Combating the Cartels

According to the National Drug Threat Assessment 2009, Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) represent the greatest organized crime threat to the United States today. They threaten our economy, our communities, our children - all for obvious reasons. Simply put, combating DTOs must be a priority in the overall fight against drugs. Today, the Department of Homeland Security finalized an important step as part of that effort.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic of Mexico (PGR) formalized a new agreement, called the Illegal Drug Program (IDP), today in El Paso to help halt the progress of DTOs. Under the new agreement, Mexican nationals (except those with dual citizenship or permanent resident of the U.S.) who smuggle drugs through El Paso ports of U.S. entry will now be sent back to Mexico where they will face prosecution and possible imprisonment in their home country.

ICE Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations Alonzon Peña said of the agreement, “The governments of Mexico and the U.S. both realize that it is vital to the national security of our respective nations and the health and well-being of our respective citizens, to dissuade and reduce the smuggling and trafficking of narcotics across our shared border.”

U.S. law enforcement agencies normally prosecute Mexican nationals caught trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S. Under the IDP, after the U.S. Attorney’s Office review of these cases, ICE will transfer these drug smugglers coming through El Paso back to Mexican authorities who will prosecute them.

The IDP extends the bilateral enforcement effort, which was initiated in Nogales, Ariz, in October 2009. As a result, two drug offenders were sentenced to 10-year prison terms.
The agreement is an example of the collaborative effort between the governments of Mexico and the U.S. as we work to stem the flow of drug smuggling and violence this crime brings along the southwest border.

Expanding the IDP along the El-Paso-Juarez border requires adding 23 special agents and three group supervisors to the region. These courageous men and women will be on the front lines working to bring an end to the terrible effects of the drug trade and the violence it brings.

Kilo 11

Greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia

By any measure, Cambodia has come a long way in a relatively short period of time. Since its full independence in 1953, this nation of now 14 million has endured two distinct and lengthy conflicts, and dictatorial regime that – between 1976 and 1979 – annihilated at least 1.5 million Cambodians through execution, forced servitude, and malnourishment. Cambodia is a democracy today, but serious problems remain.

Child sex tourism in Cambodia is a persistent, pervasive practice that threatens the most vulnerable in this developing country. In recent years, the Cambodian National Police, international partners, and a number of non-governmental organizations have worked to crack down on pedophiles from around the world, arresting and prosecuting these criminals while working to rescue and rehabilitate the abused.

I am proud to say that the agency I lead, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is at the forefront of this emerging issue, and aggressively pursues Americans who travel overseas to abuse children. Millions of children fall prey each year to sexual predators, and these young victims are left with permanent psychological, physical, and emotional scars. Many American criminals clearly believe they can evade detection and prosecution by committing child sex crimes overseas. They are wrong.

My visit to Cambodia seeks to strengthen our ongoing cooperation with the Cambodian National Police. Earlier this week, we signed a Letter of Intent to solidify the working relationship between our two law enforcement agencies to combat child sex tourism. This agreement seeks to develop a bi-national, coordinated, and intelligence-driven investigative response to the sexual exploitation of children by U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

There is no more poignant reminder of the critical nature of these investigations than a neighborhood outside Phnom Penh, known simply by its distance from the center of town – “Kilo 11.” There, predators from around the world prey on young boys and girls amidst the shocking poverty of a Cambodian slum. Accompanied by our Cambodian Police partners, we walked down narrow streets and dark alleys where we saw firsthand the extreme circumstances that lead some families to sell their children to these criminals – many of them from Western nations. Not long ago, ICE agents assisted in arresting an American man for abusing a six-year-old child in a ramshackle blue hut, set deep in this labyrinthine neighborhood. This individual was eventually returned to the United States and is currently standing trial for charges stemming from his arrest in Cambodia.

These types of cases are extremely challenging to investigate and prosecute, but we owe it to these young victims to take action. Tragically, many of these children will bear the emotional and physical scars of this trauma for the rest of their lives.

The United States would not be able to successfully prosecute these cases without the assistance of our international partners.

