US says it disrupted a China cyber threat, but warns hackers could still wreak havoc for Americans
FBI Director Chris Wray has told House lawmakers that Chinese government hackers are busily targeting critical infrastructure inside the United States, including water treatment plants, the electrical grid and transportation systems.
Head of US cybersecurity agency sees progress on election security, with more work needed for 2024
The head of the nationโs cybersecurity agency says efforts to protect the nationโs election systems have grown exponentially since the 2016 presidential election, but more is needed to defend the integrity and resiliency of the election process ahead of next yearโs vote.
Agents with Homeland Security team to wear body cameras
Agents with an investigative unit of the Department of Homeland Security will wear body cameras for the first time as part of a six-month pilot program that will focus on the costs and benefits of using the technology in federal law enforcement.
AP seeks answers from US gov't on tracking of journalists
The Associated Press is seeking answers from the Department of Homeland Security on its use of sensitive government databases for tracking international terrorists to investigate as many as 20 American journalists, including an acclaimed AP reporter.
Supreme Court orders 'Remain in Mexico' policy reinstated
The Supreme Court says the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end a Trump-era program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. With three liberal justices in dissent, the high court refused Tuesday to block a lower court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the program informally known as Remain in Mexico.
Supreme Court orders 'Remain in Mexico' policy reinstated
The Supreme Court says the Biden administration likely violated federal law in trying to end a Trump-era program that forces people to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. With three liberal justices in dissent, the high court refused Tuesday to block a lower court ruling ordering the administration to reinstate the program informally known as Remain in Mexico.
Supreme Court halts reinstating 'Remain in Mexico' policy
The Supreme Court is temporarily halting a judgeโs order that would have forced the government to reinstate a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. Justice Samuel Alito issued the temporary stay late Friday night.
Appeals court won't delay 'Remain in Mexico' return
A federal appellate court has refused to delay implementation of a judge's order reinstating a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling late Thursday.
US-Canada border travel restrictions extended through May 21, 2021
โI have family in St. Clair Shores. I canโt get in my car and cross by myself to go see my family,โ St. Louis said. โBut I can get on a plane through Toronto with thousands of people on a crowded flight to fly to Detroit. Like, does that make any sense?โ
Senators press for more on SolarWinds hack after AP report
Key lawmakers say theyโre concerned theyโve been kept in the dark about what suspected Russian hackers stole from the federal government and they pressed Biden administration officials for more details about the scope of whatโs known as the SolarWinds hack.
Michigan reportedly may be used to ease overcrowding at border facilities
DETROIT โ Michigan may play a role in easing overcrowding at border facilities. The Great Lakes State was mentioned in a list of states along the Canadian Border to potentially be used in a little-known immigration program to help decrease over-crowding. According to emails obtained by the Washington Post, officials have requested air support from U.S. Immigration to relocate migrants to states like Michigan, South Dakota or Montana. The DHS program, known as ICE Air, was used during the Trump Administration at the height of immigration in 2019. Rep. Rashida Tlaib visited the U.S. southern border Friday alongside other lawmakers to tour a facility in Texas.
US-Canada border travel restrictions extended through April 21, 2021
The restrictions at the border took effect March 21, 2020 while allowing trade and other travel deemed essential to continue. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)DETROIT โ Travel restrictions across the U.S.-Canada border will remain in place at least through April 21, 2021, officials announced Thursday. The same rules will still apply: Essential travel, including certain workers and transportation of goods, is still allowed to cross the border between the neighboring countries. Nonessential travel is prohibited across the U.S.-Canada border. AdRead more: Canada: US border measures to last until COVID is under controlFor the latest on cross-border programs and services, travelers can call the Canada Border Services Agencyโs Border Information Service at 1-800-461-9999.
US shifts state grant focus to extremism, cyberthreats
About half of the money covered comes from two widely used grants: the State Homeland Security Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative. AdThat translates into at least $77 million to address domestic extremism, funds that Mayorkas said can be used to improve intelligence sharing across state lines, training and public awareness. AdConcerns about domestic extremism have been mounting in recent years. DHS listed domestic violent extremism, particularly by white supremacists, as among the top threats facing the nation late last year, and in January for the first time used a national terrorist advisory to warn about domestic extremism. In the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have called for increased focus on domestic extremism.
