Hope Restored

In his remarks at the Jackson Barracks in New Orleans last week, President Bush said that “hope is being restored” throughout the Gulf Coast. As we pause to reflect on the third anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and remember the lives that were lost and the heroism that ensued, I think it’s important to acknowledge the progress that has taken place in the wake of one of our nation’s worst natural disasters.

Of course, it’s also important to apply the lessons we’ve learned along the way, and to that end, we’re working closely with our federal, state, and local partners to prepare for Hurricane Gustav’s potential impact. But I want to take just a moment to share some stories of progress along the Gulf Coast.

The hope that President Bush was referring to can be found in places like Boothville/Venice High School, which endured tremendous damage due to Katrina’s storm surge. But thanks to more than $8 million in repairs made possible by FEMA Public Assistance grants, the school now serves more than 200 students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.

Additional signs of progress can be seen at St. Margaret’s Daughters Nursing Home in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, where flood waters rendered the health care facility uninhabitable. With the help of an initial $5.59 million payment for a temporary facility, and an additional $3.7 million, St. Margaret’s was able to reopen in a newly renovated facility last September. All told, FEMA has committed more than $15.9 million in Public Assistance funds for this project.

And to ensure that the city’s law enforcement operations are efficiently coordinated, the New Orleans Police Department moved into its remodeled headquarters earlier this year, thanks in large part to repairs from $6.8 million in FEMA funding. This, of course, is just a portion of the $21.8 million granted to restore the justice complex.

But our goals are not just short-term fixes. We’re focused on rebuilding the region and making structures safer and stronger. For example, just last month FEMA approved the use of more than $96.9 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to elevate nearly 3,000 homes in Louisiana. This was one of the largest single HMGP project obligations to date, and represents successful collaboration at the federal, state, and local levels.

We also recognize that the road to recovery involves flexibility and innovation. To that end, we fully supported President Bush’s decision to grant Governor Bobby Jindal’s request that Louisiana be allowed to pay their share of levee improvement costs over 30 years instead of just three.

These examples are just a fraction of the work that is being done and the decisions that are being made on a daily basis in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast. To be sure, there is much work ahead. But by focusing on priorities such as education, health care, public safety, and housing, we’re helping rebuild lives and communities – and the results are beginning to show. All told, FEMA has provided $11 billion for debris removal, reconstruction, and protective measures, in addition to more than $6 billion in individual assistance grants. (Of course, it is ultimately up to state, parish, and local leaders to decide where and what to rebuild).

But our progress three years after Katrina goes beyond dollars spent and structures restored. We’ve learned invaluable lessons from the storm’s devastation, and as a result, have vastly strengthened our nation’s preparedness and response capabilities. FEMA now is a forward-leaning agency, with 21st century tools capable of handling any type of disaster. Following Katrina, we placed a greater emphasis on building stronger partnerships, preparing for emergencies before they happen, and responding quickly and efficiently when they do occur. As I mentioned, this forward-leaning approach is guiding our preparations for Hurricane Gustav.

So as we mark Katrina’s third anniversary and acknowledge the progress we’ve made (as well as how much work remains), I encourage everyone involved in this endeavor to continue their efforts and recommit themselves to rebuilding this vital region of our country.

The daily work of our Office for Gulf Coast Recovery in Baton Rouge is indicative of our long-term commitment to work side-by-side with the people of the Gulf Coast as they rebuild their homes and communities.

Through the strong partnerships we’ve forged during the past three years, I’m confident that our progress will continue full steam ahead.

General Douglas O’Dell, USMC (Ret.)
Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding

Stay Healthy in a Crisis

This week, Tropical Storm Fay has been a reminder to us all that we are in the heart of hurricane season. But, even as it lingers in the Gulf many Americans do not believe that a disaster can really happen to them. Unfortunately, too often, people learn the hard way that they could have done more to prepare.

From the wildfires in the West, to the floods across the Midwest, to tornadoes that tear through the center of the country, Americans often find themselves thrust into an emergency. September is National Preparedness Month, a time when we highlight the simple steps we can take now to prepare for the unexpected.

As many Americans can attest, such planning can make recovering from a disaster a bit easier. Still, many don't spend enough time getting ready.

This kind of planning is particularly important when it comes to staying healthy in a crisis. As the Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Homeland Security, part of my job is to provide guidance about how our employees can protect themselves in an emergency.

