Whereas HSI has demonstrated expertise in transnational criminal investigations, it faces challenges in intergovernmental relationships due to its organizational placement within ICE, and it would benefit from a reinvigorated departmental leadership focus on investigative prioritization, oversight, and transparency. 7Īccording to a former senior HSI special agent, HSI is “the most powerful law enforcement agency in the U.S.” 8Ī letter written by current and former HSI division chiefs in 2018 stated that the agency “arrests more criminal violators than any other federal investigative agency.” 9 According to HSI public relations materials, if it involves “the illegal movement of people or goods,” then HSI investigates it. HSI claims authority and capability to investigate nearly every significant federal crime, from cybercrime to sex trafficking, from intellectual property theft to drug trafficking. HSI also has responsibilities to enforce immigration laws and is the complex investigative arm of ICE. The other division in ICE is Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), which is primarily responsible for enforcing immigration laws and removing individuals not authorized to be inside the United States. HSI is a division of ICE and, according to the fiscal year (FY) 2022 congressional budget justification, is the “principal criminal investigative agency within” DHS. HSI has more than 10,000 employees (including 7,000 agents) and operates on a budget of approximately $2 billion, one-fourth of the ICE total budget and 4 percent of the overall DHS budget of approximately $52 billion. In terms of investigative scope of activities, chief among DHS’s law enforcement entities is Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Border Patrol), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Secret Service, and elsewhere. Law enforcement personnel are scattered throughout DHS, including sizeable presence in Customs and Border Protection (CBP, which houses the U.S. attorney general, ostensibly the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, 4įor overseeing agencies and components conducting criminal investigations. 3Īs a result, the department’s secretary now has responsibilities comparable to those of the U.S. DHS houses the federal government’s largest law enforcement capacity, with approximately 80,000 law enforcement officers spread throughout the department. In particular, policymakers and legislators should take the current opportunity of new departmental leadership and renewed congressional oversight interest to refocus the department’s work in a way that maximizes its homeland security impact while ensuring appropriate oversight of its law enforcement activities. In addition, to the extent that the department continues to manage a robust set of law enforcement activities, it must ensure that such activities are conducted with adequate policy guidance and oversight. 2Īs a result, a challenge for the Biden administration and Congress moving forward is ensuring that the department-with its vast resources, workforce, and capabilities-is appropriately managed and calibrated to focus on 21st-century homeland security threats. And while law enforcement can serve a role in protecting against threats to the country’s safety and health, it has limited utility in responding to the vast landscape of modern threats. Bush in 2002, stated, “The changing nature of the threats facing America requires a new government structure to protect against invisible enemies that can strike with a wide variety of weapons.” 1ĭHS has evolved into an organization that has a mandate to protect against a wide array of threats including but not limited to terrorism, and also as a significant federal law enforcement agency. As that proposal, issued by President George W. The original proposal to create the department recognized that threats would evolve over time and that the department would need to be flexible. soil, DHS now has day-to-day responsibilities and activities that are, in some key places, out of sync with that original organizing objective, as well as with the modern threat landscape. Originally created primarily to prevent against and respond to acts of international terrorism on U.S. "Tony" Ierardi, USA (Ret.)Īs it approaches 20 years since its creation, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is due for substantial updates in order to improve its ability to adapt to current and emerging threats and maximize its strengths through its combined components and capabilities. Renewing the National Security Consensus.Enhancing DHS Oversight & Accountability.Constructing Regional Partnerships and Seizing Emerging Opportunities.
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