US reverts to targeted immigration enforcement under Biden
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ Immigration enforcement in the U.S. would be more targeted under President Joe Biden than under his predecessor, with authorities directed to focus on people in the country illegally who pose a threat, according to guidelines released Thursday. Under Biden, ICE would primarily apprehend and remove people who pose a threat to national security, committed crimes designated as โaggravatedโ felonies or recently crossed the border. The nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute estimated that 87% of noncitizens in the country without authorization would not be priorities for enforcement if Biden used the national security and public safety criteria as was done under Obama. AdThe national security category includes anyone suspected of involvement with terrorism or espionage. The public safety category applies to anyone convicted of a crime that involved their โactiveโ participation in gang activity or convicted of an aggravated felony.
US won't make immigration arrests at virus vaccination sites
Drivers with a vaccine appointment enter a mega COVID-19 vaccination site set up in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. One of the largest vaccination sites in the country was temporarily shut down Saturday because dozen of protesters blocked the entrance, stalling hundreds of motorists who had been waiting in line for hours, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Los Angeles Fire Department shut the entrance to the vaccination center at Dodger Stadium about 2 p.m. as a precaution, officials told the newspaper. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)WASHINGTON โ The U.S. government says it wonโt be making routine immigration enforcement arrests at COVID-19 vaccination sites. Vaccination sites will be considered โsensitive locationsโ and generally off limits for enforcement actions, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Monday.
The Latest: Wash. state warns hospitals on VIP vaccinations
The state crossed that mark Monday, exactly a year after officials reported the first case of a coronavirus infection in Massachusetts. โ Marylandโs acting health secretary says the stateโs hospitals have received less than half of their expected allocations of second doses of the coronavirus vaccine for front-line health workers this week. Schrader says state officials were talked with the federal Department of Health and Human Services all weekend trying to figure out what happened. The CDC says Iowa has delivered 190,689 first vaccine doses to individuals, or 6,044 per 100,000 people, the third lowest rate in the nation. Ad___PRAGUE โ The Czech Republic is not planning to limit use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for elderly people like some other European Union nations.
Michigan Congressional Republicans question deployment of National Guard troops
LANSING โ Hundreds of Michigan National Guard members are being sent to Washington, D.C. after the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning that the deadly Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol Building could motivate more domestic terrorists. In a letter House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Michiganโs Congressional Republicans asked for โan immediate intelligence briefingโ about why 1,000 troops from the stateโs National Guard are being redeployed to protect Washington. Rep. Lisa McClain said she hasnโt been given a briefing by the speaker or congressional leaders about any imminent threats. Three GOP officials from Michigan -- including McClain -- still voted to object to election results after the insurrection that killed six people. National Guard troops are expected to stay in D.C. through March.
US terrorism alert warns of politically motivated violence
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. In contrast, the deadly attack by rioters on the U.S. Capitol targeted the very heart of government. It brought together members of disparate groups, creating the opportunity for extremists to establish links with each other. The document singles out crimes motivated by racial or ethnic hatred, such as the 2019 rampage targeting Hispanics in El Paso, Texas, as well as the threat posed by extremists motivated by foreign terror groups. The alert comes at a tense time following the riot at the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump seeking to overturn the presidential election.
Judge bars Biden from enforcing 100-day deportation ban
A federal judge on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, barred the U.S. government from enforcing a 100-day deportation moratorium that is a key immigration priority of President Joe Biden. Tipton said the Biden administration had failed to provide any concrete, reasonable justification for a 100-day pause on deportations. (AP Photo/Emilio Espejel, File)HOUSTON โ A federal judge on Tuesday barred the U.S. government from enforcing a 100-day deportation moratorium that is a key immigration priority of President Joe Biden. That was a reversal from Trump administration policy that made anyone in the U.S. illegally a priority for deportation. The 100-day moratorium went into effect Friday and applied to almost anyone who entered the U.S. without authorization before November.
Biden's nominees promise fresh approach on national security
President-elect Joe Bidens pick for national intelligence director Avril Haines arrives for a confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. Neither Blinken nor Biden's other nominees for national security Cabinet posts encountered substantial opposition Tuesday. โWhen it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics โ ever,โ she told the Senate Intelligence Committee. The House majority leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, indicated Tuesday that the full House would consider an Austin waiver bill on Thursday. Like Blinken, Austin said he views China as the leading international issue facing Biden's national security team.