Our advice goes out to everyone, from TSA security officers to the federal agents who protect our borders, even to our Secretary. Each of my coworkers must feel confident that they are prepared and that their families are weathering a crisis, so they can focus on performing their core duties. This same kind of preparedness goes on in many of the homes of first responders, law enforcement and government officials at all levels.

In a crisis, doctors, nurses, paramedics and other first responders rush to help their neighbors. A community's resilience – the nation's resilience -- depends largely on the individual preparedness of all of our vital workers and many others. Utility crews who get the power back on, truck drivers who keep food and other supplies moving, and the heroic people who look after their neighbors who have special needs all mitigate suffering and speed the recovery – if their own family is safe.

As we are told during our safety briefing before every airline flight, we must take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. I encourage you to go to http://www.ready.gov/ for information on getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan and being informed about the different types of disasters and their appropriate responses. But don't forget the medical issues that are individual to every family and every family member. In addition to water, food, etc., these are my "medical must haves:"

1. An extra supply of prescription drugs; don't forget the over the counter medications that you may need such as analgesics, antacids, anti-diarrheal, etc.


2. A good medical record for each family member that includes medications they take, allergies to medications, past surgeries and other key medical information a doctor might need to treat them in an emergency.


3. Key contact names and phone numbers on a laminated card that includes relatives, friends, personal physician and emergency work and school contacts.


4. For those with special medical needs, extra oxygen and batteries for equipment might be needed to survive away from home for a few days. An extra wheelchair, walker or cane might be needed to evacuate. Simple repair equipment, such as a bicycle repair kit, help keep a wheelchair rolling.


5. A basic first aid kit.

A more detailed checklist for people with disabilities and other special needs is available.

As an emergency physician, I have seen firsthand how important being prepared is and how the American spirit is strongest when we come together to weather an unforeseen challenge. We're proud to help prepare the nation to react with strength and compassion.

Thanks for reading. I look forward to your comments.

Dr. Jon Krohmer,
Assistant Secretary (acting), Office of Health Affairs, and Chief Medical Officer

Targeting Predators

The newspaper articles appear with heartbreaking regularity in every community across the country—stories about men and women committing sexual crimes against children. By the time we read about it the damage is already done, even though the perpetrator may be behind bars.

However, law enforcement agencies at every level have taken an increasingly aggressive stance against these crimes, and we're seeing real results.

We saw an example of those results earlier this week in California, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with our partners at the FBI's Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team and the U.S. Attorney's Office for Los Angeles, announced that a major investigation led to the arrest of seven men on charges of possessing and/or distributing images depicting the sexual abuse of children. The arrests were part of a larger investigation that has led to criminal charges against a total of 55 defendants.

In this case, the suspects were accessing peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks over the Internet to trade graphic images and videos of children being victimized. Thanks to coordinated efforts using sophisticated software that tracks the computers where these images are being stored, investigators were able to identify and target the predators.

The suspects may have thought the use of P2P technology would allow them to make their exchanges undetected. However, that is not the case—today's announcement shows that law enforcement is paying close attention to those who exploit and abuse children, and that the Internet is not an anonymous playground where they can commit their crimes in secret.

Among the defendants:

• Gary Samuel Cochran, a 50-year-old man previously convicted of child molestation and possession of obscene materials depicting minors engaged in sex acts. Earlier this year, investigators found evidence that Cochran was not only sharing child pornography, but that some of the images were pictures he had taken of a young girl;


• Eric David Lacey, a 48-year-old man who was living above a child day care facility in Hollywood, California, while being sought in a North Dakota child pornography case featured on "America’s Most Wanted";


• Evan Craig Stephens, 36, a registered sex offender with a previous conviction for child molestation; and


• George Tyler Farmer, 39, who was previously convicted of molesting a 6-year-old girl.

Targeting sexual predators who exploit children has been an important part of the ICE mission for more than five years. ICE launched Operation Predator in 2003 as a nationwide initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator's inception, ICE agents have made more than 11,000 arrests under the program.

This case ensures that dozens of will face justice for their crimes, and it is a positive step toward ensuring the safety of children. Just as importantly, these arrests send a clear message to sexual predators that they will be identified, they will be apprehended and they will face consequences.

Julie L. Myers,
Assistant Secretary, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

H-2B Proposed Rule Changes: Your Feedback Welcome

In my most recent entry, I discussed steps that USCIS has been taking to upgrade our capacity to process naturalization applications. Today, I'd like to address proposed rule changes to existing H-2B regulations designed to streamline that important program.

