The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terrorism, border security, immigration and customs, cyber security, and disaster prevention and management.
The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11, 2001.
United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, as well as enforcing U.S. regulations, including trade, customs, and immigration. CBP is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the United States. It has a workforce of more than 45,600 federal agents and officers. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
Michael Chertoff is an American attorney who was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security to serve under President George W. Bush. Chertoff also served for one additional day under President Barack Obama. He was the co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. Chertoff previously served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as Assistant U.S. Attorney General. He succeeded Tom Ridge as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005.
Richard Jeffrey Danzig is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 71st Secretary of the Navy under President Bill Clinton. He served as an advisor of the President Barack Obama during his presidential campaign and was later the chairman of the national security think-tank, the Center for a New American Security.
Jayson P. Ahern is the former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from February 2009 to March 2010. He was Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations from March 2003 to August 2007. He managed an operating budget of $2.2 billion and directs the activities of more than 25,000 employees, including more than 19,000 CBP Officers and Agriculture Specialists, and oversees the programs and operations at 20 Field Operations offices, 317 ports of entry and 14 preclearance stations in Canada and the Caribbean. He was responsible for Immigration Policy and Programs that includes all immigration issues related to the admission and exclusion of aliens as well as the Agricultural Inspection at all Ports of Entry to protect the health of U.S. plant and animal resources and the facilitation of their movement in the global market place.
The Secure Fence Act of 2006, also labelled H.R. 6061, is an act of the United States Congress which authorized and partially funded the construction of 700 miles (1,125 km) of fencing along the Mexican border. The Act was signed into law on October 26, 2006, by U.S. President George W. Bush, who stated at the time that the Act would "help protect the American people", would "make our borders more secure", and was "an important step toward immigration reform".
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue in University City, San Diego. Incorporated in 1887, Beth Israel traces its roots back to 1861; and is the largest and oldest Jewish congregation in San Diego.
The Global Trade Exchange (GTX) is, or was, a controversial homeland security intelligence project, related to cross-border trade financial data, being one of three pillars of the Safe Ports Act-related Secure Freight Initiatives. The Global Trade Exchange idea originated in 2004 from the Department of Homeland Security Intelligence and Analysis office, and between 2007 and 2008 was avidly promoted by the U.S. intelligence community, yet in March 2008 was suddenly placed in an "on hold" status. Described as a ready-to-buy, commercially available database, the GTX was rush-funded by Congress as part of and championed relentlessly by then-United States Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff in evident disregard of objections of confused and frustrated U.S. private sector trade groups. The Global Trade Exchange was discussed in October 2007 in the House Homeland Security Meeting on Maritime Terrorism and the "Safe Ports Act". In the October 30, 2007 House Homeland Security Meeting on Maritime Terrorism meeting, Customs Commissioner Thomas Winkowski reported to House Representative Henry Cuellar that the Global Trade Exchange was a "data warehouse" about which a "series of meetings have been held", and that "our lawyers are trying to get our arms around it".
Juliette N. Kayyem is an American former government official and author. She is host of the Boston-based radio channel WGBH (FM)'s podcast The SCIF, and has also appeared on CNN and Boston Public Radio, and written columns for The Boston Globe.
Mark A. Morgan is an American law enforcement official who served as the Chief Operating Officer and acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection from July 5, 2019, to January 20, 2021.
Alejandro Nicolas Mayorkas is an American attorney and government official who was the 7th United States secretary of homeland security, serving from 2021 until 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Mayorkas previously served as the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013, and the 6th deputy secretary of homeland security from 2013 to 2016.
Michael J. Fisher served as Chief of the United States Border Patrol and was a member of the Senior Executive Service from 2010 to 2015.
Bersin is a village in Kyustendil Municipality, Kyustendil Province, south-western Bulgaria.
Russell C. Deyo is an American lawyer and government official. Appointed Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on May 11, 2015, he became the Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) on November 1, 2016.
Kevin Kealoha McAleenan is an American attorney and government official who served as the acting United States secretary of homeland security from April to November 2019.
John P. Sanders is an American technologist and business executive, who is the former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
John Kai Tien Jr. is an American government official and retired United States Army officer who served as the United States deputy secretary of homeland security in the Biden administration from 2021 to 2023.
Troy A. Miller is an American law enforcement official who served as the Acting Commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection from 2022 to 2025, a position he previously held between January and December 2021. From December 2021 to November 2022 he served as the Deputy Commissioner.
Benjamine C. Huffman is an American law enforcement official who is the Director of Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and currently serving as Acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security since January 20, 2025.
