As the threat of terrorism has grown, civilian agencies are increasingly thrust into the national security conversation. The laws and regulations that govern aviation, immigration, and international trade have become key parts of the national security apparatus. Debates over no-fly lists, border security, and the protection of airplane technology now take place alongside those over the military’s rules of engagement or the value of NSA programs. These new debates seem no less likely to disappear.
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In responding to the coronavirus, the U.S. should apply lessons learned from past transnational threats—but unfortunately, in important respects, the federal government is moving in the wrong direction.
Homeland security issues have emerged as among the most critical facing our country. Massive hurricanes devastated large swaths of the United States in 2017, the recovery from which is not over. Hostile governments and criminal groups have targeted American cyber and critical infrastructure, including U.S. elections. Ebola and Zika originated abroad but emerged at America’s shores. Central American asylum seekers have overwhelmed U.S. border authorities, while Washington has been paralyzed over disputes about how to respond.
On April 1, AT&T announced that the Navy and the Marine Corps had signed up to the FirstNet public safety broadband network, which prioritizes public safety communications over other types of traffic. A policy directive from the secretary of the Navy provides guidance on how the Navy and the Marine Corps should procure and deploy FirstNet devices and services.
To quote Yogi Berra, “it’s like déjà vu all over again.” For at least the fourth time in just over two years, a dispute has arisen over the president’s authority to name “acting” agency heads under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA) of 1998. This time around, the debate involves the Department of Homeland Security—and the resignation/firing/un-resignation/ ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is scheduled to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. The testimony marks her first appearance before a House panel during the 116th Congress. Read Nielsen’s opening statement and watch the live feed of the testimony.
In the months since Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (often called “AMLO”), announced the creation of a “national guard” as a core component of his public security strategy, the proposal has received significant criticism.
In recent weeks, the prospect that President Trump might declare a national emergency in order to fund the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border has triggered new concerns regarding his administration’s commitment to the rule of law.
Over the next five months, travelers crossing external borders in Hungary, Latvia and Greece will have the opportunity to participate in the European Union’s latest effort to increase the security, efficiency and efficacy of its border checkpoints. The new system, “iBorderCtrl,” involves a voluntary two-step procedure. First, travelers register online, where an animated border agent asks a series of questions.
Three immigrant advocacy organizations represented by the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California against the president, the Justice Department, Homeland Security Department and other government agencies alleging that the Trump administration's proclamation and rule on asylum applications violates the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Administrative Procedures Act.
On Thursday, the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security announced an amendment to the rules governing asylum requests rendering ineligible for asylum those who attempt to enter the United States in violation of an order issued under Section 212(f) or 215(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Those statutes give the president certain authorities to restrict the entry of aliens to the United States.