Homeland Security chief warns that for Napolitano, tough job awaits

Chertoff: Border more secure, but terrorists craftier

by John Yaukey - Dec. 4, 2008 12:00 AM
Republic Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Wednesday that his likely successor, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, will inherit an improving immigration situation but also will face smarter terrorists increasingly bent on using major high-tech weapons.

Chertoff, the nation's second Homeland Security secretary, said fences, tracking technology and increasing numbers of federal agents have asserted more control over the U.S.-Mexican border.

"For the first time in memory, we have seen a decline in the number of illegal immigrants in the country," he said. "It doesn't mean the job is done, but for the first time, we have reduced momentum."
A recent study by the Washington-based Pew Hispanic Center backs the claim.

As a two-term border-state governor, Napolitano has plenty of experience with border-control issues. But in her next job, she will be scrutinized by a national audience, and her policies will face potential opposition from groups with considerable money and political clout.

Chertoff said the next Homeland Security secretary "must have the willingness to take on very deeply embedded special interests."

"Every time you put a security measure in place, you're goring someone's ox," he said.

Chertoff praised Napolitano, who still must be confirmed by the Senate, as a "terrific" pick to succeed him at the sprawling 22-agency Department of Homeland Security.

He said he has been in contact with her to ensure a smooth transition. That will be crucial to Napolitano's ability to deal with increasingly sophisticated terrorist groups like the one behind the recent attacks in India.

The gunmen who attacked Mumbai used GPS systems, high-resolution Internet maps, untraceable cellphones and BlackBerrys, making it clear that terrorism is going high-tech, Chertoff warned.

"We've had some success, but the other side has had some, as well," he said. "In that sense, we're in a race against time."

On Tuesday, a bipartisan commission issued a chilling report predicting that an attack using a weapon of mass destruction is "more likely than not" in the next five years, unless the international community acts.

The report concluded, "America's margin of safety is shrinking."

"The simple reality is that the risks that confront us today are evolving faster than our multilayered responses," the report said. The commission will brief Napolitano on its findings.

The bureaucratic and personal challenges that await Napolitano are formidable, as well.

The Homeland Security Department employs more than 208,000 people, and running the agency is considered one of the toughest jobs in Washington.

"You need to be able to engage the public and deal with mayors and governors," said David Heyman, director of the Homeland Security Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "It's not like the military or the intelligence community, where you're insulated from the public."

The department's record has been mixed.

The Coast Guard, which is part of the department, won hero status for its daring helicopter rescues after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. At the same time, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also part of Homeland Security, was blasted for its slow response to the storm.

The Homeland Security secretary must do everything possible to avert terrorist threats while making sure domestic intelligence-gathering doesn't become too intrusive.

Chertoff said the pressure can be crushing.

"You must live with the responsibility of knowing that if you fail to prevent something, you have to look into the eyes of the person who has lost a loved one and explain to them that you did everything reasonably possible to prevent it," he said. "And if you're not prepared to do that, you're not doing enough."

Reach the reporter at jyaukey@gns.gannett.com.

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Homeland Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was formed in early 2003, fusing 22 federal agencies into what is now an organization of more than 208,000 employees and a current requested budget of $51 billion. The department is responsible for preventing and responding to terrorist attacks, reacting to natural catastrophes and carrying out immigration and customs operations.

It is well-known for its color-coded, security-threat levels and periodic air-travel restrictions.

It includes divisions that protect the borders, develop new radiation-detection equipment, study and test infectious diseases, enforce immigration and maritime laws, protect the president and other dignitaries, coordinate disaster response, work to keep terrorists off airplanes and other forms of transportation, and monitor and prevent cyber-intrusions.

Under the scrutiny of more congressional oversight than any other federal department, Homeland Security has weathered a run of controversies, including its handling of emergency response during and after Hurricane Katrina, its involvement in a scuttled deal that would have allowed a Dubai company to manage certain U.S. ports, its mismanagement of large government contracts and its delayed implementation of key, post-9/11 security programs.

Key member agencies include:

• U.S. Border Patrol.

• Transportation Security Administration.

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

• Federal Emergency Management Agency.

• U.S. Secret Service.

• U.S. Coast Guard.

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