Behind Mexico’s Wave of Beheadings - TIME
The biggest mass beheading in recent history caused widespread revulsion in Mexico but little surprise. Decapitations have become as commonplace in the increasingly vicious narco turf battles as stabbings are in London. During August alone, gangsters hacked off 30 craniums across the country — adding to the total of [...]

While there may be no legislative resolution to the thorny issue of illegal immigration this year, the next President and next DHS Secretary will have no choice. Technology is forcing the country to recognize the reality of illegal employment, and E-Verify is just one part of that new reality.

Barack Obama picks political fight with immigration agents, accusing them of terrorizing illegal immigrants and calling for a “top-to-bottom” review of the policies of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

When all is said and done, some will argue that Denver PD had a hand in fueling the violence that ensued while the world’s attention was focused on the political drama unfolding in their city. Though we haven’t seen (much of) anything yet, violent conflicts seem increasingly likely. We are only entering Day 2 of the Convention, and already there is footage of police violence, the threats of lawsuits and the very negative PR stories of the elderly being gassed

ICE’s Scheduled Departure program — or any voluntary immigration deportation program — will fail until Congress reforms immigration law to provide some incentive for illegal immigrants to voluntarily participate. As it stands, Congress has created incentives for just the opposite.

Police & Law Enforcement News - PoliceLink
The price of gasoline is currently hovering a little under $4 a gallon and the price of diesel is around $4.50 a gallon. Public service agencies buy fuel in bulk and do not pay taxes, saving on the overall cost of fuel, said Howell Police Chief George Basar, president [...]

Lawmakers’ use of “Gestapo” tag is wildly out of line, former immigration official Chris Battle (and Security Debrief contributor) writes in US News & World Report.

In light of the recent controversies provoked by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement more aggressively pursuing its mission with regard to worksite enforcement, this article in the current issue of Business Week is worth reading.

Homeland Security Today - news and analysis - CBP Border Data Collection Nothing New
In response to the flurry of anger expressed Wednesday by the ACLU and others over Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) nearly month-old notice in the Federal Register of its intent to implement its Border Crossing Information (BCI) system, intelligence and counterterror officials [...]

Counterterrorism Blog: The Price of the Criminal-Terror Nexus in Afghanistan
The increasingly sophisticated attacks by the Taliban against U.S. and NATO troops, including the recent coordinated strikes that left 10 French soldiers dead shows how the Taliban has evolved over the past year.
What is clear is that, whatever the strategy there is, it is not working. [...]

Border crossing data does cross line on privacy | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press
It is not surprising but nonetheless disturbing that the federal government has greatly expanded its data collection on the comings and goings of Americans at border points such as Detroit-Windsor and will keep the information for 15 years in case it’s needed [...]

When agents at ICE aren’t being criticized for not being aggressive enough, they’re being attacked for being too aggressive. A columnist on the West Coast attacks ICE as a “do nothing” agency even as politicians on the East Coast are accusing agents of being terrorists and Nazis. What’s wrong with this picture?

The latest criticism of Congressman Luis Gutierrez for his outrageous comparison of ICE agents to Nazis comes from the Anti-Defamation League. In an August 14 letter to Gutierrez, the ADL calls upon the congressman to repudiate his “inappropriate and insensitive” remarks.

Mexico’s Cocaine Capital - TIME
People across the country are coming to the same depressing conclusion. There have been 2,000 drug-related murders in Mexico this year, including scores of ghastly beheadings, putting 2008 well on pace to break last year’s record of 2,500 killings. Hundreds of victims are police, including the chief of the federal police, [...]

The Terror Finance Blog: Searching Laptops at the Border: a Misdirected Controversy
The fact is that the internet has made it eminently possible for virtually anyone to transfer information directly from computer to computer without needing to transport an actual electronic device anywhere. The availability of myriad means to do so, from Google Documents, [...]

FEDagent - Federal Law Enforcement & Homeland Security News
Border Patrol agents will no longer be permitted to conduct warrantless searches of laptop computers and other devices at the U.S. border, if a recently-introduced bill becomes law. The legislation - H.R. 6588 - was introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) on July 23rd.

Former Homeland Security NY Special Agent in Charge joins discussion of spike in terror-related tips as Olympics and elections raise concerns.

Trained terrorist organizations seek to win popular support by provoking governments into over-reaction — shutting down freedoms and liberties, and otherwise taking actions that open them to charges of tyranny. By being fully prepared for all contingencies, while also maintaining proper respect for the law and civil liberties and the reasonable (meaning restrained) use of force, governments and security planners eliminate one of the most powerful tactics of terrorist organizations.

Mexican Army Crosses Border, Accosts B.P. Agent - PoliceLink
A U.S. Border Patrol agent was held at gunpoint Sunday night by members of the Mexican military who had crossed the border into Arizona, but the soldiers returned to Mexico without incident when backup agents responded to assist.

The Washington Institute For Near East Policy

Drug Trafficking and Middle Eastern Terrorist Groups: A Growing Nexus?

Featuring Michael Braun
July 25, 2008
On July 18, 2008, Michael Braun, assistant administrator and chief of operations at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), addressed a special policy forum at The Washington Institute. Mr. Braun, a career special agent and a [...]