Unions: Passenger rails need better security, no-ride list
FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2021 file photo, The Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge overlooks the newly-completed Moynihan Train Hall in New York. Two major railroad workers unions have asked the Department of Homeland Security to beef up security on Amtrak and other passenger rail lines, including by creating a no-ride list akin to the no-fly list that prevents people identified as risks from boarding planes. โ Two major railroad workers unions have asked the Department of Homeland Security to beef up security on Amtrak and other passenger lines, including by creating a no-ride list akin to the no-fly list that prevents people identified as risks from boarding planes. Ferguson, of SMART-TD, acknowledged there would be a cost to creating a no-ride list, but he said it should be minimal considering that officials would simply be sharing the existing no-fly list with railroads. The unions also asked the Federal Railroad Administration to require more security, but that agency declined to intervene Thursday because the Department of Homeland Security has jurisdiction over such matters.
Trump Homeland Security chief abruptly quits at tense time
FILE - In this Sept. 23, 2020, file photo, acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Shawn Thew/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trumpโs acting head of the Department of Homeland Security abruptly resigned Monday, leaving the post ahead of schedule as the nation faces a heightened terrorism threat from extremists seeking to reverse the election. The announcement by acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf was perplexing. Peter Gaynor, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will serve as acting head of the Department of Homeland Security until the Biden administration takes over. Trump appointed Wolf acting secretary in November 2019, following the resignation of Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary who took over following the resignation of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
US judge blocks Trump administrationโs sweeping asylum rules
SAN DIEGO โ A U.S. judge on Friday blocked the Trump administrationโs most sweeping set of asylum restrictions less than two weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The court order has limited immediate impact because the government has largely suspended asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border during the coronavirus pandemic, citing public health concerns. He said it was the fifth time a court has ruled against Homeland Security on the same grounds. Any foreigner who steps on U.S. soil has a legal right to apply for asylum, according to U.S. asylum law and international treaty obligations. Donato took issue with how people came to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Justice Department, federal court system hit by Russian hack
The U.S. government on Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, said a devastating hack of federal agencies is likely Russian in origin and said the operation appeared to be an intelligence gathering effort. The Justice Department said that on Dec. 24 it detected "previously unknown malicious activity" linked to the broader intrusions of federal agencies revealed earlier that month, according to a statement from spokesman Marc Raimondi. Separately, the court office said on its website that โan apparent compromiseโ of the U.S. judiciary's case management and electronic case file system was under investigation. The actual reach is probably significant,โ said a federal court official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information. Rid wondered how sure the Justice Department could be about the extent of its compromise.
US agencies, companies secure networks after huge hack
The intrusion was stark evidence of the vulnerability of even supposedly secure government networks, even after well-known previous attacks. U.S. authorities acknowledged that federal agencies were affected by the breach on Sunday, providing few details. The national cybersecurity agencies of Britain and Ireland issued similar alerts. SolarWinds is used by hundreds of thousands of organizations around the world, including most Fortune 500 companies and multiple U.S. federal agencies. โItโs obviously incredibly significant and widespread,โ said Chris Painter, who coordinated cyber-policy at the State Department during the Obama administration.
US agencies hacked in monthslong global cyberspying campaign
The threat apparently came from the same cyberespionage campaign that has afflicted FireEye, foreign governments and major corporations, and the FBI was investigating. FireEyeโs customers include federal, state and local governments and top global corporations. Cybersecurity experts said last week that they considered Russian state hackers to be the main suspect in the FireEye hack. Federal government agencies have long been attractive targets for foreign hackers. โI suspect that thereโs a number of other (federal) agencies weโre going to hear from this week that have also been hit,โ Williams added.
US fully restores protections for young immigrants
SAN DIEGO โ The Trump administration said Monday that it fully restored the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shields hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation, complying with a federal judgeโs order. The announcement is still a major victory for young people who have been unable to apply since Trump ended DACA in September 2017. DACA shields about 650,000 people from deportation and makes them eligible for work permits. It allows certain immigrants who were brought to the country illegally as children to work and be exempt from deportation, though it does not confer legal status on recipients. "I don't want people caught in the crossfire.โ___Associated Press writer Anita Snow in Phoenix contributed to this report.
