2011 Media Week in Review (DHS OIG)

Office of nspector General U.S.
Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528
Homeland Security
OCT 2 0 2011
Mr. Jason Smathers MuckRock News DEPT MR 827 P.O. Box 55819 Boston, MA 02205-5819 Subject: Freedom of Information Act Request No. 2011-184 Final Response Dear Mr. Smathers: This letter responds to your Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), dated September 19, 2011, and seeking all issues of the weekly document entitled, "Media Week in Review," released during calendar year 2011 (copy attached for reference). DHS-OIG received your request on September 19, 2011. The OIG conducts independent investigations, audits, inspections, and special reviews of DHS personnel, programs, and operations to detect and deter waste, fraud, and abuse, and to promote integrity, economy, and efficiency within DHS. In response to your request, a search was conducted within the OIG Office of Congressional and Public Affairs. That search identified 60 pages of records responsive to your request. Enclosed are copies of the DHS-OIG "Media Week in Review" from June 6, 2011, through September 19, 2011. Please note that DHS-OIG began compiling these reports on June 6, 2011. As such we maintain no such reports prior to that date. After carefully reviewing the enclosed documents I determined they are appropriate for public release. All 60 pages are enclosed in their entirety; no deletions or exemptions have been claimed. Regarding your request for a fee waiver, because there were only 60 responsive pages, your fee waiver request is moot. If you deem this response to be an adverse determination on your request, you have the right to appeal. Your appeal must be in writing and received within 60 days of the date of this response. Please address any appeal to: FOIA/PA Appeals Unit DHS/Inspector General STOP 2600 245 Murray Drive, SW, Building 410 Washington, DC 20528
Both the envelope and letter of appeal must be clearly marked, "Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act Appeal." Your appeal letter must also clearly identify the DHS-OIG's response. Additional information on submitting an appeal is set forth in the DHS regulations at 6 C.F.R. 5.9. If you have any questions about this response please contact Stephanie Kuehn, FOIA/PA Disclosure Specialist, at 202-254-4389. The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) also mediates disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation. If you wish to contact OGIS, you may email that entity at ogis@nara.gov or call 877-684-6448.
Katherine R. Gallo Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General Enclosures
FOIA Request
Kuehn, Stephanie
From: Sent: To: Subject: 827-09636301@requests.muckrock.com Monday, September 19, 2011 10:37 AM 01G, FOIA Follow up to Freedom of Information Request: Media Week in Review (DHS 01G)
September 19, 2011 Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General Mailing address: 245 Murray Drive, Bldg. 410 Mail Stop - 2600 Washington, D.C. 20528-0001 This is a follow up to a previous request:
To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All issues of the internal document produced each week called Media Week in Review where the issue was released in the calendar year 2011. I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage. In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires. Sincerely, Jason Smathers
On Sept. 17, 2011: To Whom It May Concern: This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records: All issues of the internal document produced each week called Media Week in Review where the issue was released in the calendar year 2011. I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a
representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage. In the event that fees cannot be waived, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires. Sincerely, Jason Smathers Filed via MuckRock.com E-mail (Preferred): 827-096363010requests.muckrock.com For mailed responses, please address (see note): MuckRock News DEPT MR 827 PO Box 55819 Boston, MA 02205-5819 PLEASE NOTE the new address as well as the fact that improperly addressed (i.e., with the requester's name rather than MuckRock News) requests might be returned by the USPS as undeliverable.
Requester's Name: Jason Smathers FOIA/PA NO.: 2011-184
60
PAGE(S) OF DOCUMENT(S) RELEASED IN FULL (RIF)
Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011
DHS OIG Press Coverage
Submitted: 06.13.11
With the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Southwestern border corruption, DHS OIG was frequently featured in local, regional and national media outlets. Coverage of the hearing was generally straightforward and neutral, focusing on the investigative jurisdictions of CBP and OHS OIG Office of Investigations and corruption tactics from transnational drug cartels. Other coverage included updates on state implementation of the Secure Communities program, including references to the OIG's impending examination of the program and the 06/09/11 DHS OIG response letter to Rep. Lofgren (CA). Additionally, a recent FEMA report, OIG 11-84, was highlighted in two articles, which called for the need of increased personnel in the fraud division and investigative operations at the component. Finally, an investigation lead by DHS OIG has resulted in the recent sentencing of a former TSA supervisor in Newark, New Jersey.
Key Quotes
"Charles Edwards of the US Department of Homeland Security told c Senate committee the cartels were using what he called systematic corruption to smuggle drugs and migrants into the US." - BBC News, June 10, 2011 "Edwards noted that the department inspector general's Office of Investigations has added 10 positions to address corruption complaints among Customs and Border Protection agents. He added, however, that that represented a 6% increase in the size of his staff, compared with a 34% increase in the size of the agency as a whole."- CNN, June 10, 2011 "'The Mexican drug cartels today are more sophisticated and dangerous than any other organized criminal group,' Edwards said. 'They use torture and brutality to control their members and intimidate or eliminate those who may be witnesses or informants to their activities. The drug trafficking organizations also have turned to corrupting OHS employees.- -Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, June 9. 2011
Twitter/Bloc's/Etc.
Homeland Security Today Blog via Twitter: CBP, IG Seek Agreement on Investigating Corruption in CBP Ranks, By Micky McCarter InSight.Org Blog: Testimony: US Border Patrol Tempted by Money, Sex, By Steven Dudley Main Justice Blog via Twitter: Better Cooperation Needed in Border Protection Corruption Probes, By Channing Turner Newser Blog: Cartels Bribe US Border Agents With Cash, Sex, By Matt Cantor
Press Coverage
CBP Border Corruption

All Headline News Customs Agency Could Lose Authority to Investigate its Own Officers By Tom Ramstack June 9, 2011

DHS OIG Press Coverage Submitted: 06.13.11
Congress is considering changes to the way law enforcement border agents are investigated for corruption as reports continue that some of them are assisting in illegal immigration and drug trafficking. A Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee held a hearing Thursday to discuss why 44 percent of Homeland Security Department internal investigations focus on Customs and Border Protection agents. One proposal would remove much of the authority of Customs and Border Protection to police the integrity of its own agents. "We can only achieve resuits if investigations are conducted in an efficient and collaborative manner," said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), chairman of the ad hoc subcommittee on disaster recovery and intergovernmental affairs. "Based on reports, we're not there yet." instead, some members of Congress want to :- ive the authority to the Homeland Security Department's inspector general, who conducts independent investigations. Charles Edwards, Homeland Security's ac.`ing inspector general, said Customs and Border Protection can play a "crucial complementary role" in internal investigations of corruption. However, he said the inspector general has 'the authority and responsibility within [the Homeland Security Department] for investigating allegations" of wrongdoing by employees. The hearing Thursday was the second in a year by the subcommittee to inquire into corruption among Customs and Border Protection agents. The latest hearing follows more revelations of agents accepting bribes or conspiring with Mexican drug cartels. Alan D. Bersin, Customs and Border Protection commissioner, said, "I fully acknowledge that the agency has suffered from the corruption of employees that have disgraced the service and betrayed the trust of the American public and their fellow officers, agents and mission support personnel." Customs and Border Protection records show 127 current or former employees have been arrested or indicted for corruption since October 2004. Ninety-two of the cases were classified by the federal agency as "Mission Compromising Corruption," in which employees violated laws Customs and Border Protection enforces. They included smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants. One of the cases involved former Customs and Border Protection agent Luis Enrique Ramirez, 38, who is scheduled to be sentenced July 6. He has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, human smuggling and bribery. Ramirez confessed to helping a Mexican drug cartel smuggle more than 26 pounds of cocaine into the United States. Court records show he accepted at least $800,000 in bribes. He also confessed to conspiring to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States. The Ramirez conviction renewed concerns raised during a March 11, 2010 Senate hearing into corruption among public officials along the border.
Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage
Submitted: 06.13.11
Kevin L. Perkins, an FBI assistant director, told the Senate subcommittee last year that FBI investigations had helped convict 1,600 federal, state and local public officials in the previous two years. "Because the interests at stake are so important and the magnitude of the problem so great, we have deployed approximately 700 agents to fight corruption around the country," Perkins said. "The Southwest border is a particular focus of our corruption-fighting efforts." One of the cases spearheaded by the FBI resulted in the conviction of Border Patrol agent Solomon Ruiz. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison on bribery charges. According to court documents, the FBI investigated after Ruiz was heard on his cell phone warning drug traffickers about a law enforcement operation. He was arrested after agreeing to escort an undercover agent posing as a drug trafficker across the border for a $10,000 retainer fee. He also charged $4,000 to escort a car and $6,000 for a van. The escort was intended to help drug traffickers evade border agents.
BBC News Mexico drugs war: Corruption grows on US border June 10, 2011 Mexican drug cartels are increasingly targeting American border guards and customs agents with bribes and sexual favours, a US security official says. Charles Edwards of the US Department of Homeland Security told a Senate committee the cartels were using what he called systematic corruption to smuggle drugs and migrants into the US. He said the cartels were also seeking tip-offs about police investigations. Another official said 127 US agenis had been arrested or tried since 2004. Alan Bersin, the US customs and border protection commissioner, said Mexico's offensive against the cartels combined with the rise in the hiring of border agents in recent years has multiplied the risks of corruption. Mr Edwards named the Zetas cartel as being involved increasingly in systematic corruption. It came in the form of monetary bribes, sexual favours and other methods to encourage border agents to assist drug traffickers, those involved in smuggling undocumented immigrants, or to ignore their activity, he said.
CNN Official: Mexican cartels use money, sex to bribe U.S. border agents June 9, 2011 Washington (CNN) -- Mexican drug cartels have used cash and sexual favors as tools to corrupt U.S. border and customs agents, an inspector general investigation has found.
Submitted: 06.13.11
In exchange, agents allow contraband or unauthorized immigrants through inspection lanes, protect or escort traffickers, or leak sensitive information, said Charles Edwards, acting inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security. Testifying before a Senate subcommittee, Edwards cited the Zetas drug cartel as one of the leaders "involved increasingly in systematic corruption." He did not elaborate on how non-cash methods of corruption, like sexual favors, have been used to corrupt agents. Since October 2004, 127 Customs and Border Protection employees have been arrested or indicted for acts of corruption, said agency Commissioner Alan Bersin, speaking at the same hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs. Mexican President Felipe Calderon's offensive against the drug cartels, combined with a surge in the hiring of border agents in recent years, have multiplied the risks of corruption, Bersin said. Today, the Border Patrol counts more than 20,700 agents, more than double its size in 2004. Bersin implied that the rapid hiring spree may have come at the cost of hiring less qualified agents. "The accelerated hiring pace under which we operated between 2006 and 2008 -- and, frankly, mistakes from which we are learning -- exposed critical organizational and individual vulnerabilities within CBP," he said. To face this challenge, the commissioner touted the passage of the Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010, which requires that by 2013, all the agency's law enforcement applicants must receive a polygraph test before being hired. It also calls for periodic reinvestigations into the background of its agents. "I cannot overemphasize that the overwhelming majority of CBP officers and agents demonstrate the highest levels of integrity every day," Bersin said. Edwards noted that the department inspector general's Office of Investigations has added 10 positions to address corruption complaints among Customs and Border Protection agents. He added, however, that that represented a 6% increase in the size of his staff, compared with a 34% increase in the size of the agency as a whole. Since 2004, his office has seen a 38% increase in the number of complaints against Customs and Border Protection employees, he said. The inspector general's office initiated a record 870 investigations in fiscal year 2010, he said. "However," he added, "our investigations are complicated by the brutality the cartels use to control their organizations and coerce witnesses, and the sophistication and advanced technologies available to organizations with unlimited money."
CNS News 127 Border Patrol and Customs Workers Arrested for Corruption By Edwin Mora June 9,2011 Washington (CNSNews.com) Largely because of the spreading influence of Mexican drug cartels and illegal alien smugglers, 127 agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have been arrested, charged, or convicted of corruption, including drug smuggling, since 2004.
Submitted: 06.13.11
Testifying on Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs, Alan Bersin, commissioner of the CBP, said: "Since 2004 in October, 127 CBP personnel have been arrested, charged or convicted of corruption. This breach of trust is something that we do not stand for, and while seven years and tens of thousands employees have been besmirched by this, these evidences of corruption, we take each and every one of them seriously."
In his prepared testimony, Bersin said 127 employees were involved in 'acts of corruption, including drug smuggling, alien smuggling, money laundering, and conspiracy." "Of the 127 arrests, 95 are considered mission compromising acts of corruption," he said. "This means that the employee's illegal activities were for personal gain and violated, or facilitated the violation of, the laws CBP personnel are charged with enforcing." The CBP is a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Bersin said overall the CBP employe about 60,000 people, 40,000 of which work at the U.S. borders. "Apart from the 95 cases identified above, the remaining 32 arrests are considered non-mission compromising acts of corruption in which the employee's illegal activities involved the misuse or abuse of the knowledge, access, or authority granted by virtue of their official position in a manner that did not facilitate the violation of laws that the agency is charged with enforcing at the border," said Bersin. "These cases fall into one of five broad categories: Theft; Fraud: Misuse of a Government Computer/Database; False Statements; and Drug-Related Offenses." Furthermore, Charles Edwards, the acting Inspector General for DHS, testified that Mexican drug cartels have turned "to corrupting DHS employees," adding that "Border corruption impacts national security." "A corrupt DHS employee may accept a bribe for allowing what appear to be undocumented aliens into the U.S. while unwittingly helping terrorists enter the country," said Edwards. "Likewise, what seems to be drug contraband could be weapons of mass destruction, such as chemical or biological weapons." In his prepared testimony, Edwards added that his office has 267 active corruption-related investigations of CBP employees underway. He stated that his office breaks down the CBP staff-related investigations into four categories: corruption, civil rights/civil liberties, suspicious activity, and other. Edwards pointed out in his prepared remarks that for the most part both complaints received and investigations initiated by the Inspector General about CBP agents constitute non-corruption related allegations. Nevertheless, his office "has seen a 38 percent increase in overall complaints against CBP employees since Fiscal Year 2004," he said. Since fiscal year 2004, CBP-related investigations by Edwards' office have yielded over 489 arrests of which 160 have been CBP employees. "The remaining arrests were of individuals who have either conspired with employees or were otherwise associated with the criminal activity DHS OIG investigated," added Edwards. He noted that government reports have revealed that Mexican drug-trafficking organizations, such as Los Zetas, "are becoming involved increasingly in systematic corruption to further alien
Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS 01G Press Coverage
Submitted: 06.13.11
and drug smuggling, including smuggling of aliens from designated special interest countries likely to export terrorism." "The obvious targets of corruption are Border Patrol agents [a component of CBP] and CBP officers," said Edwards. "Less obvious are those employees who can provide access to sensitive law enforcement and intelligence information, allowing the cartels to track investigative activity or vet their members against law enforcement databases." Border corruption comes in many forms, he testified, including "cash bribes, sexual favors, and gratuities in return for allowing contraband or undocumented aliens through primary inspection lanes or even protecting and escorting border crossings; leaking sensitive law enforcement information to persons under investigation and selling law enforcement intelligence to smugglers; and providing needed documents such as immigration papers." "I cannot overemphasize that the overwhelming majority of CBP officers and agents demonstrate the highest levels of integrity every day," stated Bersin in his prepared remarks, "but the reality is that CBP employees have been and will continue to be targeted by criminal organizations or may otherwise seek to exploit their position of public trust for illicit gain and I am here today to discuss this vulnerability, and the steps that we are taking with your assistance to mitigate the threat it embodies."
CQ Homeland Security Senate Panel Has Low Expectations Going Into Border Corruption Hearing By Jennifer Scholtes June 7,2011 Rising corruption among those guarding U.S. borders and conflicts between branches of the government investigating those crimes have prompted lawmakers over the past year to enact legislative mandates and call for better departmental cooperation. On Thursday, senators will check to see whether their directives have been followed. In the last days of the 111th Congress, the Senate cleared legislation (PL 111-376) that would require Customs and Border Protection to polygraph test all its job applicants and conduct periodic background checks of those already hired. And senators have sent several letters to the Department of Homeland Security asking Secretary Janet Napolitano to step in to diffuse friction between the Inspector General's Office and CBP over which one should lead corruption investigations. Top officials from the two offices will testify this week before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs. But Senate aides say lawmakers are bracing themselves for disappointment, assuming CBP is still operating with limited resources for employee screening and that resolution on the jurisdictional dispute has not been made. Subcommittee Chairman Mark Pryor, D-Ark., sponsored the measure requiring additional CBP employee screening after being presented with information in 2010 that, due to budget constraints, the agency is only able to administer polygraphs for about 10 percent of those who apply, despite the fact that about 60 percent of those tested are found unsuitable for employment. Drug trafficking organizations actively recruit those already working in border and customs activities, but there have also been cases of individuals who have applied for a CBP job with the specific intention of using the position to participate in criminal activity, according to the FBI. Investigation into such corruption cases is the job of the DHS Inspector General. But CBP has also taken on that task, creating conflict and hampering cooperation between the offices, according to a Senate aide.

