Borders/Immig

Protecting information at border crossings
DHS reasserted its right to search, even without a cause, laptops at border crossings; travelers may want to make sure their data are safe
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Laptops at border crossings may be searched without probable cause
DHS formalized policy regarding searches of electronic devices and media at border crossings; such searches may be conducted without suspicion or probable cause
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Earmarks work their way into the stimulus package budget
Whitetail, Montana, an unincorporated town with a population of 71, sits on the U.S.-Canada border; the Whitetail border checkpoint sees about three travelers a day; still, the sleepy checkpoint received $15 million under President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan; critics wants to know why
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Honolulu airport gets faster screening
Honolulu airport is one of thirteen U.S. airports that will use a new screening process beginning 24 August; the Global Entry pilot program, intended to streamline the customs and security process for “trusted” air travelers
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GE offers airport detection system to the U.S. Army
The U.S. Army wants to use GE’s trace detection system; the device may be used for drug detection and explosive detection
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Australian, Kiwi passengers to use electronic passport control
New electronic passport control for Australians and New Zealanders will allow bypassing queues for baggage screening from the end of this year
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U.S. inspecting trains headed to Mexico
DHS has stepped up inspection of trains headed to Mexico; Napolitano: “For the first time we have begun inspecting all southbound rail shipments into Mexico”
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DHS adds $30 million for border security operations
DHS secretary Janet Napolitano announced the addition of $30 million in Operation Stonegarden grants; these funds supplement the $60 million in Operation Stonegarden grants announced by Napolitano in June
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Mexican cartels smuggle oil to US
Mexican drug cartel have a new revenue stream: they siphon oil from Mexican government pipelines and smuggle it into the U.S., where the oil is sold to refineries
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U.K. MPs have doubts about a biometrics IT system for screening students
The Home Affairs Committee looked at the role of the National Biometric Identity Service (NBIS) in student visa applications as part of a report into migration processes; universities have already voiced their concerns that the enrollment of students will depend on the untested NBIS, and the MPs say they share this concern
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Coast Guards interdicts smugglers' semi-submersible
Latin American drug lords now rely on semi-submersibles to smuggle drugs into the United States; the other day, the USCG interdicts one semi-submersible in the Eastern Pacific
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Concerns over E-Verify effectiveness as illegal immigration detentions drop
The Obama administration has mandated that by 8 September, all contractors who do work with the federal government must use E-Verify to ensure their prospective employees can legally work in the United States; senators say it is too easy to fool the current E-Verify system
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EADS wins large Saudi border protection deal
EADS’s win of the massive Saudi border fencing contract, valued at $2.3-2.8 billion, is part of the defense contractors effort to use homeland security projects as a means to bolster its revenues
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The business aspects of get-tough immigration policy
The post-9/11 get-tough policy toward immigration has meant booming business for private prison-management companies; the building of prisons and detention centers is now a much-needed source of income for cash-strapped rural communities
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U.S., Colombia in a deal for surveillance of drug trade, terrorists
The Pentagon has to find a new site for anti-drug flight operations after Ecuador declined to extend the lease at Manta
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