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.
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.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. It is a successor to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS),which was dissolved by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and replaced by three components within the DHS:USCIS,Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Alan Douglas Bersin is a senior advisor at the international law firm Covington &Burling. He also serves as an Inaugural Senior Fellow in the Homeland Security Project at the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government,as a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars,and as Inaugural North America Fellow at the Canada Institute and the Mexico Institute. He is Chairman of the consulting firm BorderWorks Group,and Executive Chairman of Altana Trade.
Deborah Spero was Deputy Commissioner,U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP),from April 2004 to August 2007. From November 25,2005 until June 2,2006,she served as the Acting Commissioner of CBP. As Acting Commissioner,she advanced strategic initiatives focused on CBP’s priority mission of preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States.
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".
Command Group,"CG",founded as Command Consulting Group,is an international security and intelligence consulting firm,founded in 2009,headquartered in Washington,D.C.,United States. CG provides advisory services for governments,corporations,and high net worth individuals.
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 is the 7th United States Secretary of Homeland Security,serving since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party,Mayorkas previously served as director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013,and the 6th Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2013 to 2016.
Ronald Donato Vitiello is an American government official and former U.S. Border patrol agent who served as deputy director and acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from June 30,2018 to April 12,2019. He previously served as acting deputy commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection from 2017 to 2018 and chief of the United States Border Patrol in 2017. In 2018,U.S. president Donald Trump awarded Vitiello a Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive in the Senior Executive Service.
Thomas S. Winkowski is a retired former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He was previously Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Winkowski has been awarded the Meritorious Presidential Rank Award by President George W. Bush in 2004 and the Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award by President Barack Obama in 2009. He was the acting director of ICE until 2014.
Kevin Kealoha McAleenan is an American attorney and government official who unlawfully served as the acting United States secretary of homeland security from April to November 2019.
Randolph D. "Tex" Alles is an American law enforcement officer and government official who currently serves as the Deputy Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management and the de facto head of the DHS Management Directorate,under the various titles of both Acting Under Secretary and Senior Official Performing the Duties of Under Secretary. He also served as the 25th Director of the United States Secret Service from April 2017 to May 2019,and previously as the acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,as well as in the United States Marine Corps,in which he reached the rank of major general.
Claire M. Grady is a former American government official who served in areas of national defense and security procurement. She served as the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management,as well as the acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from August 2017 until April 2019. Prior to assuming her the role,she served as director of defense procurement and acquisition policy at the United States Department of Defense. In her previous capacity in the U.S. Department of Defense,Grady was a member of the Defense Acquisition Board.
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 R. Sandweg is an American attorney who served as an acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from August 1,2013 to February 21,2014. He is a partner of Nixon Peabody leading the Cross-Border Risks team.
