Chertoff's Self -Evaluation

DHS Secretary Chertoff gave his evaluation of Homeland Security's progress over 5 years to Congress on March 5th, 2008. He summarized the Department's progress in 5 areas:

1. Strengthening border security through greater deployment of infrastructure, manpower, and technology
2. Enhancing interior enforcement at worksites, providing new tools to employers, and identifying and arresting fugitives, criminals, and illegal alien gang members
3. Making temporary worker programs more effective
4. Improving the current immigration system
5. Assimilating new immigrants into our civic culture and society.

On strengthening border security, he discussed the "installation of tactical infrastructure, including pedestrian and vehicle fencing; hiring and training new Border Patrol agents; and deploying a range of technology to the border, including cameras, sensors, unmanned aerial systems, and ground-based radar."

We made a commitment to build 670 miles of pedestrian and vehicle fencing on the Southern border by the end of this calendar year to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants, drugs, and vehicles. We are on pace to meet that commitment. We have built 302.4 miles of fence, including 167.7 miles of pedestrian fence and 134.7 miles of vehicle fence....For example, in February of this year, I traveled to Hidalgo County, Texas, to meet with county leaders who were planning to build a levee along the Rio Grande River for purposes of flood control. Although we still need help from Congress, we were able to negotiate an agreement to design our fence plans in coordination with their levee construction, allowing us to effectively satisfy two goals at the same time.

He also spoke about Border Patrol:

Over the past year, we have accelerated recruitment, hiring, and training of Border Patrol agents. 15,439 Border Patrol agents are currently on board and we will have over 18,000 agents by the end of this year – more than twice as many as when President Bush took office. This represents the largest expansion of the Border Patrol in its history, and we have grown the force without sacrificing the quality of training the Border Patrol Academy prides itself on delivering.

As an additional force multiplier, we continue to benefit from the support of the National Guard under Operation Jump Start. This has been an extremely fruitful partnership. We are grateful to the Department of Defense as well as governors across the United States for allowing us to leverage the National Guard in support of our border security mission.

On P-28 (which we covered in previous articles), Chertoff had the follwoing to say:

P-28 was designed to be a demonstration of critical technologies and system integration under the broader SBInet initiative. Specifically, its purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of the SBInet technical approach developed by the contractor, Boeing, and to show that this type of technology could be deployed to help secure the Southwest border. After successful field testing, we formally accepted P-28 from Boeing on February 21st of this year. We have a system that is operational and has already assisted in identifying and apprehending more than 2,000 illegal aliens trying to cross the border since December....A P-28-like system would be neither cost-effective nor necessary everywhere on the border. Accordingly, we are building upon lessons learned to develop a new border-wide architecture that will incorporate upgraded software, mobile surveillance systems, unattended ground sensors, unmanned and manned aviation assets, and an improved communication system to enable better connectivity and system performance.

The department is looking at implementing more UAV's to include one for the entire northern border. He plans to increase the number of ground-based mobile surveillance systems from six to forty. And we will acquire 2,500 additional unattended ground sensors this fiscal year, with 1,500 of those planned for deployment on the northern border and 1,000 on the southwest border. These will supplement the more than 7,500 ground sensors currently in operation.

How much does this cost? Not much really considering what we spend money on already. Could we do better? I'll let you decide. Just remember the old addage: You get what you pay for.

To continue to support these kinds of technology investments, we have requested $775 million in funding as part of the President’s Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

How are things going? That depends on who you ask. Secretary Chertoff says

For Fiscal Year 2007, CBP reported a 20 percent decline in apprehensions across the Southern border, suggesting fewer illegal immigrants are attempting to enter our country. This trend has continued. During the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2008, Southwest border apprehensions were down 16 percent, and nationwide they were down 18 percent over the same period the previous year.

Port security received a lot of help in the form of biometrics and citizenship checks. Current travelers into the US were checked for proof of citizenship and against various criminal/terrorist databases. Chertoff testified:

In January of this year, we also ended the routine practice of accepting oral declarations of citizenship and identity at our land and sea ports of entry. People entering our country, including U.S. citizens, are now asked to present documentary evidence of their citizenship and identity. Not only will this help to reduce the number of false claims of U.S. citizenship, but it reduces the more than 8,000 different documents our CBP officers must currently assess. By requiring a narrower set of documents, we are able to improve security and efficiency at the ports of entry, and create an effective transition period for implementation of the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in June 2009.

You ever get those stories on the news where it seem like we never arrest illegal immigrants. I know in most places ICE won't come out for less than a large froup of illegals. According to Chertoff, ICE removed over 280, 000 illegal aliens. He lists some of their operations:

Universal Industrial Sales, Inc: On February 7, 2008, fifty-seven illegal aliens were arrested during a worksite enforcement operation conducted at Universal Industrial Sales Inc. (UIS) in Lindon, Utah. ICE forwarded roughly 30 cases to the Utah County Attorney's Office for possible criminal prosecution for offenses such as identity theft, forgery, and document fraud. On the federal side, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah unsealed two indictments charging the company and its human resource director with harboring illegal aliens and encouraging or inducing workers to stay in the United States illegally.

George’s Processing: In January of 2008, a federal jury convicted a former human resources employee at George’s Processing – a poultry plant in Butterfield, Missouri – of harboring an illegal alien and inducing an illegal alien to enter or reside in the United States. Under federal statutes, this individual is facing up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. Another former employee recently pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft. A total of 136 illegal aliens were arrested as part of this investigation into identity theft, Social Security fraud, and immigration-related violations at the plant.