John Morton is the Assistant Secretary U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

"Secure Communities" - One Year Later

The first day Secure Communities was activated in Starr County, Texas, local law enforcement arrested a man on assault charges. Because his fingerprints were submitted through Secure Communities technology, ICE was quickly able to determine that he was previously convicted of murder, was removed from the United States, and had re-entered the country illegally. In his multiple criminal exploits, DHS had encountered the man on five separate occasions – valuable information for local and federal officials alike.

Secure Communities was designed to facilitate access to timely and accurate information about state and local arrests to better identify criminal aliens and to prioritize those who are the most dangerous for removal from the United States. As Starr County and 94 other jurisdictions across the country have learned first hand, it does its job.

Today, during a press conference at ICE Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Secretary Napolitano noted that “Secure Communities provides our local partners with an effective tool to identify and remove dangerous criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety.” The program has significantly enhanced ICE’s ability to identify criminal aliens. In one year, the initiative enabled ICE to identify more than 111,000 criminal aliens when they were arrested and booked by state or local law enforcement.

Secure Communities, both the concept and the initiative, is made possible through partnerships among DHS components, the Department of Justice, and state and local law enforcement. Over the last year, these partnerships have enabled Secure Communities to enhance biometric information-sharing technology supporting the criminal booking processes across 11 states. This technology enables biometrics—fingerprints—collected during the booking process to be checked against FBI criminal history records and DHS immigration records. When ICE officials receive notification of an immigration record match, they can promptly determine if enforcement action is required and take appropriate action.

The Secretary's announcement today marked progress on one of the Department’s top priorities—removing criminal aliens. Through this initiative, ICE has identified more than 11,200 criminal aliens charged with or convicted of the most dangerous and violent offenses, including murder, rape, kidnapping, and major drug offenses. All told, Secure Communities has identified more than 111,000 criminal aliens. This announcement is also testament to the power of collaboration among agencies. DHS’s US-VISIT program, the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, and all our state and local law enforcement partners are critical – we look forward to celebrating future anniversaries with them on this successful program.

John Morton is the Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A Global Injustice

Human Trafficking is a crime that isn't limited by the borders of a country or the culture of a society or community. It has ballooned into an organized, international practice that robs men, women, and children of the opportunity to pursue their own potential.

Now, chances are that you don't think you know a family member, friend, or neighbor affected by this criminal behavior. This is not a crime that always happens out in the open; it's not as common a news story in this country as theft or fraud. However, every day individuals are quietly moved or "trafficked" from their homes in other countries - often through deception or coercion - and moved across land borders and bodies of water, where they are forced or even sold into prostitution and servitude. It's not just an international problem, though - trafficking regularly takes place within countries and states. No community is immune to this crime of exploitation, even here in the United States.

The Secretary addressed the issue of Human Trafficking this morning during a discussion with students, faculty, journalists and representatives from government, law enforcement and the NGO community at the Danish Institute for International Studies in Copenhagen. She sees it as an urgent problem that affects the United States, our international partners, and particularly less developed nations - where much of the trafficking originates.

“Human trafficking is a global problem that requires a global solution.” said Secretary Napolitano. “The United States, Denmark and all our international partners must continue to work together to better identify and dismantle criminal trafficking organizations.”

The Secretary talked about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) role in combating the practice, and particularly ICE's work with the Danish National Police and other international partners to dismantle the infrastructure that helps to facilitate the movement of individuals across borders. ICE also employs more than 300 Victim Assistance Coordinators worldwide who work with non-governmental organizations to help provide long-term assistance efforts.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also manages an international Human Trafficking Awareness Campaign, aimed at raising awareness about the issue.

The Secretary also discussed the public's responsibility. We often talk about our shared responsibility to prepare for disasters, to be alert and vigilant in recognizing potential criminal or terrorist activity, and to protect ourselves and each other from the spread of communicable diseases like the seasonal and H1N1 flu strains. Add this one to that list.

