Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said Monday that it's her department's job to conclude the long-running dispute over how much FEMA owes Louisiana for the damage inflicted on Charity Hospital by Hurricane Katrina, but up to Louisianians to figure out what happens next and how to pay for what FEMA won't.From the Newark Star Ledger, on Global Entry:
"They have to make choices and we're not in a position to make choices for communities, " Napolitano said in an interview with The Times-Picayune in advance of Saturday's fourth anniversary of Katrina.
"What we are in the business of is facilitating the recovery of the community -- breaking through some of the bureaucratic entanglements that existed prior to January and moving things through as quickly as possible within the confines of what we're able to provide, " Napolitano said.
Napolitano's comments on Charity track those made last week by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. All expect Louisiana to use a new binding arbitration process established for resolving disputes between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state and local officials.
For $100 and a fingerprinting session, frequent international travelers can now shave a few minutes off their wait time after landing at Newark Liberty International Airport.From the Associated Press, on CBP's repatriation program:Starting today, pre-approved U.S. citizens and permanent residents re-entering the country can skip passport-checking lines and pass through an automated kiosk instead.
"For frequent business travelers, it's a great program," said John Saleh, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in New York. "They come off the plane with their carry-on, they go up to the kiosk, and they're out the door within a couple minutes."
Immigration authorities are flying illegal immigrants deep into their native Mexico from Southern Arizona to discourage dangerous crossings in triple-digit desert heat.
The twice-daily flights from Tucson to Mexico City are intended to keep immigrants away from border towns where they would likely run into smugglers who want to sneak them back into the U.S.
"This is where the probability of losing their lives can really increase. We offer that opportunity for them to get out of that cycle," John Torres, a special adviser to the assistant secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Monday in Tucson.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security flights began Saturday for the sixth straight summer and will end Sept. 28.
Tucson is the only spot in this country where the flights depart. Arizona is the busiest illegal entry point into the U.S.
Since 2004, more than 82,000 Mexicans have been returned as part of the repatriation program. The number, however, represents just a small portion of illegal immigrants in this country.
Public Events
8 AM EDT
U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen will deliver remarks about Coast Guard Diversity initiatives at the Coast Guard Training Forum of the Blacks in Government National Training Convention
Baltimore Hilton Hotel
1 West Pratt Street
Baltimore, Md.
8:30 AM EDT
National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications Gregory Schaffer will deliver opening remarks at the GFIRST Conference
Omni Hotel at CNN Center
100 CNN Center
Atlanta, Ga.
10:30 AM EDT
NPPD Critical Infrastructure Protection Cybersecurity Program Director Patrick Beggs will deliver remarks at the GFIRST Conference about information technology sector risk
Omni Hotel at CNN Center
100 CNN Center
Atlanta, Ga.
1 PM CDT
Office of Health Affairs (OHA) Acting Director for Food, Agriculture and Veterinary Defense Doug Meckes, D.V.M., will participate in a panel discussion about animal identification needs related to homeland security issues at the ID Info Expo 2009
Westin Crown Center Hotel
One Pershing Road
Kansas City, Mo.
3:45 PM EDT
NPPD Cyber Exercise Program Director Brett Lambo will deliver remarks about cyber exercises at the GFIRST Conference
Omni Hotel at CNN Center
100 CNN Center
Atlanta, Ga.
3:45 PM EDT
NPPD National Cyber Security Division Acting Director Dr. Peter Fonash will participate in a panel discussion about raising cybersecurity awareness at the GFIRST Conference
Omni Hotel at CNN Center
100 CNN Center
Atlanta, Ga.