting between the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin K. McAleenan, and the President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, on August 26, 2019.
The U.S. and Honduran delegations discussed expanding and enhancing law enforcement and information-sharing partnerships to support Honduran public safety and strengthen regional border security. The U.S. and Honduran delegations also discussed collaboration through advising, training, and capacity building related to border security operations and stemming the flow of irregular migration. Additionally, the U.S. and Honduran delegations discussed efforts to combat gang violence through enhanced law enforcement partnerships and information sharing. The Honduran delegation provided the United States with detailed information regarding its economic development plan to reduce irregular migration and promote sustainable development.
The U.S and Honduran delegations also discussed joint efforts to address irregular migration through a regional, shared approach that balances security with reducing obstacles to investment and economic development.
Acting Secretary McAleenan closed this week’s discussions with a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Rosales today. The United States and Honduras will meet again next week in Tegucigalpa to continue these discussions, which are based on our shared commitment to confront our common challenges.
Keywords: Central American Migration, HondurasTopics: International Engagement
WASHINGTON - Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) and Chief Intelligence Officer David J. Glawe traveled to Jerusalem for the U.S. Embassy 9/11 ceremony on September 11, 2019 where he provided closing remarks. The U.S. Embassy, the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) and the Jewish National Fund USA hosted the ceremony at the KKL-JNF 9/11 Living Memorial in Jerusalem.
“We best honor the memory of those we commemorate today by recommitting ourselves to the same selfless sacrifice of the first responders, the brave passengers who struggled against the terrorists, and the countless men and women who have given their lives to keep us safe,” stated Under Secretary Glawe. “A visit to Israel provides the opportunity to affirm our commitment to never forget and to have the United States stand with Israel and our global partners against the current manifestation of terrorism. I can say with absolute certainty the United States would not be safe without Israel as a partner.”
Under Secretary Glawe’s words were well received in remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman who accompanied him and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie, who also provided remarks during the ceremony. All three senior officials laid a wreath along the memorial adorned with “for all who endeavor to keep us safe.”
Also in attendance was Vicki Jurgens of the Association of Flight Attendants, Captain Bill Licht of United Airlines, Zion District Police Commander Ofer Shumer of the Israeli Police, U.S. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director David Roth, and other U.S. and foreign dignitaries.
Topics: Intelligence and Analysis, International Engagement, Preventing Terrorism
Today, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan delivered remarks at the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) Biennial National Conference at the University of Maryland to express his strong support for law enforcement across the nation and emphasize the importance of the partnership between DHS and federal law enforcement officers.
In his remarks, Acting Secretary McAleenan laid out the three key challenges faced by DHS and its federal partners: the ongoing border security and humanitarian crisis at the Southwest border; the scourge of opioids ravaging American communities; and the increasing threat from domestic terrorism and targeted violence. The Acting Secretary, the first sworn law enforcement officer to head DHS, also took the opportunity to condemn irresponsible, unfair, and often malicious accusations against the law enforcement community.
FLEOA is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit professional association, exclusively representing federal law enforcement officers, representing more than 26,000 federal law enforcement officers from over 65 different agencies.
Please click this link for the Acting Secretary’s prepared remarks.
Keywords: Acting Secretary McAleenan, Law EnforcementTopics: Law Enforcement Partnerships
Last week, Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the U.S. and the Bahamas, causing considerable damage. I extend my deepest condolences to anyone who has a lost a loved one or was impacted by this powerful storm.
DHS takes natural disasters seriously and does everything it can to promote life-saving and life-sustaining strategies. We support safe evacuations of people in impacted areas, maintain public order, and safeguard property when they occur. Weeks in advance of Hurricane Dorian’s landfall, DHS tracked its path and began developing sound response plans, resulting in a whole of government and community approach before, during, and after impact. Our Department continues to work closely together to support those affected by Hurricane Dorian.
DHS components, especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are working countless hours to support the response and recovery efforts of our state and local government across the region. We also continue to partner with the private sector, and non-governmental organizations, such as the Salvation Army and American Red Cross, to provide aid and support to our citizens and Bahamian survivors.
FEMA deployed more than 1,200 personnel to support response efforts to Hurricane Dorian across multiple states, assisting local, state, and tribal governments, as needed. Throughout the Southeast, FEMA staged areas, stocked with food, water, and other commodities. CBP also deployed people and assets to support federal, state and local agency partners, including aerial and urban search and rescue assets, advanced first aid capabilities, and aviation assets with real-time aerial damage assessment and tracking and detection capabilities. Immigration processes are being expedited and an enormous amount of resources will be deployed to southern Florida to help storm victims from the Bahamas enter the country legally and quickly. The Coast Guard came in quickly behind the storm to provide immediate support, enacting its mutual aid agreement with the Bahamas to assist with search and rescue missions, involving 134 air sortie missions, culminating in over 300 lives saved or assisted. Our Coast Guard currently has five cutters and five MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters supporting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in the Bahamas.
