Tag: Department of Homeland Security

Department of Homeland Security calls election “the most secure in American history”

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A top committee made up of officials from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and its election partners refuted President Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud and irregularities in a statement Thursday, calling the election “the most secure in American history.”

The big picture: Trump has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and is pursuing lawsuits in a number of states with baseless claims of voter fraud. The public statement from the president’s own Department of Homeland Security undermines his narrative and is sure to infuriate him.

What they’re saying: “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes or was in any way compromised,” members of the Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council (GCC) Executive Committee said in a statement. Continue reading.

DHS inspector general’s office nearly dormant under Trump as reports and audits plummet

Washington Post logoThe Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog division has been so weakened under the Trump administration that it is failing to provide basic oversight of the government’s third-largest federal agency, according to whistleblowers and lawmakers from both parties.

DHS’s Office of the Inspector General is on pace to publish fewer than 40 audits and reports this fiscal year, the smallest number since 2003 and one-quarter of the agency’s output in 2016, when it published 143, records show. The audits and reports cover everything from contracts and spending to allegations of waste and misconduct.

At a time w hen DHS has morphed into an instrument for some of President Trump’s most ambitious domestic policies, the inspector general’s role calls for the office to exert rigorous oversight of the department’s $70 billion budget and 240,000 employees, Democratic and Republican lawmakers say. Continue reading.

Supreme Court allows Trump administration to move forward with ‘public charge’ rule

The Hill logoThe Trump administration can move forward with a rule to make it harder for immigrants who rely on public assistance to gain legal status while a court challenge plays out, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The Supreme Court voted 5-4 along ideological lines to lift a nationwide injunction on the proposal imposed by a federal judge in New York while the case is playing out in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

The rule, from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), would make it easier for immigration officials to deny entry or legal status to people likely to rely on government assistance. Continue reading.

New Russian hacks raise alarms in US

Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow. Credit: Yuri Kadobnov, AFP, Getty Images)

Russian hackers have recently been linked to cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure in other countries, raising concerns about the nation’s ability to target U.S. utilities.

Security firm FireEye this week said a Russian-linked research institute likely helped develop malicious software that was used to shut down a Saudi petrochemical plant last year. And research firm ESET said earlier this month that it uncovered a new hacking group, allegedly tied to Russia, that targeted companies in Ukraine and Poland.

Officials have been warning for months of a Russian campaign on the U.S. power grid. The new reports reveal the extent of the Moscow-tied hackers’ work, and the threat they pose to critical U.S. infrastructure.

View the complete October 26 article by Jacqueline Thomsen on the Hill website here.

Trump officials open border to 15,000 more foreign workers

NOTE:  Remember, our president’s properties use a substantial number of this type of worker. Seems like this person is only capable of understanding issues that personally impact him, his businesses and his pocketbook. If we may quote him, “sad!”.

The following article by Tracy Jan was posted on the Washington Post website July 17, 2017:

The Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced a one-time increase of 15,000 additional visas for low-wage seasonal workers for the remainder of this fiscal year, a seeming about-face from President Trump’s “Hire American” rhetoric, following heavy lobbying from fisheries, hospitality and other industries that rely on temporary foreign workers.

The increase represents a 45 percent bump from the number of H-2B visas normally issued for the second half of the fiscal year, said senior Homeland Security officials in a call with reporters. Continue reading “Trump officials open border to 15,000 more foreign workers”