You'd think that human trafficking isn't always visible or noticeable. However, victims of this crime are commonly domestic servants or employees at a "sweat shop." ICE launched a campaign last year called "Hidden in Plain Sight," an initiative designed to raise awareness about this issue in the United States. Individuals who suspect someone is being held against their will should call the ICE tip line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE.

Stay tuned for more updates on the Secretary's trip.

News and Events Roundup- October 22nd

From Federal Computer Week, about Secretary Napolitano’s speech on Cybersecurity Month:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has gone online to urge private persons to help bolster the country's cybersecurity.

During a speech broadcast on the Homeland Security Department's Web site Oct. 20, Napolitano described computer security as a major scientific and technical challenge with great economic and national security implications. She said everyday people - not just the government - share the responsibility for cybersecurity.

"It's an opportunity for you as an individual to personally to contribute to our national security," Napolitano said. "Securing your home computer helps you and your family - it also helps your nation in some very important ways."

Napolitano said people should:

Install and activate firewalls for their computers and Internet connection.

Ensure that anti-virus and anti-spyware is installed and up-to-date.

Check computer settings to make sure operating systems and applications are automatically patched.

Avoid suspect Web sites, downloading suspicious documents or attachments, or opening e-mail messages from unknown persons.

Perform regular back ups.

Use strong passwords.

Educate children.

From the Washington Times, on the H1N1 vaccine:

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Wednesday morning acknowledged a delay in the distribution of H1N1 vaccine but said the program should be back on schedule around December.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wanted to have 40 million doses shipped by the end of October, but will have roughly 28 million to 30 million.

Ms. Napolitano told CNN before testifying on Capitol Hill that the problem was a manufacturing delay, not a shortage.

"There will be a vaccine for everybody who wants it," she said.

From SC Magazine, on Philip Reitinger's attendance at the RSA Conference in England:

International collaboration and recruitment of experienced people is needed to win the battle against cybercrime.

Speaking at the RSA Conference Europe, the US department of homeland security(DHS) deputy undersecretary of the national protection and programs directorate Philip Reitinger, claimed that the right people are working on battling cybercrime but it needs to be vastly increased.

Reitinger said: “We need developers who work through university who learn to write code. We need to have ethically sound people, people who have a mind for the criminal, make sure that people are used to people's business but have to have the public's interest at heart.

“They need to have a blackhat perspective, and need to do threat modelling. Understanding weaknesses to do a good job of security systems. I think we are trying to invest in the right way.”

From KXO-AM El Centro, CA,on a drug seizure at the Andrade port of entry:

More than 29 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $1 million was seized Tuesday night at the Andrade port of entry.

A drug detection dog assigned to the Yuma Sector Border Patrol alerted to a California registered SUV as it attempted to enter the United States from Mexico at the Andrade port of entry. Further inspection of the vehicle led to the discovery of a compartment below the floorboards. 29.7 pounds of cocaine was found found hidden in the compartment. The vehicle , drugs and 26-year old woman driver of the SUV were all turned over to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.

Public Events
10 AM EDT
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Investigations Deputy Assistant Director Janice Ayala and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Cargo and Conveyance Security Executive Director Todd Owen will testify about cargo threats at land ports of entry before the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism
311 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C.

Cash Flow: ICE Cracks Major Cash Smuggling Scheme in Colombia, Mexico

The pictures tell the story: Thousands upon thousands of U.S. $20 and $50 bills, crisply stacked and banded into neat packets and carefully tucked away into shipping containers filled with bags of ammonium and sodium sulfate bound for Colombia.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), working with our law enforcement partners in Colombia, made the initial seizure on September 10 of $11.2 million from a shipment at the port of Buenaventura, Colombia. Subsequent investigation by ICE, Colombian authorities and Mexican authorities revealed additional shipments in Buenaventura and Manzanillo, Mexico, with large amounts of cash hidden inside.

The total is jaw-dropping -- at least $40.5 million and counting, as of this writing -- and it constitutes the largest container bulk cash smuggling seizure in ICE, U.S. and Colombian history. It's an investigative success we might not have achieved without closely collaborating with our counterparts in Mexico and Colombia, and it is a testament to what can be accomplished through this collaboration.

