All posts tagged: DHS

Will the DHS shutdown affect security for the World Cup? : NPR

Will the DHS shutdown affect security for the World Cup? : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The FIFA World Cup is a little over 50 days away. NPR’s Rob Schmitz talks to former Department of Homeland Security official Juliette Kayyem about the security concerns people have about hosting the tournament in America in this moment. ROB SCHMITZ, HOST: Fans and players will hear the first whistle at the FIFA World Cup on June 11. But given the Department of Homeland Security’s more than two-month shutdown, many people are concerned about whether America’s ready to host this event. Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen pressed DHS leadership during a Senate hearing last week. (SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING) CHRIS VAN HOLLEN: There’s still an open question as to whether or not all the FIFA World Cup players will be able to participate in U.S. matches. SCHMITZ: And that’s just one of several problems. Haiti has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 50 years, but Haitians are barred from coming to America through a travel ban. Iran has also qualified. Will its players be allowed to come? Citizens from a number …

Acting ICE chief to exit agency: DHS secretary

Acting ICE chief to exit agency: DHS secretary

Published by Sam Flores

The acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will leave his role at the end of next month, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin confirmed on Thursday evening. Todd Lyons will depart for a new role in the private sector on May 31, Mullin announced in a post on social platform X.  “Director Lyons has… Source link

Congress Turns Up Pressure on DHS Over Palantir’s Role in Immigration Crackdown

Congress Turns Up Pressure on DHS Over Palantir’s Role in Immigration Crackdown

Published by skeptic

Thirty-four members of Congress are demanding that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement provide detailed information about how tools developed by Palantir and “a range of surveillance companies” are fueling Trump’s ongoing immigration crackdown, according to a letter shared exclusively with WIRED. On Thursday, the lawmakers sent the letter to DHS secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting ICE secretary Todd Lyons. It outlines significant concerns they have about how DHS uses software developed by Palantir, as well as facial recognition from Clearview AI, social media surveillance tools from PenLink, cell tower simulators from L3Harris, and and cellphone surveillance tech built by Paragon Solutions. The lawmakers claimed that the suite of tools could be used to “compile, aggregate, and analyze large volumes of personal data and information,” and they questioned “what safeguards exist, if any, to prevent the misuse and collection of sensitive personal information.” “These tools contribute to a mass surveillance ecosystem that appears to operate in conjunction with Palantir-developed platforms and ultimately support enforcement operations conducted by DHS, some of which …

DHS Rescinds Policy Requiring Secretary Review Of Contracts Above 0,000

DHS Rescinds Policy Requiring Secretary Review Of Contracts Above $100,000

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded a policy on March 31 that required the department secretary to personally approve every contract and grant exceeding $100,000. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security in Washington on Feb. 17, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued the reversal across all DHS components, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The change ends an earlier directive from former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that required the secretary’s office to handle routine purchasing decisions previously handled at lower levels. However, contracts and grants above $25 million will still require secretary review. DHS stated that the move will “streamline the contract process and empower components to carry out their mission to protect the homeland and make America safe again.” The department told The Epoch Times in a statement that Mullin “re-evaluated the contract processes to make sure DHS is serving the American taxpayer efficiently.” Mullin …

House Republicans seek to fund ICE before passing Senate DHS bill, complicating plan to end shutdown

House Republicans seek to fund ICE before passing Senate DHS bill, complicating plan to end shutdown

Published by Sam Flores

House GOP leaders have a tough task ahead in passing a two-step plan to end the record-setting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown as their members call for passage of a Republican-only bill to fund immigration enforcement before they accept a bipartisan Senate bill to fund the rest of the department. House Republicans are feeling… Source link

Not just ICE: Do we need DHS?

Not just ICE: Do we need DHS?

Published by Sam Flores

The shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security is stretching into its second month with no end in sight, raising the ire of critics on both the left and right, with some asking whether the department’s duties would be better handled by other government agencies. DHS has been partially shut down since Feb. 14, but with Congress on recess until mid April, the lack of funding is poised to go on for at least a couple more weeks. The record-breaking shutdown has produced chaotic, long lines at airports, owing to the Transportation Security Administration, a division of DHS, not being paid for most of the shutdown. This has been the most public pain point, affecting the greatest number of Americans. Considering the fact that DHS is the fourth-largest federal department and the largest department not related to the military, critics are pointing out that the shutdown seems to have had little impact on most American’s lives. President Donald Trump even felt comfortable attacking Iran alongside Israel, despite the fact that DHS — a department founded …

DHS rescinds contract approval policy implemented by Noem

DHS rescinds contract approval policy implemented by Noem

Published by Sam Flores

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has walked back a controversial policy to review major expenditures, implemented by former Secretary Kristi Noem. In an emailed statement on Wednesday night, a DHS spokesperson told The Hill that DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin “re-evaluated the contract processes to make sure DHS is serving the American taxpayer efficiently.” “Today,… Source link

“Won’t be able to stop us”: Democrats, GOP both declare victory as DHS funding deal moves forward

“Won’t be able to stop us”: Democrats, GOP both declare victory as DHS funding deal moves forward

Published by Sam Flores

Republican leaders in Congress said on Wednesday the eight-week-long partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security would soon come at an end. Democratic lawmakers had forced the shutdown, which stymied air travel after the Transportation Security Administration ran out of payroll funds, over appropriations that would have funded Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. GOP leaders in both chambers shared that they would pass a bill without appropriations for the agencies carrying out President Donald Trump‘s mass deportation scheme. before pushing a separate bill to fund ICE and CBP. “In the coming days, Republicans in the Senate and House will be following through on the President’s directive by fully funding the entire Department of Homeland Security on two parallel tracks: through the appropriations process and through the reconciliation process,” Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., and Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., shared in a statement. Trump agreed that the shutdown-ending deal was merely the first step toward getting everything on the Republican agenda. “We are going forward to fund our incredible ICE …

GOP leaders boost two-track approach to funding DHS

GOP leaders boost two-track approach to funding DHS

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), joined by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), speaks to members of the media following the Republican Senate Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on October 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., on Wednesday backed a two-track plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security, paving the way to fund the Transportation Security Administration in the near-term while punting debate over the agency’s more controversial immigration enforcement functions.  The announcement amounts to a reversion back to the bill the Senate passed last week that would have funded all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and parts of Customs and Border Protection. Democrats have called for changes to immigration enforcement practices before funding those sub-agencies. Initial DHS funding for most of the department would be followed by a second measure using a Senate procedure known as budget reconciliation for ICE And CBP, the Republican leaders said …