Latest news with #homelandSecurity
WIRED
30-07-2025
- Politics
- WIRED
US Senator Urges DHS to Probe Whether Agents Were Moved From Criminal Cases to Deportations
Jul 30, 2025 10:19 AM US Senator Ron Wyden is demanding that the Department of Homeland Security investigate reports of agents being reassigned to bolster immigration enforcement. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Since February, multiple news reports have alleged that a significant number of agents at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—the Department of Homeland Security's investigative wing that focuses on transnational crimes like child exploitation, human trafficking, and drug cartels—have been pulled from child exploitation cases and reassigned to immigration enforcement and arrests. US senator Ron Wyden urged DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari on Tuesday to 'promptly' launch an investigation into the veracity and extent of these reports about HSI, in a letter shared exclusively with WIRED. Inspector General Cuffari has the authority to conduct audits or investigations into any activities or operations at DHS. 'Instead of locking up rapists, child predators and other violent criminals, [US president Donald] Trump appears to be diverting investigators to target cooks, farm workers and students,' Wyden says in the letter. 'Congress and the American people will not tolerate the Trump administration ignoring the ongoing sexual abuse of vulnerable children. Accordingly, we urge you to promptly investigate these troubling reports.' Wyden told WIRED in a written statement that there is 'no excuse for pulling investigators away from the most heinous cases involving child exploitation,' adding that 'nothing should be a higher priority than protecting kids in danger.' WIRED contacted several US-based child welfare and advocacy organizations to provide a comment for this article, however, they did not reply or declined to comment on the record. An official from one of these organizations, who requested anonymity, claimed that their organization could not provide a comment for this story due to fear of retribution from the Trump administration. In February, USA Today reported that the "entire investigations division" of HSI would be shifting its focus primarily to immigration arrests and deportations, as opposed to its typical range of work. Then, Reuters in March reported that HSI agents had been actively 'reassigned' from cases they had been working on related to child exploitation, money laundering cases, drug trafficking, and tax fraud. They were then tasked with immigration enforcement. At the time, Democratic senator Dick Durbin told the outlet that this shift was 'wasteful, misguided diversion of resources' that was 'making America less safe." The Atlantic reported in July that a veteran HSI agent said the division was putting major criminal investigations on hold, and sometimes choosing not to take on new cases—including drug cases, human trafficking cases, and child exploitation cases—in order to make agents available for routine predawn raids for immigration enforcement. HSI's reported shift in priorities comes after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) said that it had received 20.5 million tips of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2024. The risk to children involving AI-generated abuse material—which is also the domain of HSI—could also be reaching crisis levels. In 2024, NCMEC received about 67,000 tips about suspected AI-generated abuse material—a 1,325 percent increase from 2023, when it received 4,700 of these tips. 'We are inundated with victims, with offenders,' Detroit-based HSI special agent Dave Alley, who has historically focused on child exploitation cases, told his local ABC news outlet in January. 'There is just so much more access to both the internet and to materials.' (When reached by phone by WIRED, Alley declined to comment for this story.) According to its website, HSI has more than 10,000 employees, and more than 7,000 'Special Agents' charged with leading criminal investigations. Its work has been housed under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since 2003. In the 2024 fiscal year, ICE said that HSI had 'made 32,608 arrests, identified and/or assisted 1,783 victims of child exploitation, and assisted 818 human trafficking victims.' DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin did not answer questions about how many arrests have been made in connection to child exploitation in 2025, or how many agents have been assigned to such cases. 'HSI is leading efforts to conduct welfare checks on these children to ensure that they are safe and not being exploited,' McLaughlin tells WIRED. 'The Trump administration has located 13,000 children who were released into the country and either lost or placed with unvetted sponsors under President Biden.' McLaughlin did not provide evidence to back up this figure ahead of publication. When reached for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that the U.S. border with Mexico is 'more secure than it's ever been, which means fewer children are being trafficked and exploited,' Jackson says. 'Anyone who claims to care about ending child exploitation and smuggling should be celebrating President Trump's historically secure border.' HSI has not entirely halted its work on child exploitation investigations and other cases. On a news page published in April, ICE said that HSI had identified and rescued 56 victims of child exploitation in spring of 2025. The rescues were made as part of 'Operation Renewed Hope,' an annual initiative in which HSI goes through child sexual abuse material in which victims and offenders have not been identified. The goal is to 'create lead packages' that HSI or other law enforcement agencies can use to arrest offenders and bring victimized children to safety. In recent years, HSI has requested that DHS separate its operations from ICE, a change that would also require congressional approval. The majority of special agents in charge of HSI sent a letter to then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asking her to divorce the agency from ICE in 2018. HSI agents made another request to detach from ICE in a 2021 internal report submitted to then-DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Both requests cited ICE's poor reputation, and the divisiveness of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), claiming that ERO is politicized and fuels a lack of public trust in HSI.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Even children can help counter threats bringing ‘war to our doorstep', MPs say
Schools, businesses and communities should be part of a 'whole of society' effort to counter cyber attacks, espionage and sabotage conducted by hostile states like Russia, MPs have said. A new homeland security minister should coordinate the response to 'grey zone' actions, which fall short of all-out military conflict. The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee Tan Dhesi warned grey zone threats 'bring war to the doorstep' of ordinary citizens. The cross-party committee said that 'current grey zone attacks indicate that Russia already believes it is in an existential struggle with the West'. Grey zone activities can include propaganda, economic pressure, espionage including computer hacking, the weaponisation of migration, sabotage and assassination. The committee warned that the increase in defence funding to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product by 2027 must include 'sufficient resources' to address grey zone threats, rather than focus on the UK 's ability to fight a war. The committee's Labour chairman Mr Dhesi said: 'Our adversaries have purposefully blurred the line between peace and war. 'Grey zone threats pose a particularly insidious challenge – they unsettle the fabric of our day-to-day lives and undermine our ability to respond. Grey zone threats bring war to the doorstep of each and every one of us. 'These attacks do not discriminate; they target the whole of our society and so demand a whole of society response, in which we all must play our part.' 'We must now assume that any vulnerability will be exploited against us. 'The industries and technologies we rely on most are clear targets for hostile states. 'This is why, in today's report, we are calling for a shoring up of our digital and cyber skills and protections.' The committee heard that in Finland there were lessons on detecting disinformation in primary schools. The MPs said the Ministry of Defence should do 'far more' engagement with wider society 'both public and private—for example, critical national industries, schools and communities—to help generate a dialogue around those threats to the UK and build consensus around a common response'. The UK and allies should also do more to protect seabed cables and infrastructure, including by reinforcing the bows of new Royal Navy destroyers to allow them to operate more effectively in the Arctic. Additional military capabilities should be based in the Baltic region for extended periods, the MPs suggested, to 'enhance their deterrent value against adversaries' and increase the ability to respond to grey zone threats. Mr Dhesi said: 'The damage repeatedly caused to undersea cables highlights the importance of protecting critical infrastructure. 'The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force needs additional capabilities to provide further deterrence against Russian sabotage, and the MoD should consider increasing our military presence in the Baltic.'