DHS OIG Press Coverage Submitted: 06.13.11
CQ Homeland Security Senate Panel Sees Movement on Border Corruption Investigations By Jennifer Scholtes June 9, 2011 Customs and Border Protection is taking the first steps toward complying with anti-corruption legislation and dealing with a multi-year investigation backlog, officials told a Senate panel Thursday. A law (PL 111-376) enacted in January requires CBP to administer polygraph tests for all its law enforcement applicants and conduct periodic background checks for employees. Sen. Mark Pryor, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and the legislation's author, said he has been frustrated by what he called the agency's slow pace of compliance. But, he said, the prospect for CBP meeting the law's two-year deadline for pre-employment checks are looking up. "I get impatient sometimes and think, 'Why aren't they doing this right now?"' the Arkansas Democrat said during Thursday's hearing. "But I think they are doing everything they can do to get this done as quickly as possible." By July of 2012, the department expects to have caught up on the more than 15,000 investigations of current employees in its backlog. To meet the January, 2013, deadline for polygraph testing all applicants, the agency has implemented a plan to increase the operators of those tests from 35 to 52. When Pryor introduced his measure, CBP was polygraph testing about 10 percent of those who applied for law enforcement jobs, even though about 60 percent of those tested were designated as unfit for employment. The agency was years behind in meeting a previous mandate to conduct checks on its workforce, and the number of corruption investigations into CBP officers by the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general rose from 385 in fiscal 2004 to 870 in fiscal 2010. Acting DHS Inspector General Charles Edwards told the subcommittee that criminal organizations have bribed law enforcement officers to leak sensitive information, turn over immigration papers, and allow contraband and illegal immigrants over the border. The rise in corruption investigations is a result of the department cracking down and the workforce increasing in size, said CBP Commissioner Alan D. Bersin, not an indication that there are more criminals among current personnel than in the past. "We recognize there are bad apples in the barrel and it is our job to minimize those and to detect corruption when it happens," Bersin said. Investigative Jurisdiction Exactly whose job it is to investigate those cases has become a divisive issue between the Inspector General's Office and CBP. Both the Inspector General Act of 1978 (PL 95-452) and the law that created DHS (PL 107-296) give the inspector general authority to investigate criminal activity, but CBP carries out its own investigations as well. Senate aides said this week that they did not realize how volatile the relationship between the two offices had become and how deeply it hindered cooperation until a recent meeting with department officials.
Week in Review: June 6-10,2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage
Submitted: 06.13.11
Bersin said the dispute reached the level of being unacceptable, at which point Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stepped in to help diffuse the situation. "There was more than friction and tension, there was an outright confrontation and an unacceptable situation," he said. The offices have begun negotiating a memorandum of understanding, and the inspector general sent a draft agreement to CBP Wednesday. Pryor said after the hearing that he feels confident DHS has come to a point at which the conflict will no longer impede progress in meeting the goal of preventing corruption within CBP. 'This is just too important to get into a turf battle over," Pryor said. "We're talking about the security of our country."
KRGV (Rio Grande Valley, TX) Congress Holds Hearing About Corruption Within CBP By Jordan Williams June 9, 2011 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The tense security situation along the border is taking center stage Thursday on Capitol Hill. Members of Congress are concerned about corruption within the ranks of Customs and Border Protection. The commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection told members of the U.S. Senate that the threat is real. He's worried about the drug cartels infiltrating CBP and going after the men and women charged with protecting our border. Commissioner Alan Bersin testified Thursday before members of a Senate subcommittee. The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general joined him. They told senators that the cartels are targeting CBP agents and officers. The commissioner admits his employees on the front lines are very vulnerable to drug smugglers who want easy access to regions along the border. "We recognize that there are bad apples in the barrel, and it is our job to minimize those. it is our job to prevent corruption, investigate it when it happens, prosecute it after investigating it," says Bersin. "Since October of 2004, 127 CBP personnel have been arrested, charged and convicted of ccrruption. This breach of trust is something that we do not stand for," says Bersin. Members of the Senate committee grilled Bersin about what's being done to confront the trouble. The feds have seen a spike in the number of investigations into trouble within CBP. A lot of the investigations are being handled under the Anti-Border Protection Act of 2010. San Diego Reader FBI Feud Derails Border Corruption Cleanup By Matt Potter June 10, 2011 Mexican drug lords are corrupting U.S. border patrol and customs agents at an increasing pace while supposed watchdogs in the Department of Homeland Security and San Diego FBI officials feud with each other over how to clean up the mess.
Submitted: 06.13.11
Meanwhile, Homeland Security's inspector general has pulled out of the federal Border Corruption Task Force and won't come back until his office's "primacy" in handling Customs and Border Protection corruption cases is recognized. That was the big news for San Diego that emerged yesterday from a hearing by the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ad hoc subcommittee on disaster recovery and intergovernmental affairs, chaired by Democrat Mark Pryor of Arkansas "There was more than tension and friction. ... There was outright confrontation," Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin told the committee. But "the acrimony of the past, I think, has given away to a professional spirit of collaboration," Bersin told the Washington Post after the hearing. But though the ex-San Diego Unified school superintendent and Airport Authority board member vowed to fix the problems, senators remained skeptical, and a key anti-corruption official testified that differences with the San Diego FBI had yet to be settled. "We must conduct these investigations in an efficient and collaborative way that leads to results in the quickest way possible. Based on reports, this does not seem to be the way we are currently operating," said Pryor. In prepared testimony, Homeland Security's acting Inspector General Charles K. Edwards painted a dire picture of corruption run amuck. "Gangs such as Los Zetas are becoming involved increasingly in systematic corruption to further alien and drug smuggling, including smuggling of aliens from special interest countries likely to export terrorism. "The obvious targets of corruption are Border Patrol agents and CBP officers; less obvious are those employees who can provide access to sensitive law enforcement and intelligence information, allowing cartels to track investigative activity or vet their members against law enforcement databases." Corruption, he continued, "may take the form of cash bribes, sexual favors, and other gratuities in return for allowing contraband or undocumented aliens through primary inspection lanes or even protecting and escorting border crossings; leaking sensitive law enforcement information to persons under investigation and selling law enforcement intelligence to smugglers; and providing needed documents such as immigration papers." In May of last year, Edwards continued, "the FBI in San Diego presented the [inspector general] with a [memorandum of understanding]...which failed to take into account the [inspector general's] statutory responsibility for supervising, leading, and coordinating criminal investigations... and interfering with out oversight responsibility with respect respect to component internal affairs offices." "Over the past year, we worked locally and at FBI Headquarters to resolve differences and craft language to which all parties could agree, but no agreement has been reached." "As parties continue to negotiate, the U.S. Attorney's office has withdrawn from the 2010 version of the [FBI memorandum of understanding] and the [inspector general] has resumed working directly with the U.S. Attorney's Office on several significant border corruption cases." Later, Edwards told the Post: "We have an overall agreement, but there is still a sticking point."
Submitted: 06.13.11
The paper noted: One sticking point is under what conditions the inspector general would again participate in the Border Corruption Task Force along with CBP and other law enforcement agencies. "The inspector general's office withdrew from the task force because the office felt the task force did not recognize the IG's primacy in CBP corruption cases."
The Brownsville Herald (TX) Sentencing postponed for CBP officer By Laura Martinez June 7, 2011 The sentencing of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to drug trafficking, human smuggling and bribery charges, has been postponed until next month. Luis Enrique Ramirez, 38, was scheduled to appear in court for his sentencing Monday, but the date was rescheduled for July 6. Ramirez has admitted that between November 2007 and January 2009, he was a member of a drug trafficking organization while working as a CBP officer, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. He is no longer employed by CBP. Ramirez confessed to allowing a co-conspirator to transport more than 26 pounds of cocaine across an international bridge with-out being inspected. He also admitted to conspiring with other individuals to bring undocumented immigrants into the United States and transporting them farther within the states. In addition, he admitted to accepting bribes, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported. Court records reflect that Ramirez received at least $800,000 in bribes. Ramirez was arrested Oct. 30, 2010, after he tried to cross to Brownsville from Matamoros. He had been on the run for more than a year, disappearing months before he was named in a federal indictment dated April 14, 2009. Ramirez said that while in Mexico, he had been subject to illegal torture, a court document says. He also stated he was kidnapped, tortured and drugged by members of an armed cartel. Ramirez said his kidnapping was ordered by U.S. law enforcement officials, who wanted him brought back to the United States, according to the court document. "At the instruction of American law enforcement, Mexican narcotic dealers kidnapped and held defendant in captivity for ap-proximately 18 days," the document says. The U.S. Attorney's Office countered the accusations with a document in which the government "denies it had any involvement in the alleged kidnapping and torture of the defendant." The document was filed in 2010 in an attempt to get the federal charges dropped against Ramirez because of an "illegal extradi-tion." The case was investigated by the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility, the FBI, CBP Internal Affairs and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General.
Submitted: 06.13.11
The Brownsville Herald (TX) CBP head: Fighting corruption a challenge By Laura Martinez June 9, 2011 The U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner admits that the threat of Mexican drug cartels trying to infiltrate the government agency by attempting to corrupt the federal agents is all too real. Alan D. Bersin, commissioner of CBP in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said he "recognizes there are bad apples in the barrel" and the government is doing everything it can to track down corrupt officers and bring them to justice. Bersin made the statement Thursday in Washington at a hearing before the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The hearing pertained to border corruption and what the federal agencies are doing to prevent and address it. As of 2004, 127 CBP officers had been convicted of corruption, Bersin said, adding the agency takes every allegation seriously. Several of the officers who were convicted were stationed at the ports of entry in South Texas. "We pride ourselves on being a family. However, when one of our own strays into criminality we do not forgive him or her," Bersin said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has nearly 60,000 law enforcement officers and support staff deployed along the U.S. borders. Bersin stated that officers work under dangerous conditions and in an environment that is vulnerable to corruption, especially along the southwestern border. "CBP employees have and will continue to be targeted by criminal organizations. ... As we continue to see successes in our efforts to secure our nation's borders, our adversaries continue to grow more desperate in their attempt to smuggle humans and illegal contraband into this country," Bersin said. The federal agency, along with the Office of Inspector General of DHS, said the implementation of the Anti-Border Corruption Act of 2010 should help them trace corrupt officers. The act requires that all new CBP and U.S. Border Patrol applicants undergo polygraph tests before being hired. The act also calls for periodic background reinvestigation checks for all of its law enforcement personnel. Bersin admitted there is a backlog of 15,197 periodic reinvestigations and that the agency is doing its best to address the issue. Charles K. Edwards, acting inspector general of the DHS, said the smuggling of people and goods across the border is big business for organized criminal organizations, and that drug trafficking organizations have turned to recruiting and corrupting DHS employees. "The Mexican drug cartels today are more sophisticated and dangerous than any other organized criminal group. They use torture and brutality to control their members and intimidate or eliminate those that may be witnesses or informants to their activities," Edwards said.
Submitted: 06.13.11
The DHS Office of Inspector General currently has 1,036 open investigations of allegations involving Customs and Border Protection. Of that number, 613 involve named employees, 402 unknown employees and 21 nonemployees, the agency reports. Of the 613 named employees, 267 are being investigated for corruption; 209 for suspicious behavior; 68 for civil rights violations; and 69 for other reasons. Edwards said border corruption puts national security at risk and that corrupt border agents could unknowingly be allowing into the U.S. terrorists or weapons that could cause massive harm. "A corrupt DHS employee may accept a bribe for allowing what appears to be undocumented aliens into the U.S. while unwittingly helping terrorists enter the country. Likewise, what seems to be drug contraband could be weapons of mass destruction," Edwards said. He added, "It is the OIG policy to investigate all allegations of corruption of DHS employees or compromise of systems related to the security of our borders."
The New York Times: The Caucus Blog To Rand Paul, Legal Immigration Is Also a Concern By Emmaria Huetteman June 9,2011 It's common to hear a senator express concerns about illegal immigration these days, but Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, is also concerned about legal immigration. "We have 40,000 students coming to this country from all over the world," he said. "Are they would-be attackers?" Speaking at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on border patrol corruption, Mr. Paul on Thursday questioned whether the government was adequately screening and then keeping tabs on those who enter the country with student visas or as refugees. He cited the recent arrest of two Iraqi refugees on terrorism charges in his hometown of Bowling Green, Ky.; the men are accused of trying to send weapons and money to Al Qaeda. Mr. Paul said the fingerprints of one of the men had been found on an unused improvised explosive device in Iraq. But while Mr. Paul said he worried about legal immigrants, he was not concerned about the potential threat from American citizens. "We've done so many things to think that we're all terrorists, that universally we have to scrutinize everybody to the Nth degree instead of doing what I just think would be good police work," Mr. Paul said, adding that it would be less expensive and less intrusive to privacy if the country looked at "the people who did attack us and who continue to attack us, and not really U.S. citizens." Alan D. Bersin, commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said one million people enter the United States every day, a number that includes immigrants but also American citizens returning from abroad. He cautioned Mr. Paul against dismissing citizens as a potential threat. "If we look at a Faisal Shahzad, who was a U.S. citizen, naturalized, we have to recognize that this risk assessment system can't just be cut," Mr. Bersin said. Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani immigrant, was accused of trying to detonate a car bomb in Times Square last year. Mr. Paul said there were factors that should raise a red flag about whether a citizen could pose a threat, including if an American had frequently traveled to Yemen, for example.
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"It's not as simple as what your religion is or color your skin is or any of that. It's more complicated," he said. "But it's a whole host of figures that we need to look at."
The Washington Post Agencies feud over corruption probes By Joe Davidson June 8,2011 The reach of Mexican drug cartels doesn't stop with the legions of people murdered or the many communities destroyed. It extends across the Rio Grande and into the ranks of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, some of whom sacrifice their integrity and endanger the nation's security in exchange for favors. Compounding matters, federal law enforcement agencies have engaged in a turf battle over who should conduct the corruption investigations. On Thursday, a special Senate panei will try to sort this out. "Fighting corruption is vital to protecting our borders and securing our communities," said Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) , chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ad hoc subcommittee on disaster recovery and intergovernmental affairs. "We must be aggressive in rooting out corruption within our U.S. law enforcement agencies." Pryor, however, is concerned about the level of cooperation among law enforcement agencies probing that corruption. He warned Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano in an April 2010 letter of "coordination and information sharing problems" between DHS investigative units. Before we get to that drama, here are some facts. The DHS inspector general's office has 267 active investigations of CBP employees who have been accused or suspected of corruption. This represents 44 percent of the office's investigations of CBP staff members and is, by far, the largest category. Since October 2004, 127 CBP officers have been arrested or indicted on corruption charges. Just last month, former Border Patrol agent Yamilkar Fierros of Tucson was sentenced to 20 months in prison for taking $3,000 from a suspected drug dealer in exchange for a list of 109 Border Patrol sensor locations in the Sonoita, Ariz., area. He also was indicted for accepting $1,000 in return for a sensitive law enforcement map and $1,500 to help a dealer move a load of drugs to Tucson. Last year, a CBP technician named Martha Garnica was sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges that included bribery, conspiracy to import 100 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to smuggle in people. Of course, the vast majority of CBP officers "serve our country with great distinction and integrity every day," as CBP Commissioner Alan D. Bersin said in testimony prepared for Thursday's hearing. But that's not the whole story. "I fully acknowledge that the agency has suffered from the corruption of employees that have disgraced the service and betrayed the trust of the American public and their fellow officers, agents and mission support personnel," Bersin said.