I want to thank all of the men and women of DHS for their hard work and dedication to save lives and help people recover and rebuild. I’m extremely grateful for your sacrifice and commitment. Your tireless acts have had a tremendous effect on those who relied on you the most – in what may have been their greatest hour of need. Thank you for all you do to preserve life and our homeland.
Kevin K. McAleenan, Acting Secretary
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.
Keywords: Hurricane DorianTopics: Disasters, Secretary of Homeland Security
WASHINGTON - Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) and Chief Intelligence Officer David J. Glawe traveled to Herzliya, Israel this week to provide keynote remarks at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism's (ICT’s) 2019 World Summit on Counter-Terrorism. ICT’s annual conference is among the world’s most influential forums for experts in the fields of intelligence, defense, policing, and security studies, attracting more than 1,400 leaders from over 65 nations.
In addition to advancing global collaboration and facilitating new partnerships, this year’s conference commemorated decades of international cooperation following the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001. Under Secretary Glawe called upon this shared history on Tuesday in an address to a memorial ceremony for the victims of 9/11 and terrorism worldwide.
“Terrorism is terrorism – whether domestic or international – and violent threats to our freedom and the basic tenants to our free society must be eliminated,” stated Under Secretary Glawe. “The necessity to share information between international partners is critical to preventing future terrorist attacks. We must continue to work to raise our intelligence capacities to identify and mitigate terrorist threats.”
Under Secretary Glawe’s remarks further underscored how enhanced collaboration, both at home and abroad, can aid in the early identification and mitigation of terrorist activities. Amongst Under Secretary Glawe were the Executive Assistant Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Jay Tabb, Director of the Office of Counter-Terrorism for the United Nations Dr. Jehangir Khan, Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan Sales from the State Department, and Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan in Israel. The ICT annual conference serves as an excellent forum to share innovative ideas for policymakers and senior officials to fight against terrorism.
I&A has realigned its intelligence resources and enhanced several initiatives which focus on the highest priority threats to the Homeland and integrating intelligence into operational functions. As a result of these efforts, I&A has significantly increased its ability to identify and report on threats from open source information, including a 65% increase in reporting from FY2017 to FY2019. Additionally, through the National Threat Evaluation and Reporting (NTER) Program, I&A has increased the number of federal, state, and local partners trained to identify, evaluate, and report suspicious activities, including a 75% increase of personnel trained from FY2017 to FY2019. By imparting these efforts on a global platform, I&A continues to strengthen the capacity of intelligence partners to confront shared challenges, and combat an ever evolving, determined, and persistent threat.
Keywords: Countering Terrorism, intelligence, intelligence information sharing
Topics: Intelligence and Analysis, International Engagement, Preventing Terrorism
WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary Kevin K. McAleenan paid tribute to the nearly 3,000 victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks at two ceremonies in New York City today, then returned to Washington, D.C. where he hosted a ceremony at DHS headquarters.
This morning, the Acting Secretary honored Master Special Officer Craig J. Miller of the U.S. Secret Service with special recognition by placing an American flag by his name on the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Miller’s life was taken in the attacks while heroically trying to rescue victims.
The Acting Secretary then attended the September 11th Commemoration Ceremony in Memorial Plaza, along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and former New York City Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. The Acting Secretary and fellow leaders observed the reading of the names of victims, which paused for moments of silence when the airplanes crashed and towers fell at the same times on this day 18 years ago.
Afterwards, Acting Secretary McAleenan attended the New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) September 11 Remembrance Ceremony at the FDNY headquarters, hearing remarks from FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro and laying a wreath to pay respects to the brave members of the FDNY who died while trying to save lives during the attacks and the many more who passed in the years since due to their selfless response.
This evening, Acting Secretary McAleenan returned to Washington to host a candlelight vigil at DHS headquarters where he addressed DHS component heads and personnel, saying, “By the men and women we honor today we are reminded that our Department was born as a result of this act of terrorism. It is our origin story... This year and every year we have an opportunity to harken back to our founding moment and renew our commitment and vigilance in safe guarding the American people.”
September 11, 2001 was the deadliest terror attack ever on American soil. Thousands of citizens from all walks of life died that day and the end of watch came for 72 officers, the deadliest day in law enforcement history. DHS was born as a result and, for nearly two decades, the men and women of DHS have been working to prevent and respond to disasters, both man-made and natural, and protect the homeland from threats originating abroad, at home, and in cyber space.
Topics: Preventing Terrorism
WASHINGTON – Today, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan will travel to New York, N.Y. to commemorate the September 11, 2001 attacks with current and former federal, state, and local leaders and law enforcement officials.
Tomorrow, the Acting Secretary will honor Master Special Officer Craig J. Miller of the U.S. Secret Service with special recognition, whose life was taken in the attacks. Then, he will attend the September 11th Commemoration Ceremony, along with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, former New York City Mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, and former New York Governor George Pataki, as well as other officials. In the ceremony, the Acting Secretary will observe the reading of the names of victims of the attacks.