Since its inception in 1986, the H-2B program has proven popular among businesses in non-agricultural industries such as landscaping, hospitality and construction. Little about the program has changed to accommodate employers' needs or improve worker protections. In order to better serve those participating in the program, we are proposing measures to remove unnecessary limitations, prevent fraud and abuse, and protect workers.

Beyond this general announcement, I would also like to share the specifics of the proposed rule changes and ask that you provide your feedback by submitting comments to the proposed rule.

Our proposed modifications would:

• Relax the current limitations on the ability of U.S. employers to petition for unnamed workers;
• Reduce from six months to three months the amount of time an H-2B worker whose status has expired must wait outside the United States before he or she is eligible to again obtain status under the H or L classifications;
• Require employer attestations on the scope of the H-2B employment and on the use of recruiters to locate beneficiaries and provide for denial or revocation of an H-2B petition if an H-2B worker was charged a fee in connection with the employment either (a) by the petitioner, or (b) by a recruiter where the petitioner knew or reasonably should have known that the recruiter was charging such fees;
• Eliminate the ability of employers to file an H-2B petition without an approved temporary labor certification;
• Preclude changing the employment start date after the temporary labor certification is certified by the Department of Labor;
• Require employer notifications to the Department of Homeland Security when H-2B workers fail to show up for work, are terminated, or abscond from the worksite;
• Change the definition of "temporary employment" to clearly define that employment is of a temporary nature when the need for the employee will end in the near, definable future and to eliminate the requirement that employers show "extraordinary circumstances" to be eligible to hire H-2B workers where a one-time need for the workers is longer than one year but shorter than three years;
• Prohibit the approval of H-2B petitions for nationals of countries determined to be consistently refusing or unreasonably delaying repatriation of their nationals; and
• Establish a land-border exit system pilot program under which H-2B workers admitted through a port of entry participating in the program must also depart through a port of entry participating in the program. Upon departure, they must present designated biographical information, possibly including biometric identifiers.

It is important to note that these proposals are not yet in effect and that the current rules governing the H-2B program remain in place. In the meantime, there will be a 30-day comment period. Once public comments are received and reviewed, we will finalize and publish the rule with an effective date.

With that in mind, I look forward to your comments and feedback and appreciate your interest in the Leadership Journal.

Jonathan Scharfen,
Acting Director, US Citizenship & Immigration Services

Identity of the Guardian

Last week I formally introduced the Guardian Ethos to all the men and women of the Coast Guard. As the Coast Guard modernizes, the Guardian Ethos will assist the Coast Guard in tying our military, maritime, multi-mission character to a more tangible identity; an identity that will resonate with our people, our external partners, and customers alike.

About a year ago, our training center at Cape May was charged with refining their curriculum to support the development of a more physically fit apprentice who had internalized the Coast Guard’s culture, character, and core values as depicted in Publication Number One – the Coast Guard’s capstone doctrine. During this process, the Guardian Ethos was created.



The Guardian Ethos is not intended to replace the Coast Guard Creed. The Creed is a contract an individual makes with the Coast Guard; the Ethos is different – it defines the essence of the Coast Guard and could be viewed as the contract the Coast Guard and its members make with the nation and its citizens.

The Coast Guard has served the American public for over 200 years. The surge capabilities inherent in a military organization combined with multiple authorities/competencies due to our multi-mission nature make us unique in government and of great value to our nation. However, because we are so multi-faceted, from time to time we are not well understood.

The Guardian Ethos is the essence of our service – it is who we are. Dating back to the days of the Steamboat Inspection Service, The U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the U.S. Life Saving Service, and the U.S Lighthouse Service, we have a proud history of serving the citizens of the United States in the maritime domain, providing safety, security and stewardship. As America’s maritime guardians, we protect them, we defend them, and we save them. We are their shield, and we stand always ready for the call to duty. We live the Coast Guard Core Values. Individually, we are each guardians, who have sworn an oath to support and defend the Constitution and who adhere to the Coast Guardsman’s Creed. Together we are the United States Coast Guard.

The adoption of the Guardian Ethos provides us with a consistent service-wide term for our people. We also know that guardians honor the past but must continually look to the future and adapt. To protect, defend, and save today and tomorrow, we must understand that change and modernization are consistent with our Guardian Ethos. As guardians, we will continually change and improve our Coast Guard.

We are Guardians.