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What also has suffered is the level of cooperation among officials who go after their corrupt colleagues. As the Center for Investigative Reporting wrote in The Washington Post last year, in December 2009, Thomas M. Frost, an assistant inspector general, told James F. Tomsheck, the CBP assistant commissioner for internal affairs, to stop investigating suspected criminal actions by CBP employees. In no uncertain terms, Frost's memo said: "I direct that as of this date, your office cease criminal investigation of any matter involving a DHS program or employee." In case that wasn't clear enough, Frost demanded a list of all such probes within five days. After his office reviewed that list, Frost said, "I will contact your office with a list of matters on which you should proceed, should there be any." Charles K. Edwards, the DHS acting inspector general, plans to tell the hearing that the internal affairs office has a "crucial complementary role" to the inspector general's criminal investigative function. That complementary role includes pre-employment investigations of applicants. But it is his office, he says in prepared testimony, that has "the authority and responsibility within OHS for investigating allegations" of corruption. Friction between the two agencies remains, with the inspector general's office complaining that the internal affairs office continues to conduct criminal investigations of DHS employees even though it lacks the legal authority to do so. The acting inspector general also was not happy with an FBI plan that he felt did not recognize the inspector general's "statutory authority as the focal point for all criminal investigations of employee misconduct within DHS." That plan has been withdrawn and the agencies continue to negotiate. 'We can only achieve results if investigations are conducted in an efficient and collaborative manner,'' Pryor said. "Based on reports, we're not there yet."
The Washington Post Seekin common round on battlin border-atrol corru tion By Joe Davidson June 9, 2011 Richard Martin provided a welcome contrast to the corruption and Department of Homeland Security bureaucratic infighting that was the topic of a Senate hearing Thursday. Martin is a Senate electrical mechanic who knows how to create some joy before the more dour work of Capitol Hill sessions begin. To perform a mike check prior to a hearing on crooked Customs and Border Protection officers and the turf battle over investigating them, he sat in a witness chair and played "Nothing From Nothing" on his harmonica. He played over a recording of the Billy Preston tune, whose lyrics, "Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin,' " could be a lesson on the need for agencies to work together and compromise. It's a lesson that the two DHS units represented at the hearing the Office of Inspector General and CBP are trying to implement as they root out corrupt officers. Both sides, however, acknowledge that they haven't resolved all their issues yet. "There was more than tension and friction.... There was outright confrontation," was CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin's frank assessment. Bersin and acting DHS Inspector General Charles Edwards attended the session with enough aides to field two football teams.
DHS OIG Press Coverage
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But NFL-type competition between law enforcement agencies is a problem for Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs ad hoc subcommittee on disaster recovery and intergovernmental affairs. He lamented the ongoing "lack of true collaboration and vital information sharing between CBP and the Inspector General's office when it comes to investigating alleged acts of corruption. ... We must conduct these investigations in an efficient and collaborative way that leads to results in the quickest way possible. Based on reports, this does not seem to be the way we are currently operating." DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano has ordered Bersin and Edwards to get their act together. "The acrimony of the past, I think, has given away to a professional spirit of collaboration," Bersin said after the hearing. Edwards praised the secretary for insisting on greater cooperation between the agencies. The initial problem stemmed from CBP's conducting its own probes of officers accused of taking money, sex and other bribes from Mexican drug cartels. Nobody argues with the need to get rid of dirty cops, but Edwards says it is his agency that must take the lead in investigating them. Law and policy "vest the OIG with the primary responsibility within DHS for investigating allegations of criminal misconduct of DHS employees," he told the panel. "The DHS Management Directive plainly establishes OIG's right of first refusal to conduct investigations of criminal conduct by DHS employees, and the right to supervise any such investigations that are conducted by DHS internal affairs components." Doing otherwise can lead to different law enforcement agencies "pursuing the same targets, which duplicates efforts and places law enforcement agents' safety at risk," Edwards said. Despite this, inspector general officials say CBP continues to investigate corruption without the legal authority do so. Bersin is considering a memorandum of understanding, which Edwards has already accepted, that is designed to end the family feud. He said it recognizes the inspector general's primacy in corruption investigations and allows CBP officers to participate in certain probes, but under the IG's supervision. CBP's internal affairs staff does have the authority to probe corruption, Bersin said during an interview after the hearing, but "we accept the notion that those investigations should be conducted under the oversight of the IG." Under the proposed agreement, each agency would bring somethin' to somethin'. The inspector general has the authority but not enough troops to fully enforce it. While the DHS workforce grew by 34 percent from fiscal year 2006 through 2009, Edwards said his office increased only 6 percent. Meanwhile, with almost 60,000 law enforcement officers and support personnel, CBP has the troops to investigate corruption, but not the authority. Edwards: "We have an overall agreement, but there is still a sticking point." One sticking point is under what conditions the inspector general would again participate in the Border Corruption Task Force along with CBP and other law enforcement agencies. The inspector general's office withdrew from the task force because the office felt the task force did not recognize the IG's primacy in CBP corruption cases.
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Bersin: "I think we're close, and I think we can overcome the remaining issues." They better. Drug lords aren't waiting for law enforcement officials to start singing "Kumbaya" to each other. "The Mexican drug cartels today are more sophisticated and dangerous than any other organized criminal group," Edwards said. "They use torture and brutality to control their members and intimidate or eliminate those who may be witnesses or informants to their activities. The drug trafficking organizations also have turned to corrupting DHS employees." That's got to stop.
The Washington Times Drug cartels step up corruption of U.S. border agents By Marieke van der Vaart June 9, 2011 Corruption on the U.S. side of the Mexican border rose sharply in recent years as drug cartels targeted border agents as part of illicit drug and human trafficking, senior Obama administration officials told a Senate hearing on Thursday. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commission Alan Bersin said the overwhelming majority of border patrol officers and agents are honest, "but the reality is that CBP employees have been and will continue to be targeted by criminal organizations or may otherwise seek to exploit their position of public trust for illicit gain. ..." Charles Edwards, Department of Homeland Security acting inspector general who appeared with Mr. Bersin, said corruption has come in the form of monetary bribes, sexual favors and other gratuities to border agents to ignore trafficking, provide information or assist traffickers. "Gangs such as Los Zetas are becoming involved increasingly in systematic corruption to further alien and drug smuggling, including smuggling of aliens from designated special-interest countries likely to export terrorism," Mr. Edwards said. The two appeared at a hearing Thursday of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on disaster recovery and intergovernmental affairs. Over the past six years, 127 CBP agents were arrested or indicted for corruption, the officials testified. Investigations of additional complaints rose to more than 4,500 cases last year. Thursday's hearing focused on the increase in these cases and the need for greater cooperation between the DHS inspector general and CPB, which in the past have not closely cooperated. "As we continue to see successes in our efforts to secure our nation's borders, our adversaries continue to grow more desperate in their attempts to smuggle humans and illegal contraband into this country," Mr. Bersin said. "Our most valuable as well as in some rare cases our most vulnerable resources are our employees." The issue of corruption has slowly come to light in recent years as a result of several high-profile cases of U.S. officers who were caught helping cartels smuggle illegal contraband and humans across the border. Last year one CPB officer, Martha Garnica, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a sting operation showed her involvement with a Mexican crime syndicate called La Linea. And her story was not an isolated case.
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Also in 2010, the inspector general opened 870 investigations related to CPB employees, a 48 percent increase from the previous year's 595 cases. The cases included investigations into CBP employee corruption, civil rights abuses, and suspicious activity. Mr. Edwards said. As a result, Congress passed the Anti-Corruption Border Act last year to put measures in place that would check new employees' integrity. Under the act, the CBP must run background checks and polygraph tests on every new employee. So far, the organization has a backlog of 15,197 cases that need to be completed. Mr. Bersin said the CBP was on track to catch up with all cases by 2013. Initial results were a cause for concern, Mr. Edwards said, noting that recent polygraph tests showed that up to 60 percent of CBP employees showed deception when asked questions about having a criminal record. The Department of Homeland Security has struggled with targeting corruption because of confusion within its organizational structure. The 1978 Inspector General Act g9ve the inspector general authority for holding the agency accountable. Mr. Bersin said the confusion often led to "outright confrontation" between CPB and the IG office. Under Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano, relations between the two offices improved, but both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Bersin said more work remains.
FEMA
Government Executive FEMA's fraud unit plans to staff up By Kellie Lunney June 8, 2011 The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has pivoted from one disaster to another during the past few months, plans to increase the number of employees working in its fraud division this year and in 2012, according to a new inspector general report. The Homeland Security Department IG found that FEMA's fraud prevention and investigation branch lacked sufficient staff and a budget, and recommended reallocating resources to increase both. The agency agreed and said it planned to increase CORE (Cadre of On-Call Reserve Employees) staffing levels by 50 percent in fiscal 2011 and another 50 percent in fiscal 2012. The current employees in the fraud branch are full-time equivalent CORE. Those positions are temporary, excepted service appointments, typically with two- and four-year terms that are renewed if disaster work is ongoing and funding is available. Staffing levels have decreased during the past three years: in fiscal 2010, the unit was authorized to have nine full-time equivalent workers, but only six are on board. In fiscal 2007, there were 21 FTE-authorized positions. "This increase will significantly enhance FEMA's investigative operations, analysis of disaster fraud and further agencywide fraud awareness training initiatives," David Kaufman, director of FEMA's Office of Policy and Program Analysis, said in response to the IG report, which assessed the agency's overall fraud prevention efforts. FEMA provides disaster assistance to individuals and families through its Individuals and Households Program. IHP grants cannot exceed $29,900 per individual or household and are
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usually limited to 18 months. Since hurricanes Katrina and Rita, FEMA has disbursed more than $7 billion in IHP funds; an IG report found FEMA had distributed $643 million in improper payments among 160,000 applicants after those two disasters, mostly because of human error or fraud. From January 2010 to February 2011, the IG referred 292 FEMA fraud complaints to the unit, 141 of which contained evidence of fraud. The report also recommended that FEMA increase the visibility of its fraud unit by realigning the office so that it reports directly to the administrator, but the agency did not agree with that suggestion, stating in its response to the report that "changing its location would in no way improve its operational efficacy." Other recommendations, which FEMA agreed with, included: Fraud prevention training for all agency employees; Stronger internal controls; Adoption of the latest fraud detection technology; A directive that provides the fraud unit with the authority to review all claims of potential waste, fraud and abuse.
NextGov FEMA watchdog endorses data mining to uncover overpayments By Aliya Sternstein June 10, 2011 Federal inspectors are calling for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to employ data mining software -- similar to that used by the board monitoring stimulus spending-- for preventing future losses, now that the agency is saddled with recovering about $643 million worth of potential overpayments for housing assistance. In a new report, Homeland Security Department investigators found that FEMA strengthened efforts to prevent fraud after wrongly compensating phony victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the agency's ability to identify potential wrongdoing is handicapped by, among other things, a lack of sophisticated computer technology. Specifically, FEMA does not have programs capable of mining public records and law enforcement data to spot patterns of illegal activity among applicants who have filed for disaster relief. On the other hand, the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, which oversees $787 billion in economic stimulus funding, has prevented fraudsters from siphoning tens of millions of dollars from recovery programs since acquiring pattern-detection tools in 2009, according to the board, an independent government body. FEMA "should adopt the precedent-setting measures used by the RAT Board, such as the fraudmapping tool, to foster accountability and transparency of FEMA programs and improve internal controls," wrote acting DHS Inspector General Charles Edwards in the report, which was released Wednesday. The Recovery Operations Center, staffed by computer analysts, uncovered data showing a stimulus recipient slated to receive more than $7 million worth of contracts had been debarred from doing federal business, prompting the government to cancel the awards, board officials said. Encouraged by the center's success, Obama administration officials recently began testing similar software to combat Medicare fraud. FEMA told investigators that the agency late last year issued a request for information to research systems designed to strengthen controls needed for the "prevention of improper payments as a result of fraud, waste and abuse in government financial and other forms of assistance
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programs." After Katrina, some aid seekers listed vacant lots, post office boxes and cemeteries as their damaged property addressees, a DHS inspector general testified to Congress in March. Other filers received money by falsifying rental agreements in the disaster area. In an April 18 letter responding to a draft of the report, FEMA officials concurred with the inspector general's suggestion, but said the agency wanted to examine the recovery board's systems more closely before agreeing to procure similar technology. "Before FEMA can issue a final position on this recommendation, a more detailed review of the specific technology used by the [board] will need to be conducted," wrote David J. Kaufman, director of FEMA's Office of Policy and Program Analysis. At the time, the agency had a meeting scheduled with the board to evaluate the software, government databases and information systems that the board analysts are using, he added. "If it appears that the capabilities offered by the cutting-edge technologies (or variations there to) will help FEMA better identify and/or prevent the disbursement of improper and/or fraudulent disaster assistance payments, FEMA will explore those opportunities," Kaufman wrote. He pointed out that FEMA already has installed a system that checks disaster claims for anomalies based on information from agency and external sources. In the final report, IG officials said FEMA might have been referencing a new case management system that has some data-gathering features but focuses more on record-keeping and reporting. This week, recovery board spokesman Ed Pound said his staff on April 5 briefed staff from the FEMA Office of the Chief Security Officer, which houses the fraud division, about the board's analytical tools. FEMA officials did not respond to requests for clarification on whether the scheduled meeting Kaufman referenced took place.
ICE Secure Communities

