Democrats weigh IT money for DHS in stimulus bill

The economic stimulus package under consideration by key Democrats could include funding for the Homeland Security Department -- possibly as much as $2 billion, congressional and industry sources said today.

Talk has surfaced about the inclusion of hundreds of millions of dollars for Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard, sources said.

Funding could be sought to help states comply with the so-called Real ID law, which requires them to issue secure driver's licenses to their citizens.

The push for the funding appeared to be coming from both lawmakers and the homeland security industry. "Everything's in play," one source said. But aides for the Senate and House Appropriations committees could not confirm specific homeland security efforts that might be included in the stimulus and sources cautioned that nothing has been decided.

Sources pointed to an economic stimulus bill proposed by former Senate Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd in November as a blueprint, which sought to provide more than $2 billion for Homeland Security agencies. Funding in the bill included $500 million for TSA to buy and install explosives detection equipment, about $300 million for the Coast Guard and another $300 million for border security, especially to expedite the deployment of technology to the southwest border.

The bill called for another $100 million to improve infrastructure at the nation's ports of entry and about $350 million to consolidate the Homeland Security Department headquarters in Washington. An industry source said it is likely that the stimulus bill will include funding to improve ports of entry and for TSA baggage-screening operations.

Another source added that other infrastructure improvements in the bill, such as for bridges, could include security measures, such as video cameras or perimeter protections.

"It's a great opportunity now. Security was an afterthought before. Now you have the opportunity to do those things up front," the source said.

New manager takes on troubled border security program

In less than four months, the Homeland Security Department will hand off border security programs to a new administration that are over cost, behind schedule and downsized from original plans, according to lawmakers, congressional investigators and industry officials.

Despite three years of work and nearly $1 billion in taxpayer's money, the department's so-called SBInet program has not met goals and expectations, the critics said. The program -- aimed at using technology and traditional fencing to control the nation's borders -- faces even more upheaval and overhaul as a new program manager takes over the reins.

In one of the biggest changes so far, the department had to forgo planned technology investments for the remainder of this year in order to have enough money and time to erect more physical fencing and vehicle barriers by December.

Facing a surge in fencing costs, the department notified Congress that it needs to reprogram nearly $400 million to meet its obligations, of which more than $200 million was originally intended for surveillance systems, cameras and computer software. And, most recently, the department notified its SBInet contractor, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, it does not intend to give Border Patrol agents a mobile common operating picture during the next phase of the program, CongressDaily has learned.

In what sources on and off the Hill described as an abrupt but necessary move, Customs and Border Protection announced Sept. 19 it was replacing its manager for the overall Secure Border Initiative with retired Air Force Col. Mark Borkowski. "There is nothing sacrosanct," Borkowski said, referring to his approach to SBInet. "It's clear to me that it looks like [SBInet] lacks focus," he added. "I'm going to presume that what it looks like is accurate and I'm going to act accordingly."

Borkowski said he needs to determine if the SBInet program has the right management structure, authorities and personnel. He said he will review whether Boeing is the right contractor for the program.

Homeland Security and industry officials admit SBInet has had setbacks, but contend the program is not as troubled as it appears. They say the system is operating around the clock in one spot south of Tucson, Ariz., and recently contributed to the seizure of 4,000 pounds of marijuana. And now that the department has made construction of physical fencing a top priority, they say, the program can focus on systems integration and testing before deploying technology for follow-on phases.

But at this point, CBP has informed Boeing it does not intend to give Border Patrol agents a mobile computer in their vehicles that connects them to a common operating picture -- essentially identical displays of visual information, congressional and industry sources said. A congressional aide said lawmakers will have no patience for more problems in follow-on phases, given that the department and Boeing now have more time to test and integrate technology.

Staffing shortages at border jeopardize security, economy

Staffing shortages at
border jeopardize security, economy

By Katherine McIntire Peterskpeters@govexec.comJanuary 4, 2008

Both national security and economic growth are jeopardized by an overtaxed and dysfunctional system for inspecting people and goods at U.S. land ports of entry. That was the picture painted by government officials, federal employee representatives and business leaders testifying Thursday at a House Homeland Security Committee field hearing in El Paso, Texas.