RCI Incorporated: In October of 2007, the former President of RCI Incorporated – a nationwide cleaning service – pled guilty to harboring illegal aliens and conspiring to defraud the United States. He will pay restitution to the United States in an amount expected to exceed $16 million. He also agreed to forfeit bank accounts, life insurance policies, and currency totaling more than $1.1 million for knowingly hiring illegal aliens.

Stucco Design Inc.: On March 7, 2007, the owner of an Indiana business that performed stucco-related services at construction sites in seven Midwest states pled guilty to violations related to the harboring of illegal aliens. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison and forfeited $1.4 million in ill-gotten gains.

Michael Bianco, Inc.: On March 6, 2007, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, a textile product company owner and three other managers were arrested and charged with conspiring to encourage or induce illegal aliens to reside in the United States and conspiring to hire illegal aliens. Another person was charged in a separate complaint with the knowing transfer of fraudulent identification documents. Approximately 360 illegal workers were arrested on administrative charges as part of the operation, representing more than half of the company's workforce.

Fines have in creased for employers who allow illegal immigrants to work for them by 26 percent. What tools did Chertoff give employers to help them weed out illegal immigrants? Well, he's given them E-Verify, an on-line system administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that allows employers to check, in most cases within seconds, whether an employee is authorized to work in the United States. Some states have begun to require employers to enroll in E-Verify, most notably Arizona, where the system is adding about 1,000 new users per week.

Nationally, we are adding 1,800 new E-verify users per week. More than 54,000 employers are currently enrolled, compared to 24,463 at the end of Fiscal Year 2007, and nearly 2 million new hires have been queried this fiscal year. We are expanding outreach to Georgia and will be working in other states to increase participation. To support this work, we have requested $100 million in the Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

Have your calls to ICE gone unanswered? Not anymore. Chertoff has told Congress

ICE Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ICE ACCESS) program, which includes training under the 287(g) program, participation in Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BEST) and Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces (DBFTF)....Through the 287(g) program, ICE delegates enforcement powers to state and local agencies who serve as force multipliers in their communities. As of September 30, 2007, ICE has signed 38 memoranda of agreement (MOAs) with state and local law enforcement agencies to participate in the program. Last year, ICE trained 426 state and local officers. In the program’s last two years, it has identified more than 26,000 illegal aliens for potential deportation.

ICE also has continued to expand its BEST teams to work cooperatively with domestic and foreign law enforcement counterparts to dismantle criminal organizations operating near the border. In Fiscal Year 2007, ICE launched new BEST teams in El Paso and the Rio Grande Valley, and in San Diego, bringing the total number of teams to five. These task forces have been responsible for 519 criminal arrests and 1,145 administrative arrests of illegal aliens, the seizure of 52,518 pounds of marijuana and 2,066 pounds of cocaine, 178 vehicles, 12 improvised explosive devices, and more than $2.9 million in U.S. currency.

ICE DBFTFs are a strong law enforcement presence that combats fraud utilizing existing manpower and authorities. Through comprehensive criminal investigations, successful prosecutions, aggressive asset forfeiture and positive media, the DBFTFs detect, deter and dismantle organizations that facilitate fraud. The task forces promote the sharing of information, ensure the integrity of our laws, and uphold public safety. In April 2007, ICE formed six new task forces, bringing the total number of DBFTFs to 17. These task forces have been responsible for 804 criminal convictions and 1,917 seizures worth more than $8 million in value.

In Fiscal Year 2007, ICE Fugitive Operations Teams arrested 30,407 individuals, nearly double the number of arrests in Fiscal Year 2006. The teams, which quintupled in number from 15 to 75 between 2005 and 2007, identify, locate, arrest and remove aliens who have failed to depart the United States pursuant to a final order of removal, deportation, or exclusion; or who have failed to report to a Detention and Removal Officer after receiving notice to do so. In Fiscal Year 2008, Congress authorized an additional 29 teams. Fugitive Operations Teams have arrested more than 10,000 individuals this year.

ICE also expanded its Criminal Alien Program (CAP) in Fiscal Year 2007, initiating formal removal proceedings on 164,000 illegal aliens serving prison terms for crimes they committed in the United States. ICE has already initiated more than 55,000 formal removal proceedings against additional criminal aliens in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2008. ICE is developing a comprehensive strategic plan to better address CAP.

In addition, in Fiscal Year 2007 ICE arrested 3,302 gang members and their associates as part of Operation Community Shield. This total includes 1,442 criminal arrests. For Fiscal Year 2008, ICE has arrested 723 gang members and their associates, which is a 34 percent increase over the same period last year.

All this enforcement has not been without consequences. Secretary Chertoff recognizes the impact their operations have had on certain "economic sectors" like agriculture. He stated, "Of the 1.2 million agricultural workers in the United States, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 are here illegally. This is not an argument for lax enforcement. Rather, we need to make sure our temporary worker programs are effective. To this end, we have joined the Department of Labor in proposing changes to modernize the H-2A seasonal agricultural worker program to remove unnecessarily burdensome restrictions on participation by employers and foreigners, while protecting the rights of laborers."

Customs has created the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) to enhance the integrity of the legal immigration system by identifying threats to national security and public safety, detecting and combating benefit fraud, and removing other vulnerabilities. During Fiscal Year 2007, FDNS submitted approximately 8,700 fraud or criminal alien referrals to ICE. While USCIS works through the backlog of cases, it remains committed to ensuring the preservation of high quality standards and anti-fraud counter-measures.

The nation's new naturalized citizenship test will be implemented some time this fall. It will emphasizes fundamental concepts of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.