Admiral Thad Allen
Commandant, United States Coast Guard

Arabic Speakers Graduate from Innovative Internship

Attracting Arabic speakers is one of the federal government’s most pressing needs. Since 9/11, senior leaders in the Administration, Congressional committees, blue ribbon panels such as the 9/11 Commission and media reports have emphasized that there is an unacceptable shortage of federal employees who speak Arabic. The Department decided to tackle this problem in a very practical way – in partnership with the FBI and the George Washington University, we created the “National Security Internship” program. Today, August 7, we graduate our first class of 21 students.

The National Security Internship program is not just another typical summer program for young people looking to get experience in Washington. It is an intensive, nine week, full-immersion program that combines studies in Arabic, homeland security, and intelligence with on-the-job training at the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. The students earned twelve college credits through George Washington University through this demanding program.

To even qualify for the program, students had to pass rigorous language tests and demonstrate a basic proficiency in the language. The National Security Internship was also restricted to applicants who were able to qualify for a top-secret clearance, which was investigated and adjudicated by the FBI.

Every morning, the students took language and security courses at the university. Every afternoon, the students worked at either the FBI’s intelligence division or DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis (two students worked at TSA headquarters).

The objective of the program is to create a direct career path for these students, and others like them who will follow in upcoming years, into DHS and the FBI. With their language skills, academic studies, work experience, and security clearances, these students are prepared to make major contributions immediately upon their graduation.

It is important to note that it is not just the language skills that we need – there is also a great need for the cultural competencies that “heritage speakers” bring. This program does not seek to create a cadre of linguists. Rather, it aims to increase the pool of young people entering federal service who are culturally proficient, speak a foreign language, and have a demonstrated interest in public service.

We need more people in the federal workforce who have a deep knowledge of the culture, the history and the traditions of people who speak Arabic. For example, a CBP officer who speaks Arabic and implicitly understands the culture will be more effective in screening travelers who have just arrived on a flight from Riyadh. An ICE officer who speaks Arabic and understands the commercial life in that region of the world will be more effective in investigating the flow of money to terrorist networks.

In future years, we can expand the program to students who will study Farsi, Mandarin, Urdu, and other specialized languages that are in short supply within the federal workforce.

One of the most satisfying elements of the program has been our close partnership with the FBI. Working with Assistant Director John Raucci and his extraordinary team has been a pleasure. By collaborating, we have seen the increased efficiencies that come from pooling our recruiting, community relations, procurement and security clearance efforts. There is no doubt that this joint project has deepened the working relationships between our two agencies.

In addition to their studies, the interns have met with Cong. Darrell Issa, FBI Director Mueller, DHS Undersecretary for Intelligence Charlie Allen, DHS Chief of Staff Chad Sweet, and others who have cast a vision for the need for government professionals with their backgrounds, skills and experiences.

We expect that many of the 21 students who participated this summer will, in the upcoming years, begin careers in the federal government. If we are able to retain even 10 new Arabic speakers each year, we will make a major impact on both DHS and FBI. Within only a few years we will have doubled the size of the entire Arabic speaking workforce in these agencies. Seeing the success of this innovative program will no doubt be a catalyst for other efforts like it.

We are already beginning to recruit for next year, and information on the program is available at www.nationalsecurityinternship.com. We pass along our congratulations to the graduating students for a job well done through a very hectic summer, and look forward to future classes of students who will help make our country more secure.

Daniel W. Sutherland
Office of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties

Answering Questions on Border Laptop Searches

We’ve received several comments from readers regarding my recent post about laptop searches at the border. I’d like to take a few minutes to try to answer some of your questions and set straight some misinformation that is circulating with regard to this long-standing policy.

First, it’s important to note that for more than 200 years, the federal government has been granted the authority to prevent dangerous people and things from entering the United States. Our security measures at the border are rooted in this fundamental fact, and our ability to achieve our border mission would be hampered if we did not apply the same search authorities to electronic media that we have long-applied to physical objects--including documents, photographs, film and other graphic material. Indeed, there are numerous laws that apply to such material at the border including laws regarding intellectual property rights, technical data that can be imported or exported only under state department license and child pornography.

In the 21st century, terrorists and criminals increasingly use laptops and other electronic media to transport illicit materials that were traditionally concealed in bags, containers, notebooks and paper documents. Making full use of our search authorities with respect to items like notebooks and backpacks, while failing to do so with respect to laptops and other devices, would ensure that terrorists and criminals receive less scrutiny at our borders just as their use of technology is becoming more sophisticated.

This result would be ironic given that this same technology actually enables terrorists and criminals to move large amounts of information across the border via laptops and other electronic devices. At the end of the day, we have a responsibility to search items — electronic or otherwise — that are being transported across our borders and that could potentially be used to harm our nation’s citizens or that are otherwise contrary to law.

