There is absolutely nothing wrong with full-body scanners. In fact, the more we innovate and introduce new security technologies, the more we can stay one step ahead of terrorists. But there are major problems with the way the Department of Homeland Security, through the Transportation Security Administration, is handling security at airports. Requiring more and more passengers to choose (a) a full-body scan or (b) an aggressive pat-down as part of routine screening (also called primary inspection) sends a message that everyone is a terrorist risk when, in fact, almost …
Yesterday, authorities arrested Antonio Martinez in a plot to bomb a military recruiting center in Maryland. This plot was very similar to the Little Rock, Arkansas, recruiting center shooting in 2009. Like Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad, the main suspect in the Little Rock shooting, Martinez is a converted Muslim American living in the United States. There are three key points to take from this foiled plot: 1. The recent focus on adding more physical airline security measures at airports won’t help stop plots like the military recruiting center shooting and yesterday’s …
On Friday, a Somali-born man attempted to blow up a van full of explosives at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon. The FBI, however, had supplied him with a fake bomb and was able to arrest him immediately as part of a well-orchestrated string operation. Kudos to the FBI for taking this plot down. Similarly to the recent D.C. Metro plot, the public was never in any danger—and that, of course, is a good thing. What isn’t a good thing, however, is the recent focus on throwing security …
It’s time for speculation in Washington. And the question on everyone’s mind is what exactly Congress will do during the Lame Duck session? The DREAM Act has been talked about as one possibility. In September, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D–NV) attempted (and failed) to incorporate the DREAM Act into the Defense Authorization Bill. However, Reid has a big incentive to try to push forward with passage before the end of the year. He promised to bring the act up for a vote during his hotly contested Senate reelection campaign …
“Don’t Touch My Junk.” The anthem of one furious airport passenger has become a rallying cry for airport passengers around the United States. Who can blame them? As Charles Krauthammer puts it in his recent piece in the Washington Post, at today’s airport screening line “[w]izened seniors strain to untie their shoes; beltless salesmen struggle comically to hold up their pants; 3-year-olds scream while being searched insanely for explosives…”. There must be something wrong when a 15 hour road trip with the entire family seems a more convenient way to …
Yesterday, the FBI announced the arrest of a Virginia man, Farooque Ahmed, on charges of “providing material support to terrorists and collecting information for a terrorist attack.” Ahmed is suspected of plotting to bomb several locations around the D.C. area, including several stations in the Metro rail system. This arrest will have quite a few commuters on edge. Yet, this is a good example of the right way to stop terrorist plots against the United States—early on and before a plan of attack can ever get off the ground. In …
In a recent CQ article, former Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, weighed in about congressional oversight of homeland security. Congressional oversight of homeland security may sound as exciting as a colonoscopy, but it is actually a very big problem. Currently, over 100 committees and subcommittees have jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security. As you can guess, Members of Congress use this as a political tool—holding hearings completely unrelated to actual security and many times making unreasonable or uneducated requests of the department. All of this undoubtedly distracts DHS …
Today, The Washington Post is reporting an exchange between President Obama and journalist/author Bob Woodward. The President is quoted as saying that “we can absorb a terrorist attack.” The President’s job is first and foremost to protect national security and American lives. Saying that we could “absorb” an attack does not mean that we want to absorb one. Americans want to be successful in the war on terror. Setting us up for defeat is far from a winning strategy. This statement—which embodies the President’s handling of terrorism as a law …
It’s been 9 years since the 9/11 attacks. America is still being attacked—the Times Square and Christmas Day plots are the most recent examples. Congress, however, continues to act like it is still September 10, 2001. For instance: It continues to ignore key 9/11 Commission recommendations—the Commission emphasized that Congress needed to reform its oversight process for homeland security. Instead of doing so, the problem just got worse. Now 108 committees, subcommittees and commissions have oversight over the Department of Homeland Security—creating a big headache for homeland security and a …
According to a new Pew Hispanic Center report, illegal immigration has dropped by almost two-thirds in the past ten years. The numbers increased, but slowed from 2000 to 2007, while the numbers dropped by 300,000 from 2007-2009. This is not a surprising trend. The Department of Homeland Security announced in early 2010 that the illegal population in the United States had dropped from 11.6 to 10.8 million from 2008-2009. The fledgling economy coupled with the institution of increased enforcement efforts during the Bush years have pushed illegals inside the United …
