what is the organizational structure of dhs

696 0 obj <> endobj But the benefits of removing these problematic entities would be well worth the cost in bureaucratic coordination and would help move toward significant reforms in the immigration system that are long overdue. The organization of DHS is in accordance with the Homeland Security Act, as modified by previous notices to Congress under Section 872 of the Homeland Security Act and by future legislative enactments. Tom Ridge (R) was appointed to be the first director of the White House Office of Homeland Security and charged with overseeing and coordinating a comprehensive national strategy to prevent future terrorist attacks on the country.11 Although President George W. Bush initially believed that the federal government could better ensure the safety of Americans with a strong homeland security council managed by the White House, he later transmitted his department proposal to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 18, 2002; one of the most determined early proponents of the department was Joe Lieberman, then a Democratic senator from Connecticut. Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) office, housed within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has ballooned to 7,100 agents in 225 cities nationwide and is now one of the largest federal investigative agencies within the U.S. government.24 HSI claims broad legal authority to investigate a wide range of domestic and international criminal activities arising from the illegal movement of people, goods, money, and contraband into and within the United States and has access to the information stored in the CIRS database. The Center for American Progress believes that having a Cabinet agency such as DHS remains critical to the safety and well-being of Americans. I&A reportedly compiled dossiers on journalists covering the 2020 protests in Oregon, under a theory of expanded intelligence activities that DHS lawyers argued were necessary to mitigate the significant threat to homeland security that such activites posed.21 DHS has also ramped up the collection and retention of expanded categories of records during customs and immigration processing, including the collection of data on U.S. persons. endstream endobj 700 0 obj <>stream At a minimum, your org structure should include employees' titles and basic hierarchies. The governments current mechanisms for communicating threat information to the public and private sectors are inadequate. DHS already plays a pivotal role in connecting nonfederal officials with their counterparts in the federal system and serves as the primary connection between state, local, tribal, and territorial officials and the federal government and its resources, as well as between the private and public sectors, including civil society organizations. These efforts have been at some times political and at other times reactive rather than grounded in a clear articulation of DHSs role within the federal bureaucracy. The departments founding mission to prevent another 9/11-style attack continues to influence its outsize focus on counterterrorismdespite the fact that DHSs ability to prevent terrorism is limited, and entities such as the FBI and NCTC are often in the lead statutorily. We are sincerely thankful for their support. var subscribe = document.getElementById('enSubscribeFooter'); Who we serve Establishing the protection of civil liberties and privacy as a core DHS mission would fill a critical gap in executive branch roles that is not currently being comprehensively addressed by other departments and agencies. (see p. 23). Given these demands, DHS will be relied upon to bridge the gap between public and privately owned infrastructure and ensure that federal protection efforts can effectively extend to all sectors and are executed with strong civil liberties and privacy protections in place. hbbd``b`Z $mA7`9$~b`bdr A limited law and immigration enforcement role would focus DHS enforcement activities only on areas where they assist the support and services model and where other federal agencies and bureaucracies do not have a leading role to play. The original legislation that created DHS tasked the new agency with seven primary missions, almost all of which relate to counterterrorism: The original administration proposal in June 2002 to create DHS proposed a clear and efficient organizational structure with four divisions: border and transportation security; emergency and preparedness response; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear countermeasures; and information analysis and infrastructure protection.16 By the time it came into existence, however, the original agencies and different components of the federal government brought together under the DHS umbrella represented a much broader range of activities.17. 714 0 obj <>stream Skip to main content. Advisory panels and committees that provide advice and recommendations on mission-related topics from academic engagement to privacy. Each employee's position is identified, including their function and who they report to within the firm. var onSuccessSubmitenSubscribeFooter = function() { Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is the principal investigative component of DHS and is responsible for investigating, disrupting, and dismantling transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States. Compared with executive branch agencies with longer histories and institutional protections and normssuch as the DOJ, founded in 1870, or the FBI, founded in 1908DHS lacks a history and culture of independence from political influence. DHS should take a broader view of what it means to keep the nation secure and adapt its mission and activities accordingly. ` " But viewing immigration law violations, which are often civil in nature, through a punitive lens has resulted in a heavy-handed approach at the border and in the interior. Understanding these foundational issues and why they have not been effectively addressed is critical to articulating a new vision for DHSone that focuses headquarters limited attention on the right set of priorities. Previously, Sally was a Law Clerk at U.S. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Xs~_7^{$}UAe5u)haU8vP6179kqZ>95[6No4%OcE6:&v+ yz Moving toward the safety and services model outlined in this report would allow DHS to calibrate its activities within a new mission maximally focused on delivering value to America. These recommendations include: 1) provide experts for all five missions of the QHSR as part of homeland security personnel, 2) improve information sharing, 3) acquire closer relationships between local, state . This structure is often mapped out in an organizational chart, which visually represents how each position within the company relates to each other. He directs CBP's three core missions of counterterrorism, border security, and trade . The organizational structure of, for example, a company is a system used to define its hierarchy. To maximize its value and effectiveness in todays environment, DHS should organizeand articulate its missionaround a balanced set of activities that prioritize safety and services roles more fully with DHSs other protecting, securing, and defending roles DHS should dial up, or increase, its strategic focus in the following areas: DHS should dial down its strategic focus in the following areas, bringing them into balance with its other priorities: To make the case for reform, this report first outlines the legacy of DHSs hasty founding and how past attempts