SECRECY & THE SECURITY STATE - page 5

The Department of Defense Inspector General (DODIG) takes too long to investigate allegations of whistleblower retaliation, and can’t entirely ensure the integrity of its probes into reprisals. Those are the findings of a Government Accountability Office report released on Tuesday, reviewing the quality of the DODIG’s casework on behalf civilian and contractor employees who reported abuse following their act of whistleblowing. The GAO audit spanned from 2013 to 2015, and found that the inspector general’s office “did not meet statutory or internal timeliness goals for more…

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In the first oversight hearing focused on the White House’s decision to unwind deportation protections for Dreamers, a Department of Homeland Security official admitted that President Trump would like to see a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants. The testimony contradicts prior statements by the President about what should be done for individuals previously covered under the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which terminates in fewer than six months. Under questioning in the Senate Judiciary Committee from Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.),…

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The acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday that sensitive information about Dreamers could soon be handed over to federal deportation forces. Under questioning from Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), DHS Secretary Elaine Duke said she could not guarantee a promise made by the Obama administration to those who registered with the DACA program—known as Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals. “They were told by your agency that if they submitted this comprehensive information about their background and their status to apply for…

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The struggle over immigration policy between the Trump administration and local officials turned to New England this week. A county sheriff in Maine became the first in the state to announce he wouldn’t honor Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests, according to the Associated Press. Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce revealed the decision in a letter last week to ICE officials. In interviews with local media on Wednesday, Joyce explained that he had concerns about the constitutionality of ICE operations. “Let’s say that the case…

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Amid negotiations between President Trump and Democrats over the status of Dreamers, Republican lawmakers passed legislation that could lead to wholesale crackdowns on immigrant communities. The House on Thursday advanced a bill hinged on the principal of guilt-by-association, marking for deportation of non-US citizens merely suspected of knowing those engaged in a wide list of activities. The “Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act” passed in a 233-175 vote largely along party lines, with 11 Democrats supporting the measure, and Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) opposing it.…

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Immigrant advocates are pressing the Trump administration for information after sweeping deportation raids were postponed ahead of Hurricane Irma. Fifty organizations are filing Freedom of Information Act requests with Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices around the country. The initiative is designed to press ICE for details on the removal process, with a focus on how the agency skirts oversight. “We’re ready to go forward and litigate, if necessary,” Mijente Field Director Jacinta Gonzalez said Tuesday, in a conference call. Seeking information from ICE is…

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The nation’s intelligence chiefs sent a letter to Congress this week calling for a “speedy enactment” of legislation to reauthorize broad foreign spying powers that often impact American citizens, too. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats asked congressional leaders on Monday for a clean extension of the spying provision. Most notably, the top officials requested that the reauthorization be permanent. At the end of the year, Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act sunsets. The law, intended to target individuals…

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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lacks data to demonstrate the effectiveness of several airport security measures adopted following the September 11, 2001 attacks. A report released Monday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that the agency “does not have a complete understanding” of just how effective the billions of dollars spent on new security programs are in detecting and disrupting air travel threats. Although agency officials cited the lack of a major terrorist attack aboard a US airliner as proof of worth of these countermeasures, the GAO…

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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) sided with Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to vote against a resolution calling on the US government to treat WikiLeaks like a “non-state hostile intelligence service.” Harris, a rumored presidential contender, joined with Wyden, a leading civil libertarian lawmaker, to oppose the legislation in a Senate Intelligence Committee vote on annual policy legislation. Harris said the language was reckless and vague, while Wyden focused much of his ire at the legal distinction the committee is attempting to create. “[T]he ambiguity in the bill…

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An agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was busted for giving his mistress access to an evidence room and investigatory wiretaps, but the agency’s highest rungs of leadership intervened on his behalf and allowed him to temporarily keep his job and security clearance. The Department of Justice Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigated the wrongdoing to determine if then-DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart inappropriately mediated to protect the agent, and if she then lied to Congress about her role in security clearance reviews. The watchdog didn’t…

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