Associated Press Secure Communities probe to begin in August June 10, 2011 WASHINGTON The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general says he will begin a review of an immigration enforcement program known as Secure Communities in August rather than later as originally planned. Acting inspector general Charles Edwards says in a letter, dated Thursday, to California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren that the review will determine the extent to which Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses Secure Communities to find and deport immigrants who are dangerous criminals. Immigration officials check fingerprints of all people booked in local jails to find immigrants to deport. Lofgren has asked the inspector general to investigate whether Homeland Security employees lied to the public, local governments and Congress about Secure Communities after reviewing thousands of federal emails made public.
Denver Post Colorado hedging on commitment to controversial Secure Communities program
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By Nancy Lofholm June 8,2011 As criticism mounts over a controversial federal program aimed at deporting criminal illegal residents, Gov. John Hickenlooper is now hedging on Colorado's commitment to Secure Communities. 'We're gathering data. We're going to do a full evaluation of whether it's working," Hickenlooper said Monday. The Secure Communities, program has been operating in three Colorado counties since early this year and is gearing up for eventual use in all 64 counties under an agreement signed by former Gov. Bill Ritter as one of his last acts in office. Under Secure Communities, the fingerprints of every person booked by law enforcement officers are checked against Department of Homeland Security databases for immigration violations. This adds an extra layer of scrutiny to routine checks already done through FBI criminal databases. It was initially described by federal officials as an optional program. As objections grew to it, however, officials at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are taking a harder line, arguing that it is a federal mandate. Ritter agreed to Colorado's participation in the Secure Communities program with the caveat that ICE would have to give the state comprehensive data showing who is being arrested, detained and deported and for what reasons. ICE has vowed that Secure Communities will target the most serious criminals. But critics, who now include three Democratic governors and a growing list of Democratic lawmakers, contend the program is snaring and deporting undocumented residents whose only crime is the civil offense of being in the country illegally. In Colorado, through March, two-thirds of the 21 people detained and deported after being identified through Secure Communities were not in the category of the most serious criminals. Six had no criminal records. Seven had been convicted of misdemeanors such as gambling, liquor violations and extortion. Five had been convicted of a single felony or more than three misdemeanors. Crimes in that category include burglary, drug violations and smuggling. Governor: Just a "fix" In its memorandum of agreement with Colorado, ICE does not list those categories of offenses but states that the agency would use a "risk-based approach" to identify which illegal immigrants should be deported. "Always from the beginning, I said I wanted to make sure we had the real facts on this," said Hickenlooper, who expressed some support for the program as a candidate but also has stressed that there be no racial profiling and that it be implemented "properly." Hickenlooper now calls Secure Communities one of a number of "fixes" that are being implemented in the absence of needed comprehensive immigration reform. U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., also refers to Secure Communities as one of the "piecemeal approaches" and said he is working for a more comprehensive immigration fix. A full report from ICE is due in Hickenlooper's office in the fall. In the meantime, Hickenlooper spokesman Eric Brown said the Colorado Department of Public Safety is working with local law
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enforcement agencies and ICE to evaluate the program. The governor's senior staff also has met with critics of Secure Communities. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa, who has been instrumental in implementing Secure Communities in Colorado, said the early numerical breakdown on those deported from Colorado doesn't give a true picture of the effectiveness of the program what Maketa prefers to call "a technology" of digitally checking fingerprints. He said some of the deportees who appear to not have serious criminal records might have committed serious crimes that were pleaded down to lesser offenses or they might have been deported several times in the past. "I know for a fact that ICE is focusing on the Level I and II offenders," Maketa said, indicating the most serious and mid-range categories of crimes. "The criticism of Secure Communities is all smoke and mirrors driven by politics, not common sense," he added. But the critics are growing in number. A month ago, Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois terminated his state's participation in Secure Communities. Last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo suspended his state's participation. This week, Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts said he will not sign a memorandum of understanding with ICE to participate in the program. In California, a bill is moving through the Legislature that would allow individual counties to opt out of the program. The bill also would require that counties that choose to participate would set up protections for juveniles and victims of domestic violence and would require safeguards against racial profiling. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the American Immigration Lawyers Association have called on President Barack Obama to suspend the program nationwide. And Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, has asked for an investigation into the program. The inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security has agreed to conduct that investigation. Optional or not? "This backlash is just the tip of the iceberg," said Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum. 'We're in support of putting the most serious criminals behind bars. But this has been an incredible waste of taxpayer dollars." Besides focusing on the fact that ICE has not been deporting only the most serious criminals as promised (a quarter of those deported nationwide have not been convicted of a crime, and more than a half are low-level offenders), critics are also hammering ICE for the conflicting messages about whether Secure Communities is an optional program. ICE e-mails that Lofgren has included in her request for an investigation indicate that ICE may have purposefully misled states and jurisdictions about whether participation was optional or mandatory. ICE spokesman Carl Rusnok has said the program was set up so that all states and jurisdictions will be participating by 2013. Meanwhile, other sheriffs in Colorado are preparing to implement the program that thus far has been a pilot in Arapahoe, Denver and El Paso counties. They will be discussing the issue this week at a sheriffs' state training session.
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"This is one of those issues that I've gotten more grief over," said San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters. "A lot of people are complaining that we are picking on people. But every county has to try to control its noncitizens."
TSA Bribery
NJ Today Former TSA Officer Sentenced To 30 Months For Taking Bribes June 8,2011 NEWARK A former Supervisory Transportation Security Officer employed by the Transportation Security Administration at Newark Liberty International Airport was sentenced Tuesday to 30 months in prison for accepting bribes and kickbacks from a coworker who stole money regularly from passengers during security screenings, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Michael Arato, 42, of Ewing, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Jose L. Linares to accepting bribes. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, between September 2009 and October 2010, Arato was the Supervisory Transportation Security Officer at the B-3 security checkpoint for Terminal B at Newark Airport. During that time, Arato permitted subordinate security officer Al Raimi, 29, of Woodbridge, to steal between $10,000 and $30,000 in cash from travelers. In exchange, Raimi would "kick up" a portion of the stolen money to Arato. During the three-week period between September 13 and October 5, 2010, video surveillance captured Arato accepting approximately $3,100 in bribes. Arato also admitted that he regularly stole from passengers traveling through his checkpoint. In addition to the prison term, Linares sentenced Arato to three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $24,150 to the victims of his offense and forfeit $3,100 to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Raimi pleaded guilty before Linares on Feb. 24 and is currently scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 20. Fishman credited special agents of the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Gregory K. Null for the Northeast Region, and detectives and officers of the Port Authority Police Department of New York and New Jersey, under the direction of Superintendent Michael A. Fedorko, with the investigation leading to today's sentence.
For Internal Use Only

OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 10-21, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in a wide spectrum of outlets, from regional to national, including several security and political themed blogs. Residual coverage from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee hearing on Southwestern border corruption continued this week, with outlets highlighting the OIG in a neutral, straightforward tone, including several quotes from Acting Inspector General, Charles K. Edwards. The impending Secure Communities audit was highlighted in several outlets, including The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, with brief mentions of the OIG response letter to Rep. Lofgren dated June 9, 2011.
KEY QUOTES "He (Charles Edwards) said the review will determine the extent to which Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses Secure Communities to find and deport immigrants who are dangerous criminals. Immigration officials check fingerprints of all people booked in local jails to find immigrants to deport." Kate Brumback, Associated Press "Edwards has signaled a willingness to rejoin the Border Corruption Task Force, but the FBI and the Inspector General have yet to reach an agreement on what conditions his office will rejoin the task force." Homeland Security Newswire "The congresswoman had asked the inspector general to investigate whether ICE officials lied to local officials about the voluntary nature of the program and whether communities had the ability to drop out of it. The investigation will also evaluate whether Secure Communities succeeds in achieving its goal of targeting dangerous illegal immigrants." By Paloma Esquivel, The Los Angeles Times "Charles Edwards, Acting Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, told the subcommittee that corruption on the border has taken the form of 'cash bribes, sexual favors, and other gratuities in return for allowing contraband or undocumented aliens through primary inspection lanes or even protecting or escorting border crossings,' according to a transcript of the official's testimony." By Daniel Hernandez, The Los Angeles Times "'This program is riddled with flaws and the announcement today acknowledges that,' said Chris Newman, general counsel of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. He said the program should be suspended until the Homeland Security inspector general completes a review later this year." Julia Preston, The New York Times
TWITTER/BLOGS/ETC. BorderlandBeat: Border Patrol Hiring Spike Hurts Agency's Ability to Unearth Corruption By Nadia Tamez-Robledo Daily Kos: Immigration Dragnet Sweeps Up Domestic Violence Victims By Kate Desormeau LandLineMag.Com: Cash for passage: CBP has 600 open investigations of cartel bribery By Charlie Morasch NewsBlaze: Lack of Security Along US Borders Makes DHS a 'Failure' By Michael Cutler
Office of Public Affairs
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 10-21, 2011
PRESS COVERAGE CBP Border Corruption Houston Chronicle, Corruption adds to problems on border By Stewart M. Powell June 20, 2011. WASHINGTON -- He was an ambitious drug smuggler with ties to a Mexican cartel; she a newly minted U.S. Border Patrol agent wooed into a romance with the trafficker.
Homeland Security Newswire, Border agents corrupted while FBI and OHS wrangle for power June 17, 2011. Using sex and money, Mexican drug cartels have been increasingly successful in corrupting U.S. border agents while the federal government has struggled to stop it.
Newsmax.com, 127 US Border Agents Linked to Drug Smuggling By David Patten June 16, 2011. The same corruption endemic to Mexico's drug wars has infected U.S. law enforcement as well: U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials report that 127 of its agents have been linked to drug-smuggling activities since October 2004.
The Los Angeles Times, Cartel corruption reaches into the ranks of U.S. border agents, officials say By Daniel Hernandez June 13, 2011. Mexican drug cartels are increasingly luring U.S. border agents into smuggling operations with offers of cash and sex, authorities acknowledged in Washington last week.
The Hill, Corruption a problem at Customs and Border Protection, agency head says By Jordy Yager June 12, 2011. More than 125 U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees have been arrested or indicted on corruption charges for smuggling drugs or illegal aliens, laundering money, and conspiracy since 2004, according to the agency's top official.
FEMA Sun Sentinel, FEMA and fraud: Anti-fraud division in the disaster relief agency shrinks By Sally Kestin June 15, 2011. A fraud prevention division at the Federal Emergency Management Agency has shrunk from 21 people in 2007 to just six last year, according to the audit by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General.
ICE Secure Communities Yahoo! News, America's red-blue divide widens on illegal immigrants By Patrik Jonsson June 20, 2011. ATLANTA America's red and blue states are increasingly going in exactly opposite directions on the issue of illegal immigration a testament to how difficult finding middle ground has
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 10-21, 2011 become on the federal level.
The New York Times, U.S. Pledges to Raise Deportation Threshold By Julia Preston June 17, 2011. Moving to repair an immigration enforcement program that has drawn rising opposition from governors and police chiefs, senior immigration officials on Friday announced steps they said would focus the program more closely on deporting immigrants convicted of serious crimes.
Associated Press, ICE announces changes to immigration enforcement By Kate Brumback June 17, 2011. ATLANTAFederal immigration authorities said Friday they're changing the way they enforce immigration policies in an effort to focus on the most serious criminals and to give government field attorneys more discretion.
Huffington Post, Department Of Homeland Security To Reform Secure Communities Deportation Program By Elise Foley June 17, 2011. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Department of Homeland Security announced reforms to a key immigration enforcement program Friday, responding to criticism from state governments and advocacy groups.
San Francisco Bay Guardian, Civil rights advocates say S-Comm reforms are spin, part of bigger FBI biometric tracking plan By Sarah Phelan June 17, 2011. In face of mounting criticism nationwide, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced today changes to its Secure Communities (S-Comm) deportation program. These changes include protections for domestic violence victims, and immigrants who are pursuing legitimate civil liberties protections.
San Francisco Sentinel, Administration's acknowledgement of severe flaws in S-Comm highlights need for Moratorium and TRUST Act June 17, 2011. In response to mounting criticism, the Department of Homeland Security announced today changes to the misnamed "Secure Communities" (S-Comm) deportation program. While the Administration's announcement acknowledges grave problems in S-Comm's design and implementation, it falls far short of the moratorium on the dysfunctional program that an increasing number of lawmakers and advocates have demanded.
Ashville Citizen-Times, The deportation machine By Ruben Navarrette June 16, 2011. SAN DIEGO -- How in the world was the Obama administration able to round up and deport nearly 1 million people over the last two and a half years?
Houston Chronicle Other states leaving Secure Communities By Jason Buch June 12, 2011. SAN ANTONIO As Texas moves toward expanding Secure Communities, several northern states are dropping out of the program that matches the fingerprints of those arrested against a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement database.
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 10-21, 2011
The Los Angeles Times, Seven Democrats ask Brown to suspend California's participation in Secure Communities By Paloma Esquivel June 11, 2011. Members of California's congressional delegation called on Gov. Jerry Brown Friday to join three other states in suspending participation in a controversial federal immigration enforcement program.
Huffington Post, Department of Homeland Security To Review Secure Communities Enforcement Program In August By Elise Foley June 10, 2011. WASHINGTON -- The Department of Homeland Security announced this week it will conduct an internal review of its Secure Communities program this August to investigate potential problems with the immigration enforcement program and look into whether officials misled Congress, the public and local communities about whether the program was voluntary.
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Washington Technology, Coast Guard accused of 20 Anti-Deficiency Act wrongs totaling $7M By Alice Lipowicz June 20, 2011. The Coast Guard is responsible for 20 violations of the Anti-Deficiency Act totaling approximately $7 million in its recent response boat acquisition program, according to a new report from the Homeland Security Department Office of Inspector General.
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Federal Computer Week, USCIS telework may add to privacy risks, IG says By Alice Lipowicz June 20, 2011. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agency might be putting data with personally identifiable information at a high risk of exposure by allowing its employees to telework. according to a report issued June 13 by the Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General.
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 28- July 5, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in a wide spectrum of outlets, from regional to national, including security and political themed blogs.
KEY QUOTES None
TWITTER/BLOGS/ETC. Aviation Week: GAO Studies Security at GA Airports By Kerry Lynch Jewish Telegraphic Agency: U.S. immigration includes Israel on watch list
PRESS COVERAGE ICE CNSNews, U.S. Designates Israel as Country That Tends 'To Promote, Produce, or Protect' Terrorists: Also Calls Israel Anti-Terror Partner By Edwin Mora June 29, 2011. In an implicit admission that Israel is so threatened by terrorism that it is not only surrounded by countries and territories that produce terrorists but also unwillingly harbors terrorists within its own territory in a way that most other nations in the world do not, the Obama administration is currently listing Israel among 36 "specially designated countries" it believes "have shown a tendency to promote, produce. or protect terrorist organizations or their members." *Also reposted in Fox News, Newsmax.com. World Tribune, On U.S. list of countries which 'promote, produce, or protect' terrorists: All of Middle East July 1, 2011. WASHINGTON The United States has deemed that the entire Middle East, including leading allies, were harboring insurgents.
Project Shield Chicago Sun-Times, Preckwinkle axes troubled 'Project Shield' By Carol Marin and Don Moseley June 30, 2011. Seven years and $44 million questionably spent federal dollars later, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle on Thursday pulled the plug on "Project Shield," a failed Homeland Security program initiated and continued by her two predecessors, John and Todd Stroger. Chicago Tribune, Cook County scraps faulty policy car camera program By Erikka Slife June 30, 2011. Cook County officials on Thursday pulled the plug on a troubled $44 million effort that left faulty cameras in police cars.
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 28- July 5, 2011 Examiner.com, Controversial post 9/11 program nixed By Cynthia Hodges July 1, 2011. On Thursday, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Michael Masters, the new Cook County Department of Homeland Security Chief announced a decision to can "Project Shield," a failed Homeland Security program initiated under John Stroger.
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 5-11, 2011
SYNOPSIS The DIG was featured in local, regional and special-interest outlets over the past week. Top stories include: c Coverage of the inclusion of Israel on ICE's Third-Agency Check (TAC) list, which was in our report 01G-11-81 "Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk" o ICE Port Isabel Detention Officer indictment DHS critical infrastructure vulnerabilities Featured Reports o OIG-11-81 "Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk" o 01G-11-89 "Planning, Management, and Systems Issues Hinder DHS' Efforts To Protect Cyberspace and the Nation's Cyber Infrastructure (Redacted)" o DA-11-18 "City of Vo:o Beach, Florida -Disaster Activities Related to Hurricane Jeanne" o DA-11-19 "City of Vero Beach, Florida -Disaster Activities Related to Hurricane Frances"
KEY QUOTES "Configuration and account access vulnerabilities identified on the [two] systems must be mitigated to manage and secure the systems and PCII data from the risks associated with internal and external threats, unauthorized access and misuse,' Frank W. Deffer, Assistant Inspector General for Information Technology Audits, wrote in the report." Aliya Sternstein, NextGov "'The addition of Israel in the OIG's list of ICE's 'Third-Agency Checks' (TAC) was based on inaccurate information provided to the OIG during the course of its audit,' Morton said in a statement sent by e-mail to JTA." Ron Kampeas, JTA "But an inspector general report found that the agency did not use unfair or illegal political practices when releasing FOIA requests. And in the end, the investigation produced more sizzle Issa said the FOIA process 'reeks of a Nixonian enemies list' than substance." Jordy Yager, The Hill
TWITTER/BLOCS/ETC. Eurasia Review: Israel Included On US Homeland Security Terrorism Watch List OpEd Posted by Lizza Ratner National Defense: DHS Cybersecurity Database Has Its Own Vulnerabilities, 1G Reports Posted by Stew Magnuson PJ Tatler: Homeland Security: Sorry about putting Israel on the terror watch list Posted by Bryan Preston Security Dark Reading via Twitter: Reports: OHS, IRS Databases At Risk Posted by Ericka Chickowski The Blaze: Update: Homeland Security Dept. Now Claims Israel Was Erroneously Included on Terror List Posted by Billy Hallowell TownHall: Update: Homeland Security Dept. Now Claims Israel Was Erroneously Included on Terror List Posted by Billy Hallowell TransWorld News: Customs and Border Protection (gBP) Inspector Sentenced For Narcotics Trafficking
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PRESS COVERAGE CBP Border Corruption Global Post, US goes after agents who moonlight for Mexican cartels By loan Grillo July 10, 2011. MEXICO CITY, Mexico The story splattered across Mexican newspapers looked painfully familiar a government official was found guilty of betraying the trust of the public and moonlighting for the drug cartels that have torn this country apart.
DHS Critical Infrastructure Efforts InfoSecurity, DHS falls short on protecting critical infrastructure database, says Inspector General July 8, 2011. The Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General (IG) found security gaps in the department's database containing information on US critical infrastructure. The IG said that there were significant flaws in access controls for the sensitive database, called the protected critical infrastructure information (PCII) system, which contains security reviews of US critical infrastructure.
NextGov, IG: Homeland Security system flaws ymie ability to secure cyberspace By Aliya Sternstein July 7, 2011. A federal inspection has uncovered weaknesses in Homeland Security Department systems that house information regarding critical U.S. networks.
DHS FOIA Practices The Hill, Issa: We could have done better By Jordy Yager July 7, 2011. When he became chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee six months ago, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) was gangbusters to go after waste and corruption in the federal government.
FEMA Gulf Coast News, Gautier Woman Pleads Guilty to Katrina Fraud July 8, 2011. GULFPORT, Miss. Demonica L. Rogers, age 35, of Gautier, MS, pled guilty in U.S. District Court on July 6, 2011, to theft of federal disaster funds of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for Hurricane Katrina benefits, U.S. Attorney John Dowdy announced.
Vero Beach News, After the hurricanes, Vero's paperwork disaster By Lisa Zahner
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July 7, 2011. When federal auditors came to town to peer into the City of Vero Beach's handling of expense reimbursements related to hurricanes Frances and Jeanne, the staff said there was nothing to worry about.
ICE KRGV, Former Port Isabel Detention Officer Charged With Violating Civil Rights of Detainee July 8, 2011. BROWNSVILLE, TX A McAllen grand jury indicted a former Port Isabel Detention Center officer with using excessive force on a detainee, obstruction of justice and lying to a federal agent. The federal indictment was unsealed after Raul Leal was arrested today.
The Brownsville Herald, Former detention center guard accused of abuse By Jacqueline Armendariz July 8, 2011. A former Harlingen man who was a lieutenant at the Port Isabel Detention Center was arrested Friday and accused of abusing an inmate, then attempting to cover it up, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
The Examiner, Former Port Isabel Detention Officer Charged with Violating Civil Rights of Detainee By Breck Porter July 8, 2011. WASHINGTON A federal indictment returned by a McAllen, Texas, grand jury on June 7, 2011, charging former Port Isabel Detention Center Lieutenant Raul Leal with using excessive force on a detainee, obstruction of justice and lying to a federal agent was unsealed today following Leal's arrest, the Justice Department announced.
The Houston Chronicle, Former detention center supervisor arrested By The Associated Press July 8, 2011. BROWNSVILLE, TX Federal agents have arrested a former supervisor at a South Texas immigrant detention center on charges of excessive force, obstruction of justice and lying to a federal agent about the 2009 beating of a detainee. *Also featured on the ABC 13.com (Houston ABC affiliate) website.
YNet News, US: Israel included in terror watch list by mistake By Yitzhak Benhorin July 7, 2011. WASHINGTON Israeli diplomats stationed in the United States was surprised to discover that Israel was one of 36 countries included in a new Homeland Security terror watch list.
Israel Today, Israel added to US terror watch list By Ryan Jones July 6, 2011. Israel was recently added to the US Department of Homeland Security terror watch
list. The revised list of 36 nations was attached to a May 10 document from the office of the Homeland Security Inspector General. Israel's inclusion was picked up on last week by CNS News.
JTA, U.S. says Israel's inclusion on terrorist watch list was a mistake By Ron Kampeas July 6, 2011. WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Israel was included erroneously on a U.S. Department of Homeland Security terrorist watch list, a U.S. official said. *Also featured on the Cleveland Jewish News website and JewishJournal.com.
The Algemeiner, US: Israel Inclusion on Terror List Was a Mistake By Maxine Dovere July 6, 2011. In a communiqu received by the Algemeiner Wednesday, July 7, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director John Morton said that the addition of Israel in the OIG's list of ICE's Third-Agency Checks was a mistake.
SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in local, regional and special-interest outlets over the past week. Top stories include: o Coverage of the July 15, 2011 House Homeland Security hearing, "Homeland Security Contracting: Does the Dept. Effectively Leverage Emerging Technologies?" with Acting IG Charles K. Edwards o Secure Communities implementation in Washington state OHS critical infrastructure vulnerabilities Featured Reports: o 01G-11-81 "Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk" o 01G-11-89 "Planning, Management, and Systems Issues Hinder DHS' Efforts To Protect Cyberspace and the Nation's Cyber Infrastructure (Redacted)" o 01G-11-91 "Update on DHS' Procurement and Program Management Operations"
KEY QUOTES "Charles K. Edwards, the department's Acting Inspector General, said OHS has struggled to coordinate technology development. Eight different procurement offices within the department have invested in detection equipment such as medical detectors or machines designed to find trace amounts of chemicals, he said." By Rob Margetta, CQ Homeland Security "The department has no process in place for standardizing equipment purchases or recognizing common product requirements among offices, Acting Inspector General Charles K. Edwards told lawmakers at a House hearing Friday. 'A DHS joint requirements council is inactive,' he added." Aliya Sternstein, NextGov
TWITTER/SLOGS/ETC. Courthouse News Service: Judge Orders Feds to Cough Up More Info on 'Secure Communities' Program Posted By Adam Klasfeld Federal NewsRadio: DHS failed to leverage large technology buys, missing out on billions in possible savings (Newscast) Ready-Sourcing: DHS' failure to leverage large technology buys costs billions in lost savings
PRESS COVERAGE DHS Critical Infrastructure WIBW.com, Homeland Security Chief Sees Flaws in Security Cyberspace July 14, 2011. A federal inspection has uncovered weaknesses in Homeland Security Department systems that house information regarding critical U.S. networks.
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DHS Efforts in Leveraging Emerging Technologies CQ Homeland Security, S&T Head: Cut Would Result in Employee Exodus By Rob Margetta July 18, 2011. If a funding cut to the Homeland Security Department's Directorate of Science and Technology goes through, the agency could see the scientists and engineers used to manage its innovation portfolio leave for more promising opportunities, director Tara O'Toole told a congressional panel Friday.
NextGov, DHS' failure to leverage large technology buys costs billions in lost savings By Aliya Sternstein July 15, 2011. The Homeland Security Department did not routinely attempt to slash costs for equipment through bulk purchasing, especially for billions of dollars' worth of explosive detection tools, according to the DHS inspector general.
Your Houston News, DHS tells McCaul it is backing off purchase of radiation detectors July 15, 2011. The Department of Homeland Security announced that it likely will not purchase more than $300 million worth of radiation detection equipment for use at US ports after a report by the Government Accountability Office exposed the equipment was unreliable. DHS' announcement came before Congressman Michael McCaul's Homeland Security Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee hearing.
DHS Procurement Processes HSToday, DHS Improves Procurement Processes and Oversight, IG Says By Mickey McCarter July 12, 2011. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has greatly strengthened its procurement operations in the past several years although acquisition offices still could improve their ethics training and reporting, according to a recent report from the DHS inspector general (IG).
ICE The Seattle PI, WA counties deciding fate of immigration program By Manuel Valdes (AP) July 17, 2011. When the governor's office declined last year to make a unilateral decision on behalf of all the state's sheriffs, it fell to each individually to activate a federal program that uses fingerprint analysis to identify illegal immigrants in county jails, the so-called Secure Communities initiative. *Also featured in The Bellingham Herald and The Seattle Times.
Sun Journal, No credibility (Letter to the Editor) By Mary Jane Newell July 16, 2011. Based on Department of Homeland Security procedures put in place this year, illegal immigrants who are caught breaking the law will not be deported, but the Inspector General is now recommending that every Israeli who visits the United States should be subject to special screening procedures. What is with that?
The Houston Chronicle, ICE agent who left gun behind isn't the first By Susan Carroll July 15, 2011. An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who left his gun on the diaperchanging station in a Houston airport bathroom is just the latest in a string of federal agents to misplace their service weapon, records show.
Hispanically Speaking News, Court Mandates Govt Release Documents on 'Secure Communities' Deportation Program July 12, 2011. In a victory for plaintiffs the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and the Cardozo Law School Immigration Justice Clinic in their Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), Judge Shira A. Scheindlin of the Southern District of New York ordered the agencies to produce further information concerning whether and how localities may "opt-out" or limit participation in Secure Communities.
The Yakima Herald, Problems with Secure Communities (Guest Editorial) By Paola Zambrano and Patricia Flores July 12, 2011. As proud residents of Yakima County, we have worked hard to help build a stronger community for our families and our neighbors based on shared values of respect, compassion and justice. We have fought for these gains over the years, and we expect local leaders to communicate with us should they propose anything that impacts the community.
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SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in local, regional and special-interest outlets over the past week. Top stories include: o The recent announcement of Roslyn Mazer's nomination as Inspector General for DHS 01G. Senators Lieberman and Collin's letter to FEMA calling for a centralized IT approach, citing 01G-11-69 "Federal Emergency Management Agency Faces Challenges in Modernizing Information Technology." Featured reports: 01G-11-68 "Information Sharing on Foreign Nationals: Overseas Screening" OIG-11-69 "Federal Emergency Management Agency Faces Challenges in Modernizing Information Technology"
KEY QUOTES "The senator's (Lieberman) letter stems from a recent DHS Inspector General report that said FEMA will continue to struggle with gaps in its disaster response IT systems unless it develops a comprehensive strategic plan, IT inventory and enterprise architecture." Matthew Weigelt, Washington Technology "Homeland Security officials, in responding to a draft report, said that a 2007 memo directed ICE, TSA, US-VISIT, Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services all to use the same system -- IDENT -- for gathering fingerprints. The inspector general found this action suitable and is monitoring the accumulation of data." Aliya Sternstein, National Journal
TWITTER/BLOGS/ETC. BlueCore Research, Homeland Security Main Justice, Obama Taps Former DOJ Official for DHS Inspector General, Posted by Channing Turner Political Digest, President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts Ready-Sourcing, New FBI biometric database will help feds nab undocumented immigrants
PRESS COVERAGE CBP Silver City Sun-News, No continuance in Perez case By Christine Steele July 20, 2011. SILVER CITY - Judge H.R. Quintero denied a motion to continue the case of Armando Perez, a former U.S. Border Patrol Agent who allegedly molested an 8-year-old girl. DHS IG Nomination Executive Gov, Roslyn Mazer Named Inspector General for DHS By Ross Wilkers July 22, 2011. Roslyn A. Mazer has been nominated as the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, President Barack Obama announced Tuesday.
--For-Internal-Use-OnlyOIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 18-22, 2011 The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore native named Homeland Security inspector general By John Fritze July 21, 2011. President Barack Obama has nominated Baltimore native Roslyn A. Mazer to be inspector general of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the White House announced Thursday. Federal Computer Week, Mazer is Obama's choice for DHS' IG By Matthew Weigelt July 20, 2011. Roslyn Mazer is President Barack Obama's nominee for inspector general of the Homeland Security Department, the White House announced July 19.
FEMA Executive Gov FEMA IT Problems Not Fixed. Senators Say By Ross Wilkers July 22, 2011. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman Joseph Lieberman, ID-Conn., and ranking member Susan Collins, R-Maine, sent a letter Tuesday to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, saying its disaster response system is undermined by its poor information technology management. All Headline News, Federal Disaster Relief Jeopardized by Low Funding By Tom Ramstack July 19, 2011. The federal government's budget woes are forcing tough decisions in Congress about how to recover from the next round of disasters like the tornadoes, floods and wildfires in the spring. Washington Technology, Lieberman tells FEMA to centralize IT By Matthew Weigelt July 19, 2011. Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has told officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to put FEMA's program offices under the authority of its CIO to coordinate IT spending.
!DENT National Journal, FBI Upgrades Database to More Quickly Deport Violent Immigrants By Aliya Sternstein July 19, 2011. The federal government plans to use an upgraded FBI biometric database to identify dangerous undocumented immigrants for possible deportation more quickly and accurately, according to internal agency documents. * Also featured in the Border Narcotics Intelligence biog.
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 22 - August 1, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in national, regional, local and special-interest outlets over the past week, including The New York Times. Top stories include: o The recent OIG report on the assessment of the FAA and TSA pilot license vetting systems. o Inclusion of Kazakhstan on ICE's Third-Agency Check (TAC) list included our report OIG-11-81 "Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk." o Amtrak's vulnerability to terrorism and safety risks. Featured reports: o 01G-11-96 "Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Vetting of Airmen Certificates and General Aviation Airport Access and Security Procedures" o 01G-11-93 "DHS Grants Used for Mitigating Risks to Amtrak Rail Stations (Redacted)" o 01G-11-81 "Supervision of Aliens Commensurate with Risk" o 01G-11-60 "Ohio Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program Subgrants Fiscal Years 2004-2006" o DA-11-19 "City of Vero Beach, Florida -Disaster Activities Related to Hurricane Frances" o DA-11-18 "City of Vero Beach, Florida -Disaster Activities Related to Hurricane Jeanne" o OIG-10-94 "U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team Makes Progress in Securing Cyberspace, but Challenges Remain" o OIG-09-100 "DHS' Strategy and Plans to Counter Small Vessel Threats Need Improvement"
KEY QUOTES "'We visited four high-risk rail stations and observed that Amtrak did not take actions to mitigate some of the more critical vulnerabilities..identified as early as 2006,' the OIG said. 'For example, at one station, we observed that a terrorist could access...' That's where the text goes black, as the specifics are redacted." Stephanie Miranda, NBC Los Angeles "The new report, by the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, found that the F.A.A. had Social Security numbers of only about 750,000 people out of the 1.3 million names in its Airmen Registry, and that among those for whom it had numbers, more than 15,000 of them did not match the Social Security database for name, sex or date of birth." Matthew Wald, The New York Times "'Without the enforcement authority to implement recommendations, US-CERT continues to be hindered in coordinating the protection of federal cyberspace,' the (OIG) report found." Gerry Smith, The Huffington Post
TWITTER/BLOGS/ETC. Eurasianet, Kazakhstan Objects to Inclusion on "Terror" List, But U.S. Stands Behind It Posted by Joshua Kucera The Enterprise Report, Homeland Security IG Releases Report: Confirms Enterprise Report Investigations Posted By Eric Longabardi
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 22 - August 1, 2011
PRESS COVERAGE DHS Grant Audits NBC Los Angeles, Amtrak Remains Vulnerable to Terrorism By Stephanie Miranda August 1, 2011. Concern is growing over Amtrak's vulnerability to terrorism and the safety risks to passengers, according to a new report by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. Cleveland.com, Cuyahoga County agencies have received more than $72 million in homeland security grants since Sept. 11 By Laura Johnston July 24, 2011. The buys are a hodgepodge of high-tech and humdrum: a bomb-defusing robot and batteries, a license plate reader and traffic cones.
DHS Small Vessel Strategy The Sun Chronicle, US lacks national boating database By The New England Center for Investigative Reporting July 24, 2011. A year after the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that ports are at risk of terrorist attacks launched from small boats, the country is no closer to developing an important tool to help reduce that threat, federal records show. *Also featured in the Lowell Sun.
FEMA TCPalm, Editorial: Reports raise serious concerns about city of Vero Beach's accounting practices in aftermath of hurricanes Frances, Jeanne July 27, 2011. Following a natural or man-made disaster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is quick to distribute public assistance awards enabling communities to clean up the mess and rebuild infrastructure. However, FEMA awards do not constitute free money. These funds come with strings attached.
ICE New American Media, Al Dia Calls Philadelphia Daily News Column 'Bigoted' By Editorial Staff July 25, 2011. Forty thousand documents about Secure Communities extensively reveal that non-convict immigrants and vulnerable groups including women, mentally disabled and juveniles have been subjected to violations of basic human and constitutional rights. Tengri News, Astana puzzled over inclusion into the US Homeland Security Department's list of "specially designated countries" July 22, 2011. Astana is puzzled over Kazakhstan's inclusion into the list of "specially designated countries," Novosti Kazakhstan quoted Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying on July 21.
TSA The Examiner, What's in a name? Airline passenger Alert By Cynthia Hodges August 1, 2011. Last week, an official investigation by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General confirmed extensive problems with the FAA and TSA pilot license vetting systems reported on in August 2009 New York Times article, then on October 9, 2009 by ABC News and later in 2010 in The Enterprise Report (TER).
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 22 - August 1, 2011
Homeland Security Today, TSA, FAA Could Use More Info to Expand Security Checks for Pilots, IG Says By Mickey McCarter August 1, 2011. The inspector general (IG) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently assessed security screening for US pilots and afterward faulted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for not collecting enough information from certified pilots and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for not checking pilots against all criminal information. Security Management, Terror Watch List Suspects Held Pilot Licenses By Carlton Purvis July 28, 2011. Twenty-seven licensed pilots and aircraft mechanics should never have been issued licenses because of their connections to terrorist groups, according to internal Department of Homeland Security documents from 2009 obtained by The New York Times. Additionally, the Transportation Security Administration still can't confirm the identity of thousands of others. The New York Times, 27 Deemed to Be Threats Held Aviation Licenses By Matthew Wald July 28, 2011. The Transportation Security Administration cannot determine the real identities of thousands of the people to whom the Federal Aviation Administration has issued licenses as pilots and aircraft mechanics, but has located an additional 27 who should not have held them because of terrorist connections, according to an internal report by the Department of Homeland Security. Also posted in The Denver Post and The Dispatch.
USCERT The Huffington Post, Cyber Defense Agency Faces Challenges From Within By Gerry Smith July 29, 2011. Last year, the nation's computer systems reported more than 100,000 cyber threats, or one every five minutes. The job of analyzing and preventing them was assigned to a government agency that has faced repeated criticism for lacking enough resources and authority, as well as a consistent leader, to help it accomplish an increasingly daunting task.
For Inter-Ral-Use-Only-OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 1-9, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in national, regional, local and special-interest outlets over the past week, including The Los Angeles Times. Top stories include: o The recent OIG report on the assessment of the FAA and TSA pilot license vetting systems. o The pending Secure Communities audit. o Amtrak's vulnerability to terrorism and safety risks. Featured reports: o OIG-11-96 "Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Vetting of Airmen Certificates and General Aviation Airport Access and Security Procedures" o OIG-11-95 "TSA's Oversight of the Airport Badging Process Needs Improvement" OIG-11-93 "DHS Grants Used for Mitigating Risks to Amtrak Rail Stations (Redacted)" o OIG-11-68 "Information Sharing on Foreign Nationals: Overseas Screening"
KEY QUOTES "Rep. Zoe Lofgren called the decision to cancel the agreements 'astonishing.' At Lofgren's request, the Homeland Security Department's Inspector General is investigating how the Secure Communities program was pitched to local officials." Brian Bennett, The Los Angeles Times "At four high-risk railway stations visited by DHS, the Inspector General's Office found that no actions had been taken to fix problems that were pointed out as early as 2006." Carlton Purvis, Security Management TWITTER/BLOGS/ETC. Adfero Group Security Brief, Why We Need to Revamp How We Protect Our Rail System, Posted by Robert Liscouski New American, Secure Communities Program: White House Edict Forces State Participation Posted by Joe Wolverton RH Reality Check, Latina Week of Action Takes on Reactionary Immigration Policy and Teen Pregnancy Efforts Posted by Veronica Bayetti Flores SmartBrief, Watchdog scrutinizes credentialinq of airport workers Tucson Citizen, 2 Border Patrol agents indicted for civil rights violations Posted by Hugh Holub
PRESS COVERAGE DHS Grant Audits Yahoo! News, Obama admin to states: Deportation program agreements not necessary By Liz Goodwin August 8, 2011. The Obama administration is canceling contracts with 39 governors who agreed to allow a federal deportation program in their local jails. Administration officials say that the contracts gave the mistaken impression that the controversial program, known as "Secure Communities," is optional. The Examiner (National), Amtrak blows $1 Billion in Homeland Security grant to thwart terrorism By Jim Kouri August 7, 2011. Despite getting more than $1 billion from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to increase security, the nation's passenger train system -- known as Amtrak -- remains