to reform DHS have failed to reorient the department away from a disproportionate focus on foreign threats. USCIS United States Coast Guard (USCG) USCG is the only military organization within DHS and protects the maritime economy and the environment, defends our maritime borders, and saves those at risk. subscribe.submit(); Katrina Mulligan and others, A National Policy Blueprint to End White Supremacist Violence (Washington: Center for American Progress and the McCain Institute, 2021), available at, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Organizational Chart., See, for example, reporting in 2014 highlighted by Radley Balko, DHS: A wasteful, growing, fear-mongering beast,, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Countering Foreign Influence Task Force, available at, Derek B. Johnson, With U.S. cyber policy, clear lanes still hard to come by, Federal Computer Week, November 25, 2019, available at, A Brookings study found that the number of full-time employees (including federal employees and contractors) at DHS increased by 25 percent between 2017 and 2020. For large organizations like the DHS, managing IT and finding ways for disparate systems to work together can be a complicated task; doing so while supporting government operations means that the stakes can be even higher and the consequences more widespread. But the prevention mission must focus on the increasing prevalence of domestic challenges and borderless threats, including white supremacist-fueled domestic extremism, natural disasters, and cyberattacks, as well as external threats. Department of Human Services Organizational Chart. Understanding the opportunities DHS has today is critical to transforming the agency to better meet unfulfilled needs around Americans safety and security, to address the issues that emerged or significantly worsened during the past four years, and to focus attention on the right set of priorities for the department going forward. It also helps ensure that DHS capacity is aligned to where DHS has the most to contribute. CBP focuses on keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the United States while facilitating lawful travel and trade. Though it will be hard, the potential outcome would be well worth the effort; the entire system would start moving toward being more fair, humane, and workable. The department can no longer fulfill its purpose by focusing disproportionately on international terrorism and immigration enforcement and must understand that enforcement-overdrive has damaged critical relationships with communities and their leaders all across the country.10. Rudy deLeon is a senior fellow with the National Security and International Policy team at the Center. Official websites use .gov The current administration and Congress will need to work together for longer-term changes to institutionalize reforms. CBP, under DHS, is charged with functions that range from countering terrorism, securing the border, and facilitating trade and travel. By fully realizing the role envisioned for the secretary of DHS in Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5enhancing the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents by establishing a single comprehensive national incident management system68as the principal federal official for domestic incident management, DHS can serve as a force multiplier for the rest of the federal government and use its institutional memory to improve Americas resilience to anything that humankind or nature throws its way. There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any . Pandemics can uproot daily life and economic security when border-screening measures fail to halt early transmission. Philip E. Wolgin is the acting vice president of Immigration Policy at the Center. He is responsible for overseeing the organization's contracting functions with a focus on integrity and positive impact. Efforts are underway to improve departmentwide workforce satisfaction, measured through yearly index scores such as the inclusion and employee engagement indexes. Title: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Organizational Chart Author: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Created Date: 4/11/2012 1:38:31 PM Though the independence of the DOJ and FBI has been tested in the pastduring the J. Edgar Hoover era at the FBI, for example, and across the DOJ during the past four yearsrich institutional memory supported by decades of oversight at these other law enforcement agencies has resulted in unambiguous statutory authorities and well-established norms that have helped these institutions withstand politicization and guide department behavior. DHS provides high-quality, affordable health care coverage and public health services to Wisconsin residents. DHSs role should also be carefully calibrated to focus where the department is best positioned relative to other agencies, such as at the borders and ports of entry, and to enable effective information sharing with the other relevant federal players. U.S. Yes No However, the DHS secretary should launch an initiative specifically to study the departments recruitment, retention, and training efforts to further identify areas of success and for improvement. Choosing to focus DHSs prevention efforts where it can make unique contributions does not compromise U.S. security but rather helps ensure that the federal response is well coordinated and not duplicative. } Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are increasingly common and could grind the U.S. economy and daily life to a halt if targeted toward the electrical grid or communications and internet services. Had these functions been merged under the BOP when the Obama administration announced that it would end the use of private prisons in DOJ facilities,81 it would have likely meant a similar end to some of the most problematic facilities in the immigration context as well.82. While the Coast Guard plays an important role in maritime security and maritime law enforcement efforts, it is also responsible forand takes great pride insearch and rescue and disaster relief efforts. A well-managed border will be safe and secure while also efficiently offering different services needed to travel, trade, or seek asylum in the United States. Teams involved in the development, drafting, and editing include National Security and International Policy, Immigration, Art, Editorial, and Videowith significant contributions from Sofia Carratala, Lauren Vicary, Jasmine Hardy, Hai-Lam Phan, and Chester Hawkins. Recent examples include DHSs yearslong battle with the DOJ over which agency has the lead for transnational organized crime; tensions with the FBI and the IC over foreign influence and election interference roles and responsibilities;57 turf battles over cybersecurity jurisdiction between DHSs CISA and the National Security Agency;58 and persistent questions about the focus and utility of DHSs intelligence unit. Chief Financial Officer - Robert Brock. Travel and trade cbp & # x27 ; s three core missions of,! Will need to work together for longer-term changes to institutionalize reforms mission and activities accordingly keeping! Organizational chart, which visually represents how each position within the company relates to each other, which visually how. Contracting functions with a focus on integrity and positive impact at the Center for American believes! While facilitating lawful travel and trade well-being of Americans Wolgin is the acting president... 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