After the ceremony, he will meet with DHS personnel in New York from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to discuss their efforts across the state. He will then attend the New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) September 11 Remembrance Ceremony, where there will be a wreath laying ceremony and remarks from FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro.
Keywords: 9/11Topics: Preventing Terrorism
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Announces August Enforcement Actions Decline by Nearly 25%.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection released the agency’s enforcement actions for August 2019 during a press briefing today at the White House. Through the month of August, the total number of people apprehended or found to be inadmissible was 64,006; this is a 22% decline from 82,055 in July and a 56% decline since the May peak of 144,255.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we’ve been able to utilize a number of tools to help begin to mitigate, but not end, the national security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border,” said Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan. “The continued drop in enforcement actions is encouraging, but make no mistake, we’re still in a crisis and more must be done. Until Congress makes targeted changes to immigration laws, we will continue to see stark challenges.”
Recent domestic policy initiatives and international agreements to address legal and illegal immigration have contributed to the decline, including: agreements with Guatemala to address irregular migration, the Migrant Protection Protocols with Mexico, the final rule regarding non-Mexican asylum seekers at the southern border, interior enforcement operations, and international cooperation between the United States and Central American countries, particularly efforts to disrupt and dismantle alien smuggling organizations.
Traditionally enforcement actions in August have been higher than July during six of the past eight years, confirming that this year’s decrease from July to August is not just a traditional seasonal decrease. In Fiscal Year 2018, August apprehensions were 16% higher than July.
Keywords: Immigration StatisticsTopics: Border Security
The U.S. Embassy in Nassau is open for emergency visa appointments and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ports of Entry are prepared, should Bahamians request to temporarily relocate to the United States.
All travelers applying for admission to the United States via air or sea must meet the following document requirements for admission to ensure a lawful and orderly arrival to the United States.
- Bahamians must be in possession of a valid, unexpired passport or a Bahamian Travel Document listing nationality as Bahamian. All other travelers arriving from the Bahamas (U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, and individuals of other nationalities) must possess a valid, unexpired government–issued passport.
- Bahamians arriving to the United States by vessel must be in possession of a valid passport AND valid travel visa.
- Detailed information on all visa application requirements and processes, as well as a step-by-step guide to visa applications for Bahamians, can be found at https://bs.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas.
- Bahamian citizens may apply for admission to the United States without a visa at one of the CBP Preclearance facilities located in Nassau or Freeport International Airports, IF they meet the following requirements:
- Be traveling on a flight that CBP completes immigration and customs inspections in Nassau or Freeport. (*Note - Bahamians traveling on to another country and expecting to transit the United States on their return will need a visa);
- Be in possession of a valid, unexpired passport or a Bahamian Travel Document listing nationality as Bahamian;
- Have no criminal record nor any legal ineligibility or inadmissibility as defined by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (click here);
- Be traveling for business or pleasure (tourism, visiting relatives, shopping, etc.) purposes for a short duration;
- All persons 14 years of age and older must be in possession of a police certificate issued within the past six months;
- Bahamians traveling through the United States to a third country must possess a valid visa for return travel through the U.S.
The bottom line is that all travelers must possess government-issued identity documents, such as passports. All travelers who arrive directly to a U.S. Port of Entry by air or sea must possess a U.S. visitor’s visa. Travelers who would otherwise qualify for the Visa Waiver Program and who travel by air from a CBP Preclearance facility in Freeport or Nassau may not need a U.S. visitor’s visa.
Other details
CBP Port Directors may use discretion and will consider all exigent circumstances on a case by case basis, in accordance with existing laws and regulations.
CBP recommends that all carriers coordinate evacuations with the Bahamian and U.S. government authorities so that CBP facilities are prepared to quickly and efficiently process arriving passengers.
Carriers are also reminded of their Notice of Arrival requirements.
The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army continue to also work with local Florida governments to address any needs of evacuees who seek temporary relocation in the United States.
Keywords: Hurricane DorianTopics: Disasters
Our Legislative Internship Program provides college students the opportunity to experience state government first hand, learn the legislative process, and develop their professional skills. The internship is open to junior and senior students of any major attending a four-year college or university in Washington state. Out-of-state students who graduated from high school in Washington are also eligible. Students receive academic credit and a cost of living stipend during their time in Olympia. Priority Deadline: 11 p.m. on Oct. 4, 2019 Final Deadline: 8 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2019 Additional information and applications: Click Here!
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued the following statement on safety and enforcement during Hurricane Dorian:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are concerned about the potential impact of Hurricane Dorian to portions of the East Coast. Our highest priority remains the preservation of life and safety. In consideration of these circumstances, there will be no immigration enforcement initiatives associated with evacuations or sheltering related to the storm, except in the event of a serious public safety threat.
Keywords: Hurricane Dorian, natural disastersTopics: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Disasters