A week after dressing down TSA for suggesting that Congress did not really mean for all air cargo to be scanned, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson followed up with a letter to DHS accusing it of trying to undermine congressional intent to fully scan 100 percent of all cargo — both air and maritime.

On Wednesday, The Heritage Foundation hosted Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) and a panel of commentators to discuss the chaos in Congress’ oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. Congressman Rogers, who is the ranking member on the Management, Investigations and Oversight subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, did an outstanding job of setting out the foundation for why the current system of oversight is broken and why that creates unnecessary vulnerabilities. The panel discussion involved some interesting questions about the partisan nature of the problem, as well as the Department’s push-back to Congress’ neverending demands.

On Wednesday, July 30th, Security DeBrief contributor and Olive, Edwards & Cooper principal David Olive will join a panel discussion sponsored by the Heritage Foundation to address the failure of Congress’ oversight for the Department of Homeland Security.

A growing, urgent and bipartisan consensus is emerging to demand that Congress implement the recommendation by the 9/11 Commission that it reform its maze of eighty-plus committees that set competing and often conflicting priorities.

It seems that what were once considered random voices in the wilderness calling for improvements to Congressional oversight are starting to assemble and become a louder and louder choir singing a hymn to Congress to ‘heal thyself.’

On July 15th, DHS’ Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis, Charlie Allen posted on the Department’s Leadership Journal blog about the National Applications Office (NAO). Entitled ‘Why the Country Needs the National Applications Office,’ the posting responds to criticisms that I and many others have offered about the NAO.

The irony is a little too delicious to pass up. The House Homeland Security Committee is holding hearings this month on how well the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission are being implemented by the Department of Homeland Security. Guess what won’t be on the agenda? Congress’s own failure to act.

5th Circuit Court of Appeals Hears Border Wall Arguments « Nonviolent Migration
Today three judges from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments on the rights of Baldomero and Hilaria Muñiz, and Pamela Rivas. Both families live in Los Ebanos and are refusing DHS access to survey their properties prior to building a [...]

Leadership Journal: Exactly What Do They Want?
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) lobbies for the HR execs who do corporate hiring. It also opposes E-Verify. I suppose corporate hiring is easier if you can hire illegal workers, so perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised that SHRM wants to kill a program that makes it harder [...]

For nearly a year, we’ve watched the battle over DHS’ proposed National Application Office (NAO) unfold. To say it is a lesson on how not to establish a federal program utilizing some of the most powerful technologies and capabilities would be an understatement. From the very start, it seems the NAO’s mission and scope have been fumbled and foiled.

Barack Obama just slapped me in the face. Figuratively. However, I must say, as an Obama supporter, I’m none too pleased about the blow. After finally deciding who to support in this race, I elected to put my money where my mouth is and make a donation to the campaign. Amazingly, it turns out that Obama wants ‘change’ from everyone but me! My donation was refused.

Today’s Lame Snark award goes to Al Kamen of the Washington Post. He righteously seized on an email sent out by DHS highlighting an Associated Press story in which citizens praised FEMA for its effective response to the floods in the Midwest.

Fellow Security Debrief blogger David Olive wrote recently about the conflicting messages and mandates that flow from the 86 conflicting and contending homeland security committees in Congress. The latest example of this Hamlet-like system of self-contradiction comes from the House Appropriations Committee, which complains that US Immigration and Enforcement spends too much time on … well, immigration enforcement.

Counterterrorism Blog: Jihad Against Freedom of Speech at the United Nations
The United Nations’ Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has no problem with its members suggesting that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job” perpetrated by the United States on itself … Denying the role of Jihadists in the 9/11 attacks is apparently perfectly acceptable freedom of [...]

Chemical Facility Security News: CFATA Delays
There is an interesting article by Samuel Loewenberg on Politico.com blaming the chemical industry and DHS for the congressional delays in taking up the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008 (HR 5577). Unfortunately the article fails to explain how the failure of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to [...]

No, I’m not talking about the absurd emails that are circulating suggesting that Obama is a Muslim. (So what if he were?) Instead, I’m talking about Obama’s own negative politicking on something too sensitive to be treated as standard campaign demagoguery.

Proper oversight for homeland security is necessary to ensure both accountability and the public trust. What currently exists, however, is not oversight — it is overkill. This overkill affects more than the overworked staff at DHS, who find themselves scrambling to meet the conflicting demands of 86 different masters. It affects an entire industry that is still trying to get its sea legs under it — and an American public that must navigate the attendant confusion.

The ongoing bipolar inconsistency of the U.S. Congress — that institution responsible for drafting our laws on immigration, among other things — was once again on display this past week. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey kicked it off with a harangue in which he accused federal immigration agents of everything from racism to general rudeness. Why? For enforcing the laws that Congress passed.

Much has been written and discussed in the past few weeks regarding the medical care of detainees held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. I don’t know how to avoid coming off as an insensitive, cold and heartless human being in coming to the defense of ICE and the management of its detainee health care program but I’ll give it a try.

I’m surprised not to have seen reporting in the mainstream or at least security-oriented media about a significant leadership change at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The long-time No. 2 man at ICE, John Clark, recently retired and was succeeded by John Torres, a very respected agent who has held a number of leadership positions at ICE. The change is more important than individuals only; it represents a significant evolution for ICE as a cohesive and maturing law enforcement agency.