Operation ATLAS: Targeting Illegal Cash Couriers Worldwide

Today Secretary Napolitano and World Customs Organization Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya joined together in Brussels to announce the results of an unprecedented international law enforcement operation that led to the seizure of more than $3.5 million in smuggled cash over a five day period.

Dubbed Operation ATLAS (Assess, Target, Link, Analyze and Share), this groundbreaking investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from over 80 countries worldwide to target and disrupt cash couriers--people employed by criminal organizations to move their illicit funds across international borders.

Operation ATLAS focused on identifying these illicit cash couriers by employing several different methods to detect cash carried in baggage, on travelers and in shipments aboard commercial flights at designated airports. ATLAS also promoted the sharing of information and intelligence among customs agencies. In the United States, this operation was led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with participation from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and coordinated by the World Customs Organization.

Operation ATLAS is the latest and largest example of how increased international cooperation among law enforcement and customs agencies has resulted in the identification of new smuggling routes and methods used by criminal organizations throughout the world.

In September, ICE worked closely with law enforcement partners in Colombia and Mexico to uncover more than $41 million smuggled in shipping containers bound for Colombia. And in July, an ICE-led multilateral operation targeting cash couriers seized more than $3.5 million and detected an additional $4.2 million in undeclared currency at ports of entry around the globe.

This level of multilateral coordination is truly unprecedented and illustrates how the Department and our international allies are working together to shut down criminal organizations’ old ways of doing business.

John Morton
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. and EU Agree on Data Protection Principles

This week the United States and European Union achieved a major milestone in data protection and data sharing. The U.S. – EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial completed a set of common principles that unite our approaches to protecting personal data when exchanging information for law enforcement and security purposes.

The Departments of Homeland Security, Justice and State have worked with experts from the EU Presidency and Commission for the past three years to develop these principles. Leadership on both sides of the Atlantic share a deeply rooted commitment to the protection of personal data and privacy when it comes to information sharing. This practical approach will enable Europe and the United States to remain global leaders in privacy protection as we work to protect our citizens from common threats to our security.

The next step is negotiating a binding international EU-U.S. agreement based on these common principles to facilitate further cooperation while ensuring the availability of full protection for our citizens. The Department of Homeland Security looks forward to being a part of those efforts in the months ahead.

Mary Ellen Callahan
Chief Privacy Officer
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

EU-US Joint Statement on "Enhancing transatlantic cooperation in the area of Justice, Freedom and Security" (PDF, 7 pages - 116KB)

Still Time to Contribute to a GreenGov

President Obama signed an executive order earlier this month instructing all federal agencies to develop plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by year 2020. The Department of Homeland Security is already a leader in this area, thanks in part to our Efficiency Review that Secretary Napolitano launched in March to make the Department a leaner, smarter agency better equipped to protect the nation.

As part of the Efficiency Review, the Department is already taking important steps to build a green culture. For example, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is configuring its computers to automatically shut down or stand by when they are not being used. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will use solar power to reduce energy usage at its new border patrol station in El Paso. And the new Coast Guard headquarters will be LEED-certified and incorporate a number of innovative, environmentally friendly design features.

There's no doubt there are many more ideas out there.

The President's GreenGov Challenge is a great way to help us find and implement them - at the Department of Homeland Security and across the federal government. Please visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/GreenGov to submit your ideas or vote on the most promising submissions by this Saturday, October 31st. Your voice will make a major difference in creating a more efficient and sustainable federal government.

Chris Cummiskey
Chief of Staff, Management Directorate

Securing America Against the Threat of Cyber Attack

Earlier today, I addressed a live web audience to talk about our nation’s shared responsibility for our cybersecurity. President Obama has been speaking regularly on this important issue, and has described the growing number of attacks on our networks as “one of the most serious economic and national security threats our nation faces.”

My remarks today were a chance to speak clearly and candidly about what cybersecurity really means for our nation, and to expand on the shared responsibility we all have for online security. You can view the remarks below.

Viewing this video requires the Flash 9 plugin.

The full transcript is also available.

As I mention in my remarks, you can read more about our Department’s cyber efforts, and find cyber security job opportunities at DHS.Gov/Cyber. We plan to host more online events like this in the future, and will in the coming days post answers to many of the excellent questions that viewers submitted during the address.

Yours very truly,
Janet Napolitano

Building a Ready and Resilient Nation

Over the past few months I have been laying out the five main areas of responsibility of the Department.

In July, I outlined our approach to our first priority – countering the threat of a terrorist attack. In August, I spoke about the new approach we’re taking to border security.

Today, in remarks at the American Red Cross, I’m speaking about another important mission: readiness and resilience.

Our nation may be better prepared than we were before 9/11. But there is much more we can – and should – do. And to get there, we must treat our nation’s preparedness as a shared responsibility, one where everyone has a role to play.

Civilians are usually the first to arrive in a crisis, and history shows that they are critical in those important first minutes. And these citizen responders can be an even more potent force by:

• Taking CPR training from the Red Cross
• Training with a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
• Knowing when to take shelter or evacuate
• Pre-planning evacuation routes and where to meet after a disaster strikes

If a disaster struck your hometown, that training, those skills, and those plans would free up first responders and emergency personnel to focus on those most in need.

So today, I’m calling on all Americans, across the country, to do two things.

First, take these basic steps:

1. get an emergency kit;
2. make a family reunification plan; and
3. become informed about the types of emergencies your community is most likely to encounter.

Second, I’m asking all of us who are in book clubs, prayer groups, school boards, alumni associations, or other community organizations, simply to raise your hand and ask, “What’s our plan?”

Together, we can build a culture of readiness and resilience, and together we can build a more secure future.

Janet Napolitano