Department of Homeland Security Intelligence and Border Security: Delivering Operational Intelligence
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INTELLIGENCE AND BORDER SECURITY: DELIVERING OPERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, INFORMATION SHARING, AND TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JUNE 28, 2006 Serial No. 109-89 Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/index.html U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 34-854 WASHINGTON : 2007 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY PETER T. KING, New York, Chairman DON YOUNG, Alaska BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas LORETTA SANCHEZ, California CURT WELDON, Pennsylvania EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut NORMAN D. DICKS, Washington JOHN LINDER, Georgia JANE HARMAN, California MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon TOM DAVIS, Virginia NITA M. LOWEY, New York DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JIM GIBBONS, Nevada Columbia ROB SIMMONS, Connecticut ZOE LOFGREN, California MIKE ROGERS, Alabama SHEILA JACKSON-LEE, Texas STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico BILL PASCRELL, JR., New Jersey KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, U.S. Virgin Islands BOBBY JINDAL, Louisiana BOB ETHERIDGE, North Carolina DAVE G. REICHERT, Washington JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas KENDRICK B. MEEK, Florida CHARLIE DENT, Pennsylvania GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, INFORMATION SHARING, AND TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT ROB SIMMONS, Connecticut, Chairman CURT WELDON, Pennsylvania ZOE LOFGREN, California MARK E. SOUDER, Indiana LORETTA SANCHEZ, California DANIEL E. LUNGREN, California JANE HARMAN, California JIM GIBBONS, Nevada NITA M. LOWEY, New York STEVAN PEARCE, New Mexico SHEILA JACKSON-LEE, Texas BOBBY JINDAL, Louisiana JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island CHARLIE DENT, Pennsylvania KENDRICK B. MEEK, Florida GINNY BROWN-WAITE, Florida BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi (Ex Officio) PETER T. KING, NEW YORK (Ex Officio) (II) C O N T E N T S Page STATEMENT The Honorable Rob Simmons, a Representative in Congress For the State of Connecticut, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment .......................................................... 1 The Honorable Zoe Lofgren, a Representative in Congress For the State of California and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Intelligence, Informaton Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment ...................................... 2 The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress For the State of Mississippi, (ex officio) ........................................................................... 4 The Honorable Mark E. Souder, a Representative in Congress For the State of Indiana .............................................................................................................. 12 The Honorable Jim Gibbons, a Representative in Congress For the State of Nevada .............................................................................................................. 16 The Honorable Jane Harman, a Representative in Congress For the State of California .......................................................................................................... 20 The Honorable Nita M. Lowey, a Representative in Congress For the State of New York .......................................................................................................... 38 WITNESSES PANEL I Mr. Charles E. Allen, Chief Intelligence Officer, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 6 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 7 PANEL II Mr. L. Thomas Bortmes, Director, Office of Intelligence, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 31 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 33 Ms. Cynthia O’Connell, Acting Director, Office of Intelligence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 27 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 29 Mr. James Sloan, Assistant Commandant for Intelligence, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 22 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 23 PANEL III Mr. Michael W. Cutler, Fellow Center for Immigration Studies: Oral Staement ...................................................................................................... 44 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 46 Mr. Michael O’Hanlon, Senior in Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institu- tion: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 48 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 49 (III) IV Page QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD Questions from Representative Rob Simmons for Assistant Secretary Charles Allen ...................................................................................................................... 60 DHS INTELLIGENCE AND BORDER SECURITY: DELIVERING OPERATIONAL INTELLIGENCE Wednesday, June 28, 2006 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, INFORMATION . SHARING, AND TERRORISM RISK ASSESSMENT, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 311, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Rob Simmons [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding. Present: Representatives Simmons, Souder, Gibbons, Dent, Lofgren, Harman, Lowey and Thompson (ex officio). Mr. SIMMONS. A quorum being present, the Committee on Home- land Security, Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment will come to order. Today the subcommittee meets to hear testimony on the Depart- ment of Homeland Security’s border security intelligence oper- ations. One of the Department’s primary jobs is to secure the home- land against the illegal entry of people, goods and illicit materials. The 9/11 Commission wrote in their comprehensive study, and I quote, targeting travel is at least as powerful a weapon against ter- rorists as targeting their money. The United States should combine terrorist travel intelligence, operations and law enforcement in a strategy to intercept terrorists, fine terrorist travel facilitators and constrain terrorist mobility. DHS works to do this through the hard work of people, through U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Coast Guard, among others in the intelligence and law enforcement communities. But as we all know, thousands of people illegally stream across our international borders. The 9/11 Commission estimated that annually approximately 500,000 people enter this country illegally, without inspection, and overstay their legal welcome. Many come for opportunities that America provides, and we understand that, but others have a more sinister intent. In order to better protect our borders, we need to know who is attempting to cross, and what are they bringing into this country, and why. Our border immigration and Coast Guard officials protect more than 5,000 miles of the border with Canada, 1,900 miles of border with Mexico, and approximately 12,400 miles of shoreline east and west. To protect this vast international border, intelligence-driven (1) 2 operations will be the key to targeting and interdicting these threats before their arrival. On a typical day Federal officials will apprehend over 3,000 peo- ple trying to cross between ports of entry, and on a typical day will intercept one person for terrorism or national security-related rea- sons. These apprehensions net fraudulent documents and seem- ingly innocuous pocket litter, both of which can have tremendous intelligence value. Therefore, DES frontline operators must have the tools, the training, capability and processes in place to weave the information from these everyday encounters into a comprehen- sive intelligence picture. In addition to those who try to cross our borders illegally, on a typical day approximately 1,200,000 people and passengers arrive at our ports of entry, and approximately 80,000 shipments of goods arrive for approved entry. Nothing wrong with this, we want to en- courage this. And we must make sure that this lawful travel and lawful commercial activity proceeds efficiently, without undue delay, while focusing again on those who deserve additional scru- tiny. It is a daunting but necessary task. Today we