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 1-9, 2011 vulnerable to a terrorist attack because the money wasn't spent efficiently to adequately protect the most vulnerable railroad stations. Security Management, Grant Funds Should Target Highest Priority Rail Vulnerabilities By Carlton Purvis August 3, 2011. Failure to use grant money to fix their most vulnerable areas leaves railway systems open to terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General said in a recent report.
FEMA High Point Enterprise, Contractor files federal complaint against Guil-Rand By Chanel Davis August 4, 2011. A Texas-based company has filed a federal complaint against the Guil-Rand Fire Department and other departments in Randolph County, alleging violations of competitive bidding rules. *Reposted on SeekingAlpha.
ICE The Examiner (Chicago), Obama Ruling on "Secure Community Program" Directly Hits Illinois By Ellen Cannon August 6, 2011. In a controversial move the Department of Homeland Security announced on Friday, August 5, 2011 that agreements between state governments and the Secure Communities Immigration enforcement program no longer permit states to "opt out." The Los Angeles Times, States can't opt out of Secure Communities program By Brian Bennett August 6, 2011. In an unusual move, the Obama administration has told governors they cannot exempt their states from the controversial Secure Communities program, which uses fingerprints collected by local and state police to help immigration authorities identify and deport tens of thousands of criminals each year. The Huffington Post, Hispanic Family Terrorized By Immigration Agents By Jorge Luis Macias August 2, 2011. Seven members of a Hispanic family from Los Angeles became victims of a mistaken drug raid at a home in the city of Norco in Riverside County by nearly 40 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security, Immigration (HSI) agents.
/DENT NextGov, Biometric database helps end 'voluntary return' of illegal immigrants By Aliya Sternstein August 4, 2011. Government authorities are using a Homeland Security Department immigration database that tracks past arrests to end a policy under which illegal border crossers were allowed to return home without penalty, the top Customs and Border Protection official said on Thursday.
INV BuffaloNews, Guilty plea entered to steroid distribution August 9, 2011. A Cheektowaga man faces a maxi-mum penalty of 20 years in prison and a$500,000 fine after pleading guilty Monday to distributing anabolic steroids, according to U. S. Attorney William J. Hochul.
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 1-9, 2011 TSA CQ Homeland Security, TSA Airport Badge Controls Need Work, Report Finds August 8, 2011. Due to a lack of quality assurance procedures, the Transportation Security Administration has issued airport badges that allow access to secure areas to applicants with incomplete or problematic information and, in one case, a dog. The Examiner (Los Angeles), The Great Pretender By Julie Davis August 7, 2011. For the longest time, Robert MacLean was hailed as a national hero. He was paraded around by the Government Accountability Project (GAP) and the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) as one of the most important whistleblowers of our generation. The mainstream media published a multitude of articles about MacLean and the horrors he faced for blowing the whistle. KITV4 News, Inspector General Probe Headed For HNL TSA By Keoki Kerr August 5, 2011. KITV 4 News has learned the Department of Homeland Security will conduct a management audit of Transportation Security Administration operations in Honolulu this fall, following calls from some members of Congress for a comprehensive probe after the TSA fired 36 screeners and managers for not screening baggage properly. *Reposted on MSNBC. The Daily Caller, Airports give security badges to lust about anyone, even dogs By C.J. Ciaramella August 5, 2011. It doesn't take much to get an airport security badge these days, even if you are a dog. In an examination of a database of more than 1.1 million security badges for roughly 900,000 airport workers at 359 US airports, the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General found omissions or inaccuracies in 96,000 records, such as missing security status, birthdates and birthplaces. In one instance, a security badge was issued to a dog. *Reposted on Yahoo! News. Government Security News, DHS report says TSA needs oversight of airport badging processes By Mark Rockwell August 4, 2011. The Transportation Security Administration needs to bolster its oversight of the security badging process for airport workers, or risk safety of passengers, airport workers and aircraft, said a study from the DHS Office of Inspector General. Homeland Security Today, TSA Provides Poor Oversight of Airport Worker Credentialinq, IG Says By Mickey McCarter August 4, 2011. An airport worker with three active badges providing access to secure areas of three different US airports listed three different places of birth on his applications for those badges: the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and the United States. Security Management, DHS Finds Flaws in Airport Security Badging Process By Matthew Harwood August 4, 2011. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has failed to effectively oversee the badging of airport employees with unescorted access to sensitive security areas at the nation's airports, according to a partially redacted report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 9-16, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in regional, local and special-interest outlets over the past week, including CQ Homeland Security and Federal Times. Top stories include: o OIG investigative efforts. o OIG/CBP MOU. The recent OIG report on the assessment of the FAA and TSA pilot license vetting systems. Featured reports: c 01G-11-95 "TSA's Oversight of the Airport Badging Process Needs Improvement" c 01G-11-93 "DHS Grants Used for Mitigating Risks to Amtrak Rail Stations (Redacted)" KEY QUOTES "'These additional assets are especially necessary to OIG as the CBP workforce continues to expand significantly,' said a press release from the Inspector General's Office. The proposed agreement also establishes an integrated DHS approach to participation with other law enforcement agencies investigating border or public corruption.- - CQ Homeland Security "The arrangement will give the 1G more resources, while Customs and Border Patrol managers will use the information gleaned by its investigators for 'immediate oversight' of the employees under scrutiny, according to a Monday news release from the Inspector General's Office." -Sean Reilly, Federal Times
TWITTERIB LOGS/ETC . iWatch News, TSA cannot guarantee accuracy of 900,000 airport security badges Posted By Alexandra Duszak ProPublica via Twitter, DHS investigators: One airport gave security badge to a dog, Posted by Michael Grabell RH Reality Check, Latina Week of Action Takes on Reactionary Immigration Policy and Teen Pregnancy Efforts Posted By Veronica Bayetti Flores New American, Secure Communities Program: White House Edict Forces State Participation Posted by Joe Wolverton Security Debrief, Why We Need to Revamp How We Protect Our Rail System Posted by Robert Liscouski VivirLatino, More Responses to Secure Communities Officially Becoming a Mandatory Deportation Program Posted by Maegan La Mala
PRESS COVERAGE CBP Albuquerque Journal, Border Patrol Arrests Decline August 11, 2011. A Border Patrol agent has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a woman's purse and using her credit cards to go shopping at a Walmart in Douglas in southeastern Arizona.
--For-44iternal-Use-OnlyOIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 9-16, 2011 Arizona Daily Star, US agent arrested in theft of purse, credit-card fraud By Brady McCombs August 10, 2011. Douglas police arrested a U.S. Border Patrol agent last week on suspicion of stealing a woman's purse and using her credit cards to buy $231 in goods at a Walmart. Douglas Dispatch, Off duty Border Patrol agent arrested By Bruce Whetten August 9, 2011. An off duty Border Patrol agent, temporarily assigned to the Douglas area from El Paso, Tex. has been arrested and charged with one count of burglary, three counts of forgery, one count of theft and eight counts of illegal use of a credit card. KFOXTV.com (TX), El Paso Border Patrol Agent Arrested In Ariz. Purse Theft August 10, 2011. Border Patrol agent has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a woman's purse and using her credit cards to go shopping at a Wal-Mart in southeastern Arizona.
DHS Grant Audits Samoa News, Local Homeland Security gets a good report card from FEMA & OIG August 10, 2011. Five recommendations made by the U.S. Homeland Security Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG) in an audit report more than three years ago of Homeland Security funds awarded to American Samoa by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), are now designated "resolved and closed," after corrective actions recommended by FEMA were implemented in conjunction with the local Department of Homeland Security (ASDHS).
DHS OIG INV The Daily News (NY), Man pleads to steroid sales at Batavia Detention Center August 11, 2011. One of three men indicted for selling steroids at Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia has pleaded guilty in a U.S. District Court. NJToday, Elizabeth Man Charged With Making False FEMA Claims August 10, 2011. An Elizabeth man was arrested last week for allegedly making false claims that his former home in Linden was damaged during flooding last year, Union County Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow announced today. Star Tribune, Minneapolis man pleads guilty to civil rights crime By Randy Furst August 10, 2011. A 64-year-old man pleaded guilty Wednesday to violating the civil rights of an 83-year-old Somali man he assaulted in Minneapolis last year while yelling that his victim was a Muslim and should go back to Africa. The Republic, Minneapolis man pleads guilty to assaulting Somali; charged under federal hate crime act August 10, 2011. A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of an 83-yearold Somali man after assaulting him while yelling that he was Muslim and should go back to Africa. UPI.com, Ex-TSA employee pleads guilty to hate crime August 10, 2011. A former Transportation Security Administration employee in Minneapolis pleaded guilty to a hate crime Wednesday in assaulting an elderly Somali man. BuffaloNews, Guilty plea entered to steroid distribution August 9, 2011. A Cheektowaga man faces a maxi-mum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine after pleading guilty Monday to distributing anabolic steroids, according to U. S. Attorney William J. Hochul.
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 9-16, 2011
MOU CQ Homeland Security, DHS Announces New Counter-Corruption Program for Border August 15, 2011. The Homeland Security Inspector General's Office said Monday that it is putting new measures in place to detect corruption among security officers at the southern border, where Mexican drug cartels flush with cash are constantly looking for any advantage that could help smuggling operations. Federal Times New agreement intended to foster more cooperation on customs corruption probes By Sean Reilly August 15, 2011. This just in: The Homeland Security Department's inspector general and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol have worked out an agreement aimed at fostering more teamwork in corruption probes.
TSA Tucson Sentinel.com, TSA can't guarantee accuracy of 900,000 airport security badges August 15, 2011. More than 10 percent of the TSA's identification badges have errors that could compromise airport security, a new audit has found. KITV.com (HI), Honolulu TSA Managers Admit 'Dictatorial' Atmosphere August 12, 2011. KITV 4 News has learned that Transportation Security Administration managers at Honolulu International Airport have begun issuing periodic "improvement updates" to employees, two months after 36 screeners and managers were fired in a baggage checking scandal. *Also featured on MSNBC.corn.
For Internal-Use
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 16-22, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in regional, local and special-interest outlets over the past week, including the Arizona Daily Star, Federal Times, NextGov and The Times-Picayune. Top stories included: o OIG/CBP MOU. O TSA wireless network vulnerabilities. Featured reports: 01G-11-99 "Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Better Protect TSA's Wireless Network and Devices" c 01G-11-40 "FEMA's Oversight and Management of Debris Removal Operations" 01G-11-33 "Examining Insider Threat Risk at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Redacted)"
KEY QUOTES "Frost said one of the benefits of the working agreement signed between the two agencies this week is that it will speed up both the investigations of allegations of corruption as well as the disciplinary process." Mark Greenblatt, KHOU TV "'Insiders at USCIS have perpetrated fraud in the past' and internal staff 'are capable of granting legal residency or citizenship status to someone who poses a national security risk to the United States,' he (Frank Deffer) added." Aliya Sternstein, NextGov
TWITTERIBLOGS/ETC. Fierce Government IT, Federal air marshal Blackberries at risk, says DHS 01G, Posted by David Perera c Link shared on Twitter by 7 individual accounts. Supply Chain Brain, Customs, Homeland Security Inspector General Reach Accord on Corruption Probes Federal News Radio, Friday morning federal headlines - August 19 GovZine via Twitter, CBP & DHS Inspector General to Fight Corruption Together The New Mexico Independent, Immigrant advocates call for end of Secure Communities, Posted by Marcos Restrepo Federal News Radio, Thursday morning federal headlines - August 18 The Huffington Post, A Record as Straight as Immigration Reform's Broken Promise, Posted by Jorge-Mario Cabrera Courthouse News Service, Immigrant advocates call for end of Secure Communities, Posted by Adam Klasfeld TucsonCitizen.com, Anger Toward Secure Communities Deportation Program Reaches New Levels, Posted by Hugh Holub VivirLatin, Secure Communities Report Makes Good Recommendations in the Wrong Context Part I, Posted by Maegan LaMala
PRESS COVERAGE CBP HS Today, CBP Partnering with DHS Inspector General to Address Corruption By Phil Legg iere August 22, 2011. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner Alan D. Bersin last week finalized an agreement to send CBP investigative personnel to work with the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General as part of coordinated efforts to detect and deter corruption within the workforce. KHOU-TV, DHS steps in, bolsters ability to investigate corrupt border agents By Mark Greenblatt August 19, 2011. The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General will take a significantly expanded role with investigations of allegations of corrupt employees of the Customs and Border Protection agency. "Link also shared on Twitter by DHSJobs and Mark Greenblatt. ExecutiveGov, CBP & DHS Inspector General to Fight Corruption Together By Ross Wilkers August 18, 2011. Customs and Border Protection will partner with the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General to investigate corruption within CBP, the agency announced Friday. *Link also shared on Twitter. Federal News Radio, CBP to probe workforce corruption By Ruben Gomez August 17, 2011. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will investigate its workforce for signs of corruption, with help from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (01G). *Link also shared on Twitter by CBP. Arizona Daily Star, Border corruption cases grow By Brady McCombs August 16, 2011. A few months after he first donned the green uniform of the Border Patrol, agent Yamilkar Fierros aroused suspicions by asking others about technology used to catch smugglers.
FEMA AL.com, Calls about suspected tornado-related fraud decrease in Alabama By Robin DeMonia August 22, 2011. Calls about potential scams related to Alabama tornadoes have dropped sharply during the summer although they continue to trickle in, according to reports from the National Disaster Fraud Hotline. Savannah Morning News, Savannah's FEMA lot under new state, federal reviews By Lesley Conn August 20, 2011. A city-built detention pond on Betty Drive is coming under renewed review by state and federal emergency agencies. Baton Rouge Business Report, LaPolitics by John Madinnis: State probes contractor scandal August 19, 2011. If Gov. Bobby Jindal did have a substantial opponent today, he or she would have a prime issue to attack him on: the allegations of corruption and lack of oversight of a federally funded home elevation grant program run by this administration. WAFB-TV, Teams examine corn uters feds 'oin flood elevation probe By Robb Hays
August 19, 2011. A current Louisiana government worker has been placed on leave and a former state employee is being investigated as part of an on-going probe into Louisiana's floodelevation program, Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater said Thursday. The Times-Picayune, State probes home-elevation effort By David Hammer August 18, 2011. Commissioner of Administration Paul Rainwater said the state has launched a sweeping internal investigation, in conjunction with the federal Homeland Security inspector general and Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell's office, into allegations of graft and data leaks in the $750 million Hazard Mitigation program.
ICE Hispanically Speaking News, Authoritative National Report Condemns Secure Communities Program August 20, 2011. National Leaders, Experts, and Victims of S-Comm Conclude Program Should Be Ended. This week, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network and others made public an authoritative report condemning the Secure Communities deportation program and recommending its termination. Reno News Review, Immigration decision attacked By Dennis Myers August 18, 2011. After years of seeking the cooperation of states for a controversial immigration program, the Obama administration has cut the states loose and gone it alone.
OIG INV WAVY-TV, Four indicted in CG kickback scheme August 19, 2011. Four people were indicted today by a Norfolk federal court grand jury on charges of conspiracy, theft of public money, wire fraud, illegal gratuities, false statements and money laundering in connection with a Coast Guard contract kickback scheme.
TSA HS Today, TSA Improves Wireless Cybersecurity After IG Audit By Micky McCarter August 22, 2011. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently adopted improvements in practices to patch and configure software on its wireless networks to improve cybersecurity, following recommendations of the inspector general (IG) at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
USC/S NextGov, Investigation reveals widespread insider hacking at immigration agency By Aliya Sternstei n August 18, 2011. A yearlong probe into computer fraud at an immigration application processing center uncovered multiple incidents of internal hacking where staff accessed management-level emails and other confidential files, according to Homeland Security Department interviews, network analyses and internal emails obtained by Nextgov. *Reposted in the National Journal.
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 22-30, 2011