Staffing shortages and poor training among border personnel, along with outdated facilities, an overwhelming workload, and the absence of standardized, tamperproof travel document requirements are contributing to long wait times and security lapses at U.S. borders, officials said.

Thomas Winkowski, assistant commissioner for field operations at Customs and Border Protection, the Homeland Security bureau directly responsible for vetting people and goods entering the country, said CBP is counting on implementation of the repeatedly-delayed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to both improve security and facilitate legitimate cross-border trade. U.S., Canadian and Bermudian citizens now entering the United States across land and sea borders are not required to present any specific set of identity or citizenship documents.

"This significantly complicates our ability to verify that people are who they say they are in a matter of seconds," said Winkowski. "Currently, travelers at our land and sea ports of entry may attempt to demonstrate citizenship and identity by presenting any of thousands of different documents to CBP officers when attempting to enter the United States, creating a tremendous potential for fraud."

By Jan. 31, verbal declarations of citizenship will no longer be sufficient to gain entry into the United States. U.S. and Canadian citizens will be required to carry passports or a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, and proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, but further implementation of the travel initiative remains unclear. Congress delayed the requirement that U.S. citizens have passports to enter the country overland from Mexico or Canada after a similar requirement went into effect last year for entry through airports -- that requirement overwhelmed the State Department's passport processing operations and spoiled vacation plans for thousands of citizens when their passports were delayed.

Last November, the Government Accountability Office reported, and CBP concurred, that "several thousand" people who should have been denied entry into the United States were allowed in through land ports of entry. GAO cited several reasons, including the high volume of traffic border officials contend with and the limited time they have for making decisions. In addition, high attrition levels contributed to inadequate and insufficiently trained staff.

Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents many of the front-line inspectors at the border, said CBP is woefully short of staff. Low morale and lack of benefits have contributed to attrition rates that are outpacing the agency's ability to hire replacements at ports of entry, she said.

Problems in El Paso are exacerbated by what Kelley describes as scheduling abuses by managers, who sometimes assign officers back-to-back eight-hour shifts that straddle two pay periods, with the intent to avoid overtime pay for the second eight-hour shift. "Scheduling abuses along with short staffing have resulted in overworked officers, safety and overtime violations, and concerns about favoritism in assignment of work and overtime," she said.

A shortage of inspectors has led to miles-long traffic backups at many ports of entry on a routine basis. "Three-hour wait times, which have become common at our international ports of entry, do not equate to greater national security," said Bob Cook, president of the El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation. According to Cook, more than 15 percent of total trade between the United States and Mexico passes through El Paso ports of entry.

"We should be seeking to aggressively expand the use of technologies and procedures that identify and expedite low-risk traffic in order that we may spend the majority of our time and financial resources on the potentially high risk individuals and cargo carriers,"

Cook said.Much of the cross-border traffic through El Paso derives from the nearly 350 maquiladoras, or factories, that operate in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, just across the border. For the most part, the factories - 85 percent of which are owned and operated by U.S. corporations - import parts and equipment tariff-free from the U.S. and then sell their products, manufactured with cheaper Mexican labor, back to the United States.

Cook estimates that about 50,000 El Pasoans earn their living either directly or indirectly from the maquiladora industry in Mexico, including thousands who work in the factories themselves as managers, engineers or other professionals. "The sheer volume of cross-border traffic clearly presents a monumental challenge to those agents who are at the ports of entry, working on the front line of providing for the security of the homeland," he said.

In 2007, more than 34 million travelers, 14.3 million vehicles and nearly 759,000 trucks passed through the Port of El Paso, which includes four separate crossing points, said Winkowski. Customs and Border Protection officers there confiscated 4,552 fraudulent documents, seized more than 193,000 pounds of narcotics and arrested 2,830 individuals at the port.