Second, this is not a new policy. We’ve been searching laptops of those who warrant a closer inspection for years. In fact, we’ve taken the unprecedented step of posting online (PDF 5 pages - 161 KB) a policy that would typically be reserved for internal purposes. This information is not new and has been publicly debated countless times. Indeed, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals recently confirmed the constitutionality of suspicionless laptop searches at the border.

This brings me to my third point, which is that travelers whose laptops are searched represent a very small number of people. As Secretary Chertoff noted in a recent op-ed,

"Of the approximately 400 million travelers who entered the country last year, only a tiny percentage were referred to secondary baggage inspection…[and] of those, only a fraction had electronic devices that may have been checked.”

This number is less than one percent of people entering the United States. Contrary to some media accounts, we’re not rolling out a new strategy and screening an exorbitant number of travelers. We’re simply following a common sense border policy that has been in place for years, and has been reaffirmed by the courts.

And finally, to allay any concerns the business community or others may have that their personal or trade information might be put at risk by traveling with their laptops, I urge you to look at our track record. Every day, thousands of commercial entry documents, shipping manifests, container content lists, and detailed pieces of company information are transmitted to CBP so we can effectively process entries and screen cargo shipments bound for the United States. This information is closely guarded and governed by strict privacy procedures. Information from passenger laptops or other electronic devices is treated no differently.

Our Customs and Border Protection officers are trained professionals with a defined mission, and they have neither the time nor the desire to search travelers’ personal belongings for any reason other than to ensure compliance with our customs and related laws and to protect the United States. As the policy’s provisions make abundantly clear, officers are subject to numerous policy restrictions regarding the retention, sharing, and scrutiny of travelers’ documents and information.

I hope this has helped answer some of your questions. One of the lessons 9/11 taught us was that we must adapt to 21st century risks and anticipate rather than react to new threats. Our CBP officers are on the front lines every day ensuring that these lessons are heeded. We trust that travelers understand the need for these sensible security measures.

Jayson Ahern
Deputy Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Travel Authorization Via Computer

You may recall that in June we announced a program that would bring an antiquated aspect of international travel into the 21st century and at the same time improve our security. I’m pleased to say that starting August 1st, this new program, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, will be up and running for use on a voluntary basis. This means that foreign travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries will be able to apply for travel authorization to the U.S. using a simple, secure website.

Let me explain some of the details and benefits of this system.

Currently, there are 27 countries in the Visa Waiver Program, which means that citizens from places such as Austria, Italy, and Japan do not need to apply for visas to travel to the United States. In lieu of a visa, they currently fill out a paper I-94W form en route to the U.S. These forms ask for basic biographic, travel, and eligibility information, and provide our Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers an opportunity to ensure that travelers do not pose a threat before they’re admitted to our country.

With ESTA, we’re simply automating this process so passengers can complete these forms online before they even depart for the U.S. This is clearly a win-win for all involved.

First, it’s convenient for travelers.

• They can complete the forms online at their leisure whenever they begin making travel plans. (We recommend this be done at least 72 hours before departure but the system can accommodate last minute travel).
  
• Most travelers will receive a response within seconds, notifying them of their eligibility or that their request is pending.
  
• An approved ESTA authorization is valid for up to two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first.
  
• And ESTA authorizations are valid for multiple entries into the U.S.

Second, and more importantly, it provides significant security enhancements.

• CBP will know who is traveling to our country before they arrive, and can determine if they pose a threat earlier in the process.
  
• It helps us assess risk based on individuals, rather than groups or countries. We know that just being from a stable country with a friendly government doesn’t automatically exclude one from being a threat (for example, Richard Reid from Britain or Zacharias Moussaoui from France).
  
• And by increasing the convenience on our end (we will no longer have to decipher handwriting or manually transfer information from paper forms to electronic files), we can focus more time and resources on security matters.
  
• ESTA will also help us meet a legislative requirement that will allow us to expand the Visa Waiver Program to additional allies. An expanded, more secure VWP will provide an opportunity for millions of foreign citizens to travel to the U.S. to learn firsthand what a great country we have.

As I mentioned, ESTA applications will be accepted on a voluntary basis starting August 1st and will be mandatory for all individuals traveling under the VWP on January 12, 2009. I invite you to see this system for yourself and view a great example of how 21st century technology can improve security for Americans and enhance the travel experience for our international allies.

Thanks for reading.

Kathleen Kraninger
Director, Screening Coordination Office