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TSA may fine airlines over mistaken terrorist IDs
The ACLU says there are one million names on the DHS terrorist watch list, while TSA says there are only 400,000; whatever the exact figure is, TSA wants to make sure that the airlines do not misidentify innocent passengers as terrorists, and threatens to sue airlines which do so
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New Zealand to use biometrics to monitor immigration
Technology will allow border control staff to conduct biometric checks on inbound and outbound passengers
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RFID readers installed along U.S. borders
Today the first Border Patrol RFID readers go into use at El Paso, Texas, border crossing; during the next two months many more RFID readers will be installed in order to speed up traffic across borders
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ACLU: Terrorist Watch List hits one million names
ACLU claims terrorist watch list reached one million names; launches online watch list complaint form
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TSA: ACLU’s terrorist watch list facts and figures are a myth
The Transportation Security Administration refutes the facts and figures used by the ACLU in the latter’s claim that the list is now 1-million strong
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Debate over environmental impact of border fence continues
The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area is part of the U.S.-Mexico border, and all agree that the area’s ecosystem is particularly delicate; DHS wants to build a fence there, but environmentalists object
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DHS wants nearly 60 border watch towers
DHS proposes nearly five dozen towers, ranging from 80 feet to 200 feet tall, to be erected in rural areas in Arizona
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University of Texas sues DHS over border fence
UT systems files motions in court last week asking that the court demand that DHS comply with a March settlement detailing how the fence would be built on part of the UT-Brownsville campus
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U.S. Supreme Court rejects environmentalists' challenge to border fence
DHS waived 19 federal laws so a fence could be built on the Arizona-Mexico border; two environmentalist groups challenged the ruling, but the U.S. Supreme Court rejected challenge
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U.S. remains the dominant leader in science and technology worldwide
Perceptions to the contrary notwithstanding, the United States remains the world’s undisputed leader in science and technology; the key factor enabling U.S. science and engineering workforce to grow: inflow of foreign students, scientists, and engineers
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State Department: Robust security for U.S. e-passport
Popular misconception notwithstanding, the new U.S. e-passprt are safe, says the State Department. One example: The card’s photograph cannot be removed with solvent; a laser engraving process embeds the photograph into the polycarbonate card stock, meaning that attempts to remove your picture will visibly mar the card
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Texas bolsters border security, enhances trade
U.S. trade with Mexico has more than quadrupled in the past 15 years from $81 million in 1993 to nearly $350 billion in 2007; projected to reach at least 10 times that number by 2020, Mexico is the fastest-growing U.S. trade partner; nearly 80 percent of the trade between the United States and Mexico is transported via roads or rail; in Texas alone, that equates to 3.1 million inbound and 2.7 million outbound trucks each year; General Barry McCaffrey says it is possible to bolster security while accommodating growing trade
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Canadian border agency modernizes border security
The modernized program, to be introduced 20 June, will require members to adhere to stricter, better-defined, and more targeted security measures to strengthen border and supply chain security
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Trains to pass through X-ray at Turkey-Iran border gate
Turkey is installing a radiography scanner system at its border with Iran; as trains approach the Kapıköy border point, they will undergo radiography scanning once they are traveling at a stable speed, generally 30 kilometers per hour, after security precautions have been taken to protect passengers and train personnel
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The long view
Immigration in Sweden: How the Country Went from One of Europe’s Most Welcoming, to One of Its Most Restrictive
For decades, Sweden was known as one of Europe’s most welcoming countries for refugees. It took pride in pursuing one of Europe’s most generous asylum policies, and often presented itself as a humanitarian role model. But today it has one of the continent’s most restrictive migration policies.