DHS Stand For "Department of Homeland Surrender?"

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http://counterterrorismblog.org/2006/12 ... rtment.php

Does "DHS" Stand For "Department of Homeland Surrender"?
By Michael Cutler

The week has barely begun and already we have another example of incompetence at a component of DHS, the agency I have come to sadly refer to as the "Department of Homeland Surrender." If the law enforcement and intelligence agencies are to be effective in carrying their responsibilities to protect our nation from aliens engaged in criminal activities and terrorism, then it is absolutely critical that our nation have the capability to track aliens who enter our country to also know if and when they leave our country. On May 11 of this year, I testified before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on International Relations that was, at that time, chaired by Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California. The topic of the hearing was, "Visa Overstays, Can We Bar the Terrorist Door?" You can read the transcript of the hearing here.

It has been estimated that as many as 40% of the illegal aliens who are present in the United States did not run our nation's borders but rather entered the United States through ports of entry and then either failed to depart the United States within the time that they were authorized to remain in the United States or otherwise violated the terms of their admission by accepting unauthorized employment, committing a felony for which they were subsequently convicted, etc. It is important to remember that the terrorists who attacked our nation on September 11, 2001 all entered the United States through ports of entry. It is extremely important to know the whereabouts of aliens who become the targets of investigations because it enables the agents of ICE, the FBI, DEA or other agencies to know if their quarry is even still in the United States especially if they are the targets of arrest warrants or if a determination has been made that they need to be followed to cultivate intelligence. Knowing if an individual has departed the United States or is still within our nation's borders also helps to develop a clearer picture about the travel patterns of criminals and especially terrorists and the departure side of the equation is vital for all of these objectives.

Being able to determine whether or not an alien has departed the United States has other implications as well. Physical presence in the United States is a component of the qualification for an alien to be eligible to naturalize. Additionally, one of the factors that determine if a nation may continue to participate in the Visa Waiver Program or, in fact, join this program, is whether or not the citizens of that nation tend to depart the United States in a timely fashion and not violate our laws. Here we are with the President now publicly pushing for an expansion of the Visa Waiver Program, a program that I am very much opposed to, and the dropping of the program to develop the capability to determine whether or not aliens who have been admitted for a supposedly temporary period leave the United States within their authorized period of stay. It almost has to make you wonder if implementation of the system to determine if aliens who have been admitted for temporary visits have departed the United States isn't being done to make it easier for the President or his successor to expand the Visa Waiver Program at will, with a critical factor that is supposed to determine if a nation meets the eligibility standards being rendered moot.

When you realize that here we are, approaching the 14th anniversary of the first attack on the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993 and more than 5 years after the attacks of September 11, 2001 and still our nation's immigration system lacks meaningful integrity thereby imperiling our survival and our nation's security. America has gone from being the "Can Do" nation that met, indeed exceeded the goal established by the President John F. Kennedy when he stated that the United States would send men to the moon and return them safely to the earth before January 1, 1970. This is also the country that in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, at a time when it was not a "Super Power," managed to construct fleets of new battleships, aircraft carriers and various airplanes including new fighter planes and bombers. Our nation put many new submarines to sea and even developed, constructed and deployed the world's first nuclear weapons. The United States of America did all of these things and much more in fewer than four years!

That was then and this is now: after the expenditure of some 1.7 billion dollars in the last 4 years, the system by which our nation would have developed the capability to know whether or not aliens who were admitted to the United States have, in fact, departed the United States is still a dream and one that will not be pursued even though it is clear that our national security depends on this capability. It is interesting that the company that was awarded the very lucrative contract to implement US VISIT, is Accenture, an "off shore" company that is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda and is a subsidiary of the infamous Arthur Andersen Accounting firm of Enron notoriety that is now apparently, unable to deliver what it was paid to deliver. This is more than a disgrace this is a flat-out travesty where our nation's security hangs in the balance! America has gone from being the "Can Do" shining example for all the world to admire and strive to emulate to the nation that "Can't Do" but has tons of excuses that are all worthless! When you send a package by a package delivery service, and there are a number of them that are extremely effective and efficient, even though they move literal mountains of packages each and every day within 24 hours, these companies can tell you with incredible accuracy the precise location of the package as it moves from the sender to the intended receiver. Perhaps our government should have sought to employ Fed-Ex, UPS or one of those other companies, they certainly could not have done a worse job than Accenture and they are based in the United States!

We continue to see a string of outrageous failures in our nation's supposed efforts to protect us from the next terrorist attack yet we are required to take off our shoes when we prepare to board airliners. Ninety-year old women are divested of their nail clippers as they pass through those security checkpoints at airports but the real issues are being dealt with in a fashion that demonstrates unparalleled incompetence.

In order to deter criminals and terrorists, perceptions are virtually as important as reality. It is important that our government create an impression of competence, efficiency and commitment. It is clear that our government is being lead by "The gang that couldn't shoot straight!" All that our leaders seem to be capable of doing is squandering taxpayer money while leaving us vulnerable. If a private company performed as incompetently it would most likely be out of business. Even if such a screwed up company continued to limp along without going out of business, the Better Business Bureau would sanction such a company for failure to deliver the services it was paid to deliver. The bad guys "out there" have to be encouraged by the bungling of our government.It has been said that, "A chain is as strong as its weakest link." Where the immigration system is concerned, it seems that there are only weak and nonexistent links.

If, God forbid, the bungling and incompetence of our "leaders" results in another terrorist attack then I would suggest that Al Qaeda give our "leaders" the MVP award; they would have earned it!
December 18, 2006 02:57 PM Print

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If, God forbid, the bungling and incompetence of our "leaders" results in another terrorist attack then I would suggest that Al Qaeda give our "leaders" the MVP award; they would have earned it!

Sad but true