• Border wars // By Lee Maril
    Was/is border National Guard really worth it?
    Lee Maril -

    Since 2006, National Guard troops have been deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border under the assumption that they would help bolster security; with little training, Congressional oversight, or analysis, it is difficult to say how effective the National Guard Troops were; $1.35 billion later, was it really worth it?; as Congress authorizes another $60 million to keep troops stationed along the border, we must ask once more, was it really worth it?

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  • Immigration
    Administration loosens visa requirements, expands VWP

    President Obama, during a visit to Disneyland, announced that the administration was working on expanding the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and waiving the consular interview requirement for people renewing U.S. visas; critics of the administration’s immigration policy are upset.

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  • Immigration
    DHS: more than 1,600 deportation cases should be closed

    As part of the Obama administration’s ongoing efforts to shift its immigration policy to deporting dangerous illegal immigrants, last week DHS officials recommended canceling deportation proceedings against more than 1,600 illegal immigrants in Denver and Baltimore who were not deemed a threat

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  • Guest column // By Rick Van Schoik
    Every day, every minute CBP serves

    In the first column in an ongoing series featuring contributors from the North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) at Arizona State University, Rick Van Schoik, the center’s director, provides an overview of U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s broad mission as well as the key challenges the agency faces in securing the nation’s borders

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  • Guest column // By Rick Van Schoik
    Every day, every minute CBP serves

    In the first column in an ongoing series featuring contributors from the North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) at Arizona State University, Rick Van Schoik, the center’s director, provides an overview of U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s broad mission as well as the key challenges the agency faces in securing the nation’s borders

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  • Border security
    Cross-border security application integrates data from diverse sources

    An application unites data from local, regional, and federal public safety agencies in a common operating picture; the data is integrated with feeds available from Web sources (weather, road and air traffic, nautical conditions), and displays the data on an interactive map and timeline

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  • Immigration
    ICE union slows Obama’s deportation policy shift

    An internal disagreement within DHS is hampering the implementation of President Obama’s new immigration strategy which focuses primarily on deporting immigrants convicted of violent crimes

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  • Immigration
    Missouri proposes tough Alabama-like immigration law

    Following in the footsteps of Alabama, lawmakers in Missouri are considering a bill that would require public schools to check the immigration status of children and for law enforcement officers to determine if an individual is legally in the United States

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  • Deportations
    DHS IG critical of ICE deportation review process

    DHS Inspector General’s report on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (ICE) handling of the review process of 300,000 pending deportation cases offers ammunition to critics of the administration’s immigration policies

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  • Border patrol
    Feds to unseal portions of slain border agent’s case

    Federal prosecutors have agreed to unseal portions of its case against the people who stand accused of slaying Brian Terry, a U.S. Border Patrol agent killed in the line of duty while deployed near the Arizona-Mexico border

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  • Border security
    Texas unveils armed patrol boat

    The Texas Highway Patrol recently added a fully-armed patrol boat to help officers secure the Texas-Mexico border

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  • Tough, controversial immigration laws go into effect around U.S.

    The beginning of the new year saw tough immigration laws go into effect in several states, including Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Most of the laws require employers to use E-Verify to check to employment eligibility of job applicants, and in some authorize law enforcement personnel to inquire about the immigration status of individuals stopped for conduct unrelated to immigration.

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  • Immigration
    DHS launches hotline for jailed immigrants

    DHS recently announced that it is launching a new hotline for people who believe they have been falsely imprisoned on immigration charges or victims of a crime

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  • Border security
    Border fences impede black bears’ movements

    A new study finds that fences along the Arizona portion of the U.S.– Mexico border are hindering the natural movement of black bears

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  • Border security
    Giant weed complicates border security

    To add to the difficulties of patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border, an invasive species of giant weeds has infested rivers throughout the southwest, particularly the Rio Grande in Texas, providing dense cover for illegal activities

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  • Border security
    Inmate-trained wild horses help secure U.S. border

    Border patrol agents have a new ally in the fight to secure the U.S-Mexico border – specially trained horses – and it is all thanks to prison inmates

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  • Private border security
    Volunteers and cash pour in for private border fence

    Donations and volunteers continue to pour in for a privately funded fence along the U.S.– Mexico border in Arizona, according to Republican state legislator Steve Smith

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  • Immigration
    Skilled immigrants create U.S. jobs, report finds

    A recently released report reveals that immigrants with advanced degrees help create jobs for U.S. natives

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  • Fast and Furious
    Senate Homeland Security Committee probes Fast and Furious

    Last Wednesday, Senator Joe Lieberman (I – Connecticut), the chair of the Homeland Security Committee, directed his committee to examine the miscommunication between law enforcement agencies and the Justice Department in regards to the beleaguered gun tracking program dubbed “Fast and Furious”

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  • Border security
    DHS to drawdown troops along U.S.-Mexico border

    Beginning in January the National Guard troops deployed along the U.S-Mexico border will begin heading home to their respective states as part of a broader shift in their mission; the 1,200 troops currently deployed will be reduced to 300, with the majority of them focusing on supporting border patrol efforts in the air rather than on the ground

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