The Department of Homeland Security

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The Department of Homeland Security

• Border Transportation Security Directorate
• Assistant Secretary C. Stewart Verdery, Jr.
• President's Council of Advisors on Science and
  Technology, October 5, 2004

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Border and Transportation Security Directorate
Mission

• To protect national security and promote public
  safety by enforcing our nation's immigration and
  customs laws, providing a trained and effective
  border and transportation system defense against
  all external threats, including international
  terrorists, and other threats such as illegal
  drugs and other contraband, while preserving the
  free flow of legitimate trade and travel.

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BTS Policy Issue AreasRelated to International
Mobility

• US-VISIT
• Visa Policy
• Visa Waiver Program
• Advanced Passenger Information
• Aviation Security

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US-VISIT

• Entry
• US-VISIT Entry began January 5, 2004
• Between January 5 and September 23, US-VISIT has
• processed more than 9.1 million passengers
  through US-VISIT entry procedures
• had more than 1,185 hits against our biometric
  lookout database of criminal and immigration
  violations
• Average wait time 6 seconds
• Visa Waiver Program Enrollment began September
  30, 2004
• Land Border at Secondary inspection to begin
  December 31, 2004
• Exit
• Administered as a pilot program at BWI Airport
  and the Miami Seaport
• Will pilot 13 additional ports in 2004
• Technological solutions for the land borders

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Visa Policy

• Under the Homeland Security Act, DHS has
  responsibility for establishing visa policy
• DHS employees are assisting consular officers in
  the visa process in high-risk areas under the
  Visa Security Program
• BTS Policy has assumed primary role in
  development of visa policy in DHS
• Improvements to the Security Advisory Opinion
  Process
• Outreach to scientific, education, business and
  travel industries

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Visa Waiver Program

• Established in 1988 to facilitate travel
• Criteria to address the law enforcement and
  security interests
• DHS is conducting country reviews to be completed
  this month
• Biometric passport deadline extension until 2005
• VWP enrollment into US-VISIT to enhance security

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Advanced Passenger Information

• Needle in a Haystack finding passengers who pose
  a threat to the aircraft or the other passengers
  on the aircraft, or are believed to be involved
  with terrorism before they board a plane
• Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement with the
  EU that permits the legal transfer to DHS of
  advanced PNR from airlines flying between EU
  countries and the United States
• Advance Passenger Information System (APIS)
  information provided by the airline industry to
  target suspect or high-risk passengers
• Secure Flight system that implements a key
  recommendation of the 9/11 Commission to enhance
  domestic commercial aviation security by
  adjusting certain features of the current
  pre-screening system

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Aviation Security

• Air Transit Program
• Transit Without Visa Program was suspended August
  7, 2003 because of credible intelligence
• DHS is now in the process creating a new program
  that will facilitate secure transit through U.S
  airports, while allowing DHS flexibility to
  respond to identified terrorism threats
• Air Marshals Security
• Strategically placed on flights based on credible
  intelligence
• Hardened Cockpit Doors
• US air carriers have equipped the entire US
  passenger aircraft fleet with hardened doors
• US requires all international passenger flights
  into or out of the US to be equipped with
  hardened doors
• Arming Pilots
• Increased recruiting and training of FFDOs
• Opened FFDO program to pilots of all cargo
  aircraft
• Enhanced Screening Procedures
• Increased use of explosive detectors
• Expanded use of physical searches in both TSA
  screening primary and secondary

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