Judge: Trump administration must take new DACA applications
U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the government had to post a public notice within three days โ including on its website and the websites of all other relevant government agencies โ that new DACA applications were being accepted. Garaufis also ordered the government to put together a status report on the DACA program by Jan. 4. โEvery time the outgoing administration tried to use young immigrants as political scapegoats, they defiled the values of our nation. The Trump administration had announced the end of the program in 2017, leading to the legal challenges that wound up in front of the Supreme Court. For the second time, a court has ordered the administration to resume processing DACA applications.
Ex-Homeland Security official Mayorkas returns under Biden
Biden on Monday announced the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas, who served under President Barack Obama as deputy secretary of homeland security and director of the Citizenship and Immigration Services. And he helped negotiate the first homeland security memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Cuba, where he was born. If confirmed by the Senate, Mayorkas, who turns 61 on Tuesday, would be the first Hispanic and the first immigrant to lead DHS. He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and received his law degree from Loyola Law School. Bersin said Mayorkas is a โcentristโ who will seek to balance humanitarian concerns with the need for border security.
Trump fires agency head who vouched for 2020 vote security
While abrupt, the dismissal Tuesday of Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was not a surprise. Hours before being dismissed, Krebs tweeted out a report citing 59 election security experts saying there is no credible evidence of computer fraud in the 2020 election outcome. Biden campaign spokesman Michael Gwin noted that bipartisan election officials have dismissed Trumpโs claims of widespread fraud. Some state election officials and Republicans, suspicious of federal intrusion on their turf, were opposed to the designation. But the Trump administration supported the designation, and, eventually, skeptical state officials welcomed the assistance.
Trump fires agency head who vouched for 2020 vote security
While abrupt, the dismissal of Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was not a surprise. Hours before being dismissed, Krebs tweeted out a report citing 59 election security experts saying there is no credible evidence of computer fraud in the 2020 election outcome. Biden campaign spokesman Michael Gwin noted that bipartisan election officials have dismissed Trumpโs claims of widespread fraud. Some state election officials and Republicans, suspicious of federal intrusion on their turf, were opposed to the designation. But the Trump administration supported the designation, and, eventually, skeptical state officials welcomed the assistance.
Judge: DHS head didn't have authority to suspend DACA
โDHS failed to follow the order of succession as it was lawfully designated,โ U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis wrote. About 650,000 people are part of DACA, which allows young immigrants who were brought to the country as children to legally work and shields them from deportation. In Garaufis' ruling Saturday, the judge wrote that DHS didn't follow an order of succession established when then-Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019. Kevin McAleenan, who succeeded Nielsen until he resigned in October 2019, also didn't have statutory authority to hold the position, Garaufis wrote. President-elect Joe Biden plans to reinstate DACA and is expected to use executive orders to reverse some of Trump's other immigration actions.
2020 election โmost secure in American history,โ according to Department of Homeland Security, more groups
Right now, across the country, election officials are reviewing and double checking the entire election process prior to finalizing the result. There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised. In Michigan, Trump and his team have filed a lawsuit in an effort to halt the stateโs certification of its election results. The Trump campaign is suing Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson along with the Wayne County and the Michigan Board of Canvassers, which are in charge of reviewing elections. More: Hundreds provide testimonies -- but no real evidence -- in Trump campaign lawsuit to stop certification of Michigan election results
House Dems ask Trump admin to halt COVID border expulsions
NEW YORK โ A group of Democratic lawmakers called on the Trump administration Monday to stop the expulsion of unaccompanied children and other asylum seekers at the U.S. border using emergency powers granted during the coronavirus pandemic. โClearly, expulsions lack a public health rationale, and the U.S. government is fully capable of receiving and placing unaccompanied children and asylum seekers while also protecting public health,โ said the letter, signed by 58 lawmakers. The CDCโs order covers the U.S. borders with both Mexico and Canada, but has mostly affected the thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants arriving at the southern border. Public health experts had urged the administration to focus on a national mask mandate, enforce social distancing and increase the number of contact tracers to track down people exposed to the virus. In their letter, the lawmakers say the order endangers children, including by exposing them to risks such as human trafficking.
