Thread: Series of U.S. Border reforms

Thursday, 28 February 2008
Series of U.S. Border reforms
By Michael Webster: Investigative Reporter

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey announced a series of reforms the administration will pursue to address Border Security and Immigration challenges. The following is some of the reforms representing steps the Administration will take within the boundaries of existing law to secure our borders with fencing (Project 28, the 28-mile long "virtual" wall near Tucson, Ariz.) to more effectively protect us from terrorist, gangs, drug and human smuggling, improve interior and worksite enforcement, streamline existing guest worker programs, improve the current immigration system, and help new immigrants assimilate into American culture.


Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, paid his first visit to Laredo on Friday, at the invitation of the Texas Border Coalition. The group discussed the border wall, bridge wait times, Carrizo cane, and Project 28, the 28-mile long "virtual" wall near Tucson, Ariz. Photo Source: Rio Grande Guardian

The Department Of Justice and Homeland Security will strengthen legal efforts to keep international gang members out of the United States. Chertoff said, “Gangs are at the root of many U.S. crime problems today, and many of the most dangerous gangs draw significant membership from abroad.â€

with the illegals still flowing into this country at record rates, it sounds like dhs forgot to tell foreigners of their increased security. let's face it they have done NOTHING! to secure this countries borders!!

The threat level in the airline sector is High or Orange. Read more
Remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff at a Christian Science Monitor Breakfast Roundtable
Release Date: February 27, 2008

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact 202-282-8010
Washington, D.C.

Secretary Chertoff: Well, good to be here. We are hitting our fifth anniversary on March 1. And I’ve been in this job a little bit over three years, so I’ve had an opportunity to look back and to see how far we’ve come in what I think, by the institutional standards of the government department, is a remarkably short period of time.

And let me touch on some, you know, very brief points. We’ve got five major objectives to what we do. One is to keep this country safe from dangerous people. One is to keep dangerous things out of the country. One is to protect and harden our various nationally significant critical infrastructure. One is to respond effectively and to enhance preparedness. And the last is to integrate and really develop a 21st century Department.

If you look at what we had done -- let’s say with the first issue. Some people have talked about -- let’s not say some people -- I have talked about three pathways for terrorists in this modern world: communications, money, and travel. Prior to 9/11, we had a lot of capability with respect to communications. It may not have been all aimed at terrorists, but the capabilities were there. And that’s obviously in other departments and the intelligence community.

Soon after 9/11, we moved forward on terrorist finance, with various lists that essentially “blacklistsâ€