SYNOPSIS
The OIG was featured in national, regional, local and special-interest outlets over the past week, including The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Arizona Daily Star. Top stories include: OIG investigative efforts. o DHS grant audit findings. TSA network vulnerabilities. Featured reports: o OIG 11-101 "Use of DHS Purchase Cards" o OIG 11-99 "Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Better Protect TSA's Wreless Network and Devices" o OIG 11-33 "Examining insider Threat Risk at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Redacted)" o OIG 11-30 "The State of New York's Management of State Homeland Security Program and Urban Areas Security Initiative Grants Awarded During Fiscal Years 2006 through 2008"
KEY QUOTES "'In a redacted report released Aug. 22, the Inspector General found scans of the air marshal program's Blackberry service turned up numerous vulnerabilities.- Ross Wilkers, ExecutiveGov "In New York, $3 million was spent on automated public health records to help identify bioterrorism threats, but investigators for the department's Inspector General in 2008 found that employees who used the program weren't even aware of its potential bioterrorism applications." Kim Murphy, The Los Angeles Times
TWITTER/BLOGS/ETC.
People's Blog for the Constitution, Report recommends new strategies on immigration, Posted by Naji Mujahid The American Spectator, Weigel Laughs in the Face of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse, Posted by Matthew Vadum beSpacific, Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Can Better Protect TSA's Wireless Network and Devices Goldfizz.com, Rampant insider hacking at U.S. immigration agency Supply Chain Brain, Customs, Homeland Security Inspector General Reach Accord on Corruption Probes Crucial Point, Federal air marshal Blackberries at risk, says OHS OIG Federal Law Enforcement News, Anti-Corruption Agreement Signed Between CBP and DHS Inspector General PressTV, DHS told loud and clear: Stop tearing immigrant families apart Info Security, TSA probed for wireless security lapses
PRESS COVERAGE
CBP Arizona Daily Star, Customs and Border Protection takes anti-corruption measure By Brady McCombs August 22, 2011. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is going to send its own internal affairs investigators to work with the Homeland Security's Inspector General under a new agreement designed to streamline efforts to detect and stop corruption within the ranks.
DHS Grant Audits The Los Angeles Times, Is Homeland Security spending paying off? By Kim Murphy August 28, 2011. On the edge of the Nebraska sand hills is Lake McConaughy, a 22-mile-long reservoir that in summer becomes a magnet for Winnebagos, fishermen and kite sailors. But officials here in Keith County, population 8,370, imagined this scene: an Al Qaeda sleeper cell hitching explosives onto a ski boat and plowing into the dam at the head of the lake. * Also featured in the Anchorage Daily News, Tacoma News Tribune, and The Vancouver Sun. Associated Press, With CIA help, NYPD moves covertly in Muslim areas By Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo August 24, 2011. In New Brunswick, N.J., a building superintendent opened the door to apartment No. 1076 one balmy Tuesday and discovered an alarming scene: terrorist literature strewn about the table and computer and surveillance equipment set up in the next room. *Full AP article with 0/G mention also featured in the following outlets: The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Long Island Business News, Long Island Press, The Journal-Times, and The Huffington Post.
DHS MGMT Washington Technology, DHS oversight of purchase cards has 'significant gaps,' IG says By Alice Lipowicz August 29, 2011. The Homeland Security Department has significant gaps in its controls over employee purchase cards, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General. FEMA Insurance Journal, Louisiana's Suit Against Katrina Whistleblowers Dismissed By Michael Kunzelman August 26, 2011. A federal judge on Aug. 24 dismissed a lawsuit by the state of Louisiana accusing two self-described whistleblowers of illegally copying and circulating documents containing confidential information about homeowners applying to a Hurricane Katrina grant program. * Also featured in Claims Journal. Democrat and Chronicle, Woman pleads guilty in Katrina fraud case August 26, 2011. Audrey Thomas, 34, of Jamestown pleaded guilty in federal to theft of government property before U.S. District Judge David G. Larimer. The Times-Picayune, State's lawsuit against Louisiana whistleblowers is dismissed August 24, 2011. A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by the state of Louisiana accusing two self-described whistleblowers of illegally copying and circulating documents containing confidential information about homeowners applying to a Hurricane Katrina grant program. *Also featured in Houston Chronicle.
LaPolitics.com, Louisiana's home raising program makes victims twice over By John Maginnis August 23, 2011. A federally financed grant program, beset with delays, disorganization, claims of unfairness and, ultimately, allegations of graft directed at a state official might sound like the bad old days. But the problems and scandal surrounding the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program lie squarely at the feet of the Jindal administration, which is scrambling to contain the damage and to fix what's gone awry. *Also featured in the following outlets: NOLA.com, thetowntalk.com, and Baton Rouge Business Report.
TSA Network World, Windows XP on TSA laptops? TSA Dinged in Wireless Cybersecurity Audit By Ms. Smith August 24, 2011. DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) dinged TSA in a recent security audit. High-risk vulnerabilities were detected in Federal Air Marshals' Blackberry devices, in patch management, in configuration controls ... and can you believe Windows XP on TSA laptops? *Link shared on Twitter by 2 individual accounts. ExecutiveGov, Air Marshal BlackBerry Devices At Risk, OIG Report Says By Ross Wilkers August 23, 2011. Blackberry devices used by federal air marshals have a backlog of security patches, leaving them open to security threats, the Homeland Security Department inspector general found.
USCIS NextGov, Say goodbye to traditional immigration processing forms By Aliya Sternstein August 29, 2011. In preparation for a long-delayed transition to online processing of immigration applications, the Homeland Security Department has released new rules for describing forms and filing procedures in official policies. HSNW, Rampant insider hacking at U.S. immigration agency August 23, 2011. A yearlong investigation by the DHS Inspector General has revealed multiple instances of insider hacking at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The inspector general found that employees had accessed management-level email and other confidential files.
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: August 30 September 6, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in regional, local and special-interest outlets over the past week, including Government Executive and Homeland Security Today. Top stories include: o Formation of DHS and ODNI. o DHS-wide purchase card practices. Featured reports: o OIG 11-101 "Use of DHS Purchase Cards" o OIG 11-99 "Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Better Protect TSA's Wireless Network and Devices" o OIG-11-04 "Information Sharing With Fusion Centers Has Improved, but Information System Challenges Remain"
KEY QUOTES
"'As serious as this finding is, the DHS IG's audit highlights a much bigger, long-standing concern of counterterrorism and law enforcement officials, which is the threat of terrorists getting their hands on official credentials.'" Anthony Kimery, Homeland Security Today
TwirrER/BLoGs/E-rc. Gnom News, Homeland Security purchase card oversight not up to snuff, watchdog finds McHenry County Blog, Midway Customs Supervisor Gets 46 Months for Getting $1,500 in Bribes to Alter Restaurant Illegal Immigration Status Posted by Cal Skinner Datamyne, CBP's Bonding Falls Short, Posted by Peter Quinter
PRESS COVERAGE
DHS MGMT
Federal Computer Week, The creation of DHS and ODNI: cautionary tales By Camille Tuutti, August 31, 2011. The creation of the Homeland Security Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, although generally an overall positive step toward bolstering domestic counterterrorism efforts in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, presented several management challenges that make a good cautionary tale for the federal government, according to a report released Aug. 29 by the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton, "Securing the Future: Lessons from 9/11,"
Government Executive, Homeland Security purchase card oversight not up to snuff, watchdog finds By Caitlin Fairchild, August 30, 2011. More than 90 percent of the Homeland Security Department's purchase card transactions do not fully comply with Office of Management and Budget guidelines, according to a new Inspector General report.
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FEMA Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosan charged with FEMA fraud By Stephanie Taylor September 1, 2011. A Tuscaloosa woman is accused of lying to Federal Emergency Management Agency officials to obtain disaster benefits after the April 27 tornado.
I&A America's War Within, Homeland security office creates 'intelligence spam,' insiders claim By Andrew Becker and G.W. Schulz, CIR September 5, 2011. In the days after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the White House and Congress demanded the government find better ways to "connect the dots" of terror threats to prevent a repeat of the carnage.
TSA Homeland Security Today, Lax TSA Bagging Oversight Highlights Larger Issue of Terrorists Acquiring Law Enforcement Credentials, Weapons By Anthony Kimery September 1, 2011. The report of a recent Department of Homeland Security (UHS) Inspector General (IG) audit determined that "individuals who pose a threat may obtain airport badges and gain access to secured airport areas" because of deficient vetting and oversight by the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) process of credentialing airport workers.
OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: September 6-12, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in national, regional and special-interest outlets over the past week, including ABC World News, Federal Computer Week, and Huffington Post. Top stories include: o The anniversary of 9/11 and the formation of DHS. o OIG grant audits. o USCIS vulnerabilities. Featured reports: o OIG 11-99 "Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Better Protect TSA's Wireless Network and Devices" a 01G-11-83 "The State of Nevada's Management of State Homeland Security Program and Urban Areas Security Initiative Grants Awarded During Fiscal Years 2006 through 2008" o OIG 11-33 "Examining Insider Threat Risk at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (Redacted)"
KEY QUOTES "In 2008, the DHS Inspector General found that skilled staffers knowingly created vulnerabilities, although their motives are not entirely clear from the documents obtained. Today, some employees contend network weaknesses and unqualified or incompetent technicians remain a problem."NextGov "The 2009 report from the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General also found numerous lapses in the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement oversaw standards at private detention facilities. The immigration agency not only outsourced much of prison operations to the private sector, according to the report, but also hired private contractors to do annual inspections and on-site monitoring." Chris Kirkham, Huffington Post
TWITTER/BLOCS/ETC.
Pakistan Observer, (Via Los Angeles Times) Is Homeland Security spending paying off? By Kim Murphy o Also posted in the Dallas Morning News Funding Attractions, Sneak Preview: TSA Developing Plan To Mitigate Amtrak Attacks Daily Kos, Top Secret America and the Huge Blank Checks, DefPro Defending the Nation since 9/11: Successful Reform and Challenges Ahead at DHS Think Progress, After 9/11, Perry's Texas Wasted Homeland Security Money On Sports Cars, Neckties, And A Hog Catcher Truth Dig, Homeland Security Office Creates 'Intelligence Spam,' Insiders Say
PRESS COVERAGE
OHS Grant Audits KXTV, Where Northern CA counties spent their post 9-11 anti-terrorism money By Suzanne Phan September 12, 2011. Since the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government has poured billions of dollars into beefing up security and training local agencies. California received a large chunk of money for homeland security -- more than $3 billion worth of grants in the past decade. Office of Public Affairs 1
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Reno Gazette-Journal, Terror grants dwindle; Nevada will get the bill By Frank Mullen September 11, 2011. In the decade since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, billions in federal 'homeland security' dollars flowed to the states. That money, including about $164 million to Nevada, is drying up. Soon, Nevadans will have to choose whether to cut back on the post-Sept. 11 programs or further cut other government services and jobs. Federal News Radio, DHS aims to change history of lax acquisition oversight By Jason Miller September 7, 2011. The list of acquisition failures that litter the Homeland Security Department's history are well known. MSNBC, Tracking Homeland Security grants September 6, 2011. It has been nearly ten years since the attack on America prompted a massive security overhaul across the nation. During that time, the federal government has pumped $500 million in Homeland Security grants into Tennessee. "Also featured in WSMV-TV.
DHS MGMT Huffington Post, 9/11 Attacks Led To Half-Trillion-Dollar Homeland Security Spending Binge By Dan Froomkin September 9, 2011. In July, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security quietly scuttled a multibillion dollar program to install high-tech radiation detectors at the nation's ports. A top priority of the Bush administration, the advanced spectroscopic portal (ASP) devices that the Raytheon Company was being paid to build weren't just way behind schedule and enormously over budget -- they didn't actually appear to work. The failed project cost taxpayers well over $230 million. Federal Computer Week, DHS still has growing pains, comptroller says By Alice Lipowicz September 7, 2011. Eight years after its creation, the Homeland Security Department still has problems integrating as an organization, according to Gene Dodaro, comptroller general of the United States, who heads the Government Accountability Office. ABC World News, Ten Years Later: Could We Prevent Another 9/11? By Brian Ross September 6, 2011. On this day ten years ago, President George Bush was back in the White House from a vacation in Texas, where he had been briefed about a CIA report titled, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the U.S." American Observer, Homeland security: accounting and accountability By Zoe Sullivan and Michael Harris, Jr. September 6, 2011. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is charged with acting as a guardian of its citizens, but is it possible to protect Americans completely in an ever-changing world?
ICE Huffington Post, After 9/11, A New Era In The Business Of Detaining Immigrants By Chris Kirkham September 9, 2011. On a conference call with investors less than two months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Wall Street executive Steve Logan predicted a new era of unbridled growth for his industry: the for-profit prison business.
TSA My Fox Boston, Logan security warning ignored Office of Public Affairs 2
September 11, 2011. Months before the planes from Boston hit the Twin Towers, FOX Undercover exposed serious security shortcomings at Logan International Airport, and at least one expert is still wondering why it took warnings like that weren't heeded and whether it'll take another one to finally fix lingering security concerns. Examiner.com, Illegal alien employees pose threats at U.S. Airports By Jim Kouri September 8, 2011. A decade after the worst terrorist attack in American history, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security which was created to protect the nation's transportation system, has cleared "individuals who pose a threat" to work in "secure" areas of U.S. airports.
USC/S NextGov, DHS insider hacking case reveals serious network security vulnerabilities September 12, 2011. Recent interviews with current and former personnel involved in a 2008 federal investigation into hacking and other network abuse at an immigration application processing center in Texas portray an out-of-control information technology office at a key Homeland Security Department agency. The vulnerabilities exposed by the year-long probe raise troubling questions about the agency's ability to police insider threats and employee and contractor access to critical government networks.
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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: September 12-19, 2011 SYNOPSIS The OIG was featured in national, regional and special-interest outlets over the past week, including Forbes, NextGov, and The New York Times. Top stories include: o DHS financial IT security vulnerabilities o OIG grant audits o OIG investigations Featured reports: o OIG 11-103 "Information Technology Management Letter for the FY 2010 DHS Financial Statement Audit (Redacted)" c OIG 11-99 "Improvements in Patch and Configuration Management Controls Better Protect TSA's Wireless Network and Devices" o OIG 08-62 "Transportation Security Administration's Efforts to Proactively Address Employee Concerns" OIG 08-09 "Review of the USCIS Benefit Fraud Referral Process (Redacted Revised)"
KEY QUOTES "'Collectively,' the IG report said, 'the IT control deficiencies limited DHS's ability to ensure that critical financial and operational data were maintained in such a manner to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability. In addition, these deficiencies negatively impacted the internal controls over DHS's financial reporting and its operation and we consider them to collectively represent a material weakness for DHS under standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and GAO [Government Accountability Office]." GovInfoSecurity "The process of initiating fraud investigations is cumbersome, according to a report by Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General. A suspicion that a marriage is fraudulent must be vetted at four levels at two agencies dealing with green card issues and immigration fraud - US Citizenship and Immigration Services and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Even then, a US attorney may decide not to prosecute." Stephen Kurkjian and Callum Borchers, Boston.com
TwiTTER/BLoGs/ETC. Airport Business, TSA and Law Enforcement Officers in Nevada and Florida Charged in Prescription Drug Ring; Narcotics Trafficking Network Results In 20 Arrests Hispanic Tips, Controversy Widens Over "Secure Communities" Deportation Program Congress.org Soapbox, SOMETHING ROTTEN IN THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS COVERAGE DHS Grant Audits My San Antonio, Houston area wins nearly $1 billion in homeland security spending since 9/11 attacks By Stewart Powell September 12, 2011. The nation's post-9/11 security buildup has been a bonanza for Houston over the past decade. A Houston Chronicle analysis of federal spending shows the sprawling metropolitan region has received nearly $962 million in contracts to bolster local law enforcement, assist hurricane victims and protect the cornerstones of the local economy.
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MGMT GovInfoSecurity, IG Deems DHS Financial, Operational Data at Risk By Eric Chabrow September 14, 2011. The inability of the Department of Homeland Security to implement appropriate IT and application controls has placed at risk the confidentiality, integrity and availability of DHS's financial and operational data, according to an audit conducted for the department's Inspector General. Law360, DHS Financial IT Security Still Sorely Lacking: Report By Rachel Slajda September 14, 2011. The systems that manage financial information within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have security weaknesses that could cause major errors in the agency's financial statements, according to a report commissioned by the department's Inspector General and released Monday. NextGov, Cracks in security leave DHS financial systems vulnerable to abuse By Aliya Sternstein Sepiember 13, 2011. Security weaknesses in the computers that track money for the Homeland Security Department could lead to a substantial mistake in the agency's financial statements, according to a federal audit. Daily Beast, America's Next 12 Terror Threats By John Solomon September 12, 2011. With solemn grandeur, Americans celebrated a decade of resilience and resolve since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. And while the celebration of the anniversary the first since Osama bin Laden's deathmay have helped bring closure to some, it can't obscure the looming threat of new attacks as the United States enters its second decade in the war against terror.
TSA Palm Beach Post, Revamp TSA, critics insist after drug arrests at Palm Beach International Airport By Alexandra Seltzer September 16, 2011. The two Transportation Security Administration officers who were charged this week with helping drug traffickers move oxycodone through Palm Beach International Airport are just the latest problem for the agency. Ever since its creation, the TSA has been slammed by its own employees, an inspector general and even the Florida congressman who helped create what he now calls a "mindless Soviet-style operation." Forbes, TSA officers arrested on drug charges in Conn. By John Christoffersen, AP September 13, 2011. Three federal Transportation Security Administration officers and two other law enforcement officers were arrested on charges of accepting cash or gift cards in exchange for permitting prescription drug dealers to move tens of thousands of highly addictive painkiller pills and cash proceeds from the illegal sales through airports and highways. The New York Times, Airport Security Officers Charged in Drug Case By Kristen Hussey September 13, 2011. Three Transportation Security Administration officers have been charged with accepting bribes to let couriers smuggle painkillers and cash undetected through security checkpoints at airports in New York and Florida, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Hartford Courant, Airport Security Officers And Cops Snared In Multistate Oxycodone Ring, U.S. Attorney Says By Edmund H. Mahoney and Stephen Busemeyer September 13, 2011. Federal agents have broken up a drug ring that paid police and airport security officers to protect the illegal shipment from Florida to Connecticut of enormous quantities of highly addictive pain medication, authorities said Tuesday.
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Westchester Journal News Feds: Gift cards, cash greased wheels for painkiller distribution through Westchester airport By Shawn Cohen September 13, 2011. A Westchester County police officer assigned to Westchester County Airport, three Transportation Security Administration officers and a Florida state trooper have been arrested on charges of participating in a conspiracy to distribute tens of thousands of oxycodone pills through the county airport. Orlando Sentinel, TSA, FHP officers arrested as Florida to Connecticut drug pipeline busted By Robert Norlin September 13, 2011. Thinking he was providing protection for a drug dealer delivering his goods in Connecticut, the Florida Highway Patrol trooper bragged about his own criminal past. "I used to get big in weed and coke," he said. "Moving about 20-30 kilos at a time." The exchange was captured by a hidden microphone.
USCIS & ICE Sentinel Source, Lax enforcement By Stephen Kurkjian and Callum Borchers September 18, 2011. It is a felony under federal law. Yet every year thousands of American citizens participate in sham marriages with illegal immigrants in exchange for thousands of dollars, and they do so without fear because there is virtually no risk of detection or punishment. *Also featured in the Providence Journal, Union-News & Sunday Republican. Boston.com, A marriage of a dream and a scheme By Stephen Kurkjian and Callum Borchers September 18, 2011. Town Clerk Annette Cappy, whose office issues hundreds of marriage licenses a year, began to notice in 2005 there was something decidedly unromantic about some of the couples seeking the licenses.

2011 Media Week in Review (DHS OIG)

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2011 Media Week in Review (DHS OIG)

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Office of nspector General U.S.

Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528

Katherine R. Gallo Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General Enclosures

Requester's Name: Jason Smathers FOIA/PA NO.: 2011-184

PAGE(S) OF DOCUMENT(S) RELEASED IN FULL (RIF)

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011

DHS OIG Press Coverage

CBP Border Corruption

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Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS 01G Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011

Week in Review: June 6-10,2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

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DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

ICE Secure Communities

Denver Post Colorado hedging on commitment to controversial Secure Communities program

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

Week in Review: June 6-10, 2011 DHS OIG Press Coverage

For Internal Use Only

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For Internal Use Only

OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 10-21, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: June 10-21, 2011

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KEY QUOTES None

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 5-11, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 5-11, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 5-11, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 11-18, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 11-18, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 11-18, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 18-22, 2011

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OIG Media Coverage Week in Review: July 22 - August 1, 2011