At this point, the investigation has not yet identified the organizations or individuals behind these shipments. However, it is well-established that the two ports in question are key points of a route used for smuggling cocaine northward to Mexico and the United States, and for sending cash back into Colombia. The scheme is believed to have been perpetrated by or on behalf of a major trafficking organization, or organizations, operating in Colombia.

Perhaps most important is what these seized dollars represent. Every illicit dollar we can stop from flowing across the border is one less dollar going to fuel the cartels' operations. It's one less dollar they can use to buy guns, or to pay a corrupt official to look the other way. By targeting the flow of money, we hit the traffickers where it hurts most.

John Morton is the Assistant Secretary for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Cracking Down on Child Sex Tourism

It’s one of the most horrific crimes imaginable: The sexual exploitation of children. In recent years, many sex offenders have sought to cover their tracks by traveling overseas, where they hope to conduct their criminal activities far from the reach of U.S. law enforcement.

Today we’re sending a message that they won’t get away with it.

I’m in Los Angeles, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Justice announced that three U.S. citizens, all previously convicted sex offenders, are being returned from Cambodia to the United States, where they will face federal charges for child sex tourism.

Under Operation Twisted Traveler, which launched in February, ICE is working closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the FBI and our law enforcement counterparts in Cambodia to identify and arrest Americans engaging in child sex tourism in that Southeast Asia country.

Today’s arrests and charges are the direct result of an extraordinary cooperation between ICE, the Cambodian National Police, the Department of State, and the non-governmental organizations who work in Cambodia to identify suspected sex tourists and rescue victims. Offering vital contributions to the effort are Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), the International Justice Mission, and HAGAR International, three non-governmental organizations that shared valuable information to facilitate these arrests.

The three individuals named today are all alleged to have molested or raped children, some as young as 9 years old, in Cambodia. All have previous records of crimes against children. One of the suspects, a 75-year-old man, is reported to have ridden a motor scooter through the streets of the city of Siem Riep, dropping money behind him as a way to entice children, according to witness reports.

Combating the sexual exploitation of minors has been a leading priority for ICE under Operation Predator. Under this long-running initiative, we’ve arrested more than 11,000 sex offenders—including more than 1,100 outside the United States. Thanks to tougher laws against child sex tourism, we have the tools to target those offenders who travel abroad in the effort to evade capture by law enforcement.

There might have been a time when it was easier for predators to hide their crimes by crossing borders. ICE is leading the effort to ensure that child sex tourism becomes an issue of the past.

John Morton

John Morton is the Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

BEST Participants Gather for Conference

It was a routine stop at the bridge at the Laredo, Texas, border, as an Oklahoma man in a pickup truck was attempting to cross over into Mexico. But a vehicle inspection unveiled much more, as CBP officers discovered a cache of 22 rifles, two shotguns, a 9 mm pistol, ammunition and other weapons parts hidden in the truck.

A subsequent ICE investigation of that failed smuggling attempt led agents to the residence of a former firearms dealer where nearly 1,000 weapons were discovered, along with a large store of ammunition and $30,000 in cash. That routine stop at the Laredo bridge resulted in unraveling a sizable cross-border gun smuggling operation.

It’s exactly the type of investigation that the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) initiative was set up to tackle. This partnership initiative, led at DHS by ICE, brings together federal, state, local and foreign law enforcement agencies under a shared umbrella with a common goal: To target cross-border crime and associated violence.

With collaboration from CBP, the BEST initiative is the Department of Homeland Security’s response to the increase in violence at the southwest border, where the activities of drug cartels, weapons traffickers and other criminal organizations are taking a toll on communities all along the border.

What is most innovative about the BEST initiative is the way in which it brings law enforcement partners together under one roof with a shared mission. This allows for closer working relationships, more efficient communication and improved coordination among the various entities. Cooperation is key to the success of the BEST initiative.