Report: US knew of problems family separation would cause
Documents in the report suggest Health and Human Services officials weren't told by the Department of Homeland Security why shelters were receiving more children taken from their parents in late 2017. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee released the report Thursday with emails obtained from government agencies. The report outlines discussions since the start of the Trump administration of family separation as a law enforcement tactic. Documents in the new report suggest CBP did not communicate with HHS about why shelters were receiving more separated children. The email notes โthe increase in referralsโ of children unaccompanied by a parent โresulting from separation of children from parents.โ White sent McAleenan a chart of all the children HHS had received.
Former DHS official says he wrote 'Anonymous' Trump critique
This March 27, 2018, provided by the Department of Homeland Security, then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and then-Department of Homeland Security chief of staff Miles Taylor, right, meet with Honduran President Juan Hernandez, not pictured, and security ministers from the Northern Triangle countries in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Taylor, a former Trump administration official who penned a scathing anti-Trump op-ed and book under the pen name Anonymous made his identify public Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. (Tim Godbee/Department of Homeland Security via AP)
Former DHS official says he wrote 'Anonymous' Trump critique
Taylor, a former Trump administration official who penned a scathing anti-Trump op-ed and book under the pen name Anonymous made his identify public Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2020. (Tim Godbee/Department of Homeland Security via AP)WASHINGTON โ A former Trump administration official who penned a scathing anti-Trump op-ed and book under the pen name โAnonymousโ revealed himself Wednesday as a former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security. He left the Trump administration in June 2019 and endorsed Democrat Joe Biden for president this summer. Trump and White House officials moved quickly to describe Taylor as someone with little standing and clout. He said he considered resigning from the Trump administration a year before he did and wishes now that he had.
Environmental groups sue over Portland tear gas use
The federal lawsuit alleges the U.S. government violated federal environmental law by deploying โan unprecedented amount of dangerous chemical weaponsโ without assessing their environmental impacts beforehand, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Oregonโs Department of Environmental Quality noted that โthe repeated deployment of tear gas in downtown Portland has led to elevated levels of certain contaminantsโ in stormwater drains. But state officials said air-quality monitors arenโt located nearby and donโt measure tear gas exposure. Medical experts say there are few studies on health effects of tear gas. A European Union agency says it โis very toxic to aquatic life.โFiguring out precisely what tear gas components are in the environment is also a challenge.
Trump administration turns to immigration as vote nears
And it added to charges from Trump critics that DHS and other agencies have become overtly politicized under this president. โNow, heโs trying to use the department to benefit himself electorally.โFew issues are as important to Trump's political base as immigration. But attention to the issue has ebbed in the 2020 race, as Trump has focused more on unrest in Democratic cities, leftist activists and other matters. Then Wolf followed up with the news conference to announce the enforcement operation โ a fairly routine operation that resulted in a fairly low number of arrests. Trump has said Biden wants to abolish ICE and end deportations, but that's not correct.
Voter beware: US tells public how to avoid election mischief
The issues identified in the public service announcements run the gamut from the spread of online disinformation about the electoral process to cyberattacks targeting election infrastructure. That's precisely what the FBI and CISA are warning may take place to trick Americans during the election. Besides spreading false information, officials say, such spoofed websites and email accounts can gather personally identifiable information and spread malicious software. The U.S. agencies say they have no information that any attack targeting election infrastructure has compromised the integrity of election results or the accuracy of voter registration information, prevented a registered voter from casting a ballot, or prevented an election from occurring. In 2016, Russia searched for vulnerabilities in state elections systems across the U.S. and also breached the Illinois voter registration system.
Trump administration to sharply limit skilled-worker visas
WASHINGTON โ The Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to sharply limit visas issued to skilled workers from overseas, a move officials said was a priority amid job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. President Donald Trump in June issued an order temporarily suspending the H-1B program until the end of the year. workers are being ousted from good paying, middle-class jobs and replaced with non-U.S. workers,โ Pizzella said. There would also be increased workplace inspections and additional oversight of the H-1B program, Cuccinelli said. The U.S. can issue up to 85,000 H-1B visas per year in technology, life sciences, health care and other sectors.