There are now 15 BEST forces operating on the southern and northern U.S. borders, and they’re getting outstanding results. And right now, from August 11 to 13, 2009, we’re taking a closer look at the progress that has been made, as well as plans for the future, at the BEST Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

This conference, the second of its kind, brings together federal law enforcement officials from a variety of agencies; state and local officials; members of Congress and other elected officials; and our partners from Mexico, Canada, Columbia, and Argentina to discuss the challenges of combating the drug trade, money laundering, gang activity, arms trafficking, human smuggling and other types of cross-border crime.

As assistant secretary for ICE, I am at the conference, meeting with our partners in this successful law enforcement venture—and exploring ways in which we can strengthen these partnerships in order to crack down on criminal activity and tighten security at the borders. I’ll post a wrap-up after the conferences concludes.

John Morton is the Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

A Lifetime of Service

I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I walked onto the 5th floor of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building last week. I had an email telling me that the 8th longest serving federal employee, and the longest serving employee at the Department of Homeland Security, was retiring…after 67 years of government service. It’s one of those opportunities no one should pass up, right? Whether you write for a blog, or a newspaper, or just your journal - that kind of insight into the last 70 years of our nation’s inner workings doesn’t come along every day. So, there I was, sitting across the table from Erma Paliani…sorry, “Ms. Erma”, not 5 feet tall, and 92 years old. She’d been working for the federal government for 67 years. I’d been working for the federal government for 6 weeks.

Before we start talking about Ms. Erma’s story, let’s put 67 years into perspective. The U.S. hadn’t entered the Second World War 67 years ago, the minimum wage was 30 cents an hour, you could get a coke for a nickel, and the jitterbug was just getting its legs. Oh, and Federal office buildings weren’t air-conditioned, and as Washington, D.C. was essentially constructed on top of a swamp, I would imagine that would make summers…difficult.

Ms. Erma sat across the table, sunken into her chair after just finishing an interview with the AARP. Now here I was, writing for a “blog,” and the latest in a series of people who wanted to interview her. The attention had been steady in recent weeks and had been kindly - if not eagerly - received. I asked her if she was looking forward to her big retirement party on Friday. She grinned and politely shook her head no.

We began to talk about her life, her roots, her home. She was born in Ambridge, Pa., the second of seven children in an Italian family. Her father passed away when she was young, and it became difficult for her mother and 6 siblings to support themselves. Ms. Erma said she ran errands while her mother took in laundry, and did odd jobs for people to earn money. “My mother was dependent on us to help with the family expenses,” she explained.

Ms. Erma found a job with the Works Progress Administration when she graduated from high school, and her tenure as a federal employee began a few years later when she started working as a stenographer for the Army Signal Corps in 1941—one month before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Her skill earned her a reputation, so when she started looking for work in the private sector after the war, the government asked her to stay; so in 1947 Ms. Erma transferred to the INS, where she remained for 62 years.
Pictured above: Ms. Erma in her ball gown for President Eisenhower's Inauguration in 1953.

Working in the investigations office, Ms. Erma helped dismantle organized crime and racketeers, and over the years handled correspondence in such notable cases as the Tokyo Rose and the Alger Hiss trials and the McCarthy-era HUAC hearings. When she passed her 50th year of service, the then INS granted her with honorary credentials as an agent.


She’s now in the Office of Investigations at ICE and is secretary to the Deputy Assistant Director. A computer has supplanted the Dictaphones and manual typewriters she used at the beginning of her career, though she draws the line at carrying a BlackBerry. Her eyes crinkled into a smile as she explained, “I have enough junk to carry without one of those.” Sing it sister.

Her many friends and colleagues talk about her generous spirit, evident in discussions about how she would stay up all night baking cakes and cookies when an office birthday drew near.

As our meeting wrapped up, a coworker came by to remind Ms. Erma that her Metro Access bus would be coming soon. As we (slowly) walked out with her, it was hard not to notice the fondness with which they treated her. After I said goodbye to Ms. Erma, a coworker turned to me and said, “She’s just got such big heart.”

Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute and Assistant Secretary for ICE John Morton, at Erma's retirement party

Thanks to Ms. Erma for 67 years of service.