Tahawul Tech
01-07-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
Orange Business announces new cyberdefense initiative
Orange Business has revealed a new specialised division focused on defence and homeland security. This division aims to bring together experts dedicated to the digital transformation of ministries, operators and companies in the sector. The French operator stated its new Defense and Security Division aims to strengthen and develop existing activities to address key challenges around the deployment of: resilient connectivity solutions; hybridisation of civilian military networks; hosting of sensitive data; emergency communications systems; AI; and cybersecurity. The unit will work with Orange Cyberdefense and collaborate with Orange Business on deploying, operating and maintaining digital infrastructure owned by the parent group. Experts from various group entities will be involved in the initiative and the entity will be led by Nassima Auvray, who has been named as director. Auvray stated the strategic division brings together a multidisciplinary team of hundreds of experts committed to 'designing sovereign, resilient and high-value solutions for our clients in the defence and security sectors'. She added the unit would use Orange's advanced cybersecurity, AI and emerging quantum technology to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving sector. Source: Mobile World Live Image Credit: Stock Image
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Leidos (LDOS) Expands Defense Role with New DISA Contract
Leidos Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) is one of the 10 cheap Jim Cramer stocks to invest in. As per a news release on June 17 on the company's website, it has received a five-year, $35 million award to support the Cross-Domain Enterprise Services program for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The company will oversee the design, engineering, and operations of DISA's data-sharing platform, which supports the transfer of information between classified and unclassified networks. At its latest earnings call, Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) management strongly emphasized the company's 'NorthStar 2030 strategy.' Following that, the company announced the acquisition of Kudu Dynamics in an all-cash transaction, valued at approximately $300 million, on May 28 (closed May 23). With the acquisition, Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) aims to accelerate the growth of its AI-enabled cyber capabilities for defense, intelligence, and homeland security customers. A close-up of an engineer working on the development of a new air navigation system. Additionally, on June 17, when a caller inquired about the company, Cramer replied: 'Leidos, I like it. You know, look, I am worried that the defense budget may be cut, but this is homeland security. I think it's a good opportunity. The stock's come down a great deal. Let's pull the trigger.' Leidos (NYSE:LDOS) provides technology and engineering solutions in defense, cybersecurity, healthcare, energy, and infrastructure. The company's products include national security software, air traffic management systems, power grid support, and border security technologies. While we acknowledge the potential of LDOS as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: The Best and Worst Dow Stocks for the Next 12 Months and 10 Unstoppable Stocks That Could Double Your Money. Disclosure: None.
Telegraph
05-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
What Trump's travel ban is really intended to achieve
Donald Trump's decision to bar the citizens of a dozen countries from entering the United States is his most sweeping visa ban yet. By casting his net wider than ever, the US president is ostensibly protecting Americans from foreigners who pose a threat to homeland security. Countries that do not properly vet their citizens or whose nationals overstay their visas were selected for outright bans, while seven other states were subjected to restrictions that would prevent as many as 90 per cent of their nationals from visiting the US. The move is a resurrection of a policy from his first term, but Mr Trump has considerably broadened his scope, imposing a much wider, if less draconian, set of measures — one that reflects a desire to overcome future legal challenges while pacifying his supporters. His 2017 executive order, which went through several iterations, saw a ban on travellers from seven nations with large Muslim majorities, earning adulation from his supporters. By contrast, just eight of the 19 countries hit by outright or partial bans under his latest edict have Muslim majorities. Mr Trump's tour of the Middle East last month, during which he cemented friendships with a string of rich Gulf potentates, may be a factor. More likely, though, the US president is simply being more strategic than in his first term. By taking aim at non-Muslim states alongside the usual suspects in the Middle East and Horn of Africa, he is making the legal challenges he faced the first time around less likely to succeed. The White House has been careful to justify its choice of targets, saying the countries listed pose security threats either because their nationals tend to overstay visas or because they have a significant 'terrorist presence'. With an eye on the courts, Mr Trump has also carved out exemptions even for states facing an outright ban: Afghans who worked with the US military, or persecuted minorities in Iran will, in theory, still be allowed in. This will allow Mr Trump to claim a significant victory on an issue important not just to his base, but beyond. Securing US borders is a central plank of his America First ideology. The visa ban is one element of this strategy, complementing a range of steps on immigration — from raids to detain migrants, to mass deportations and restrictions on international students. The ban will have real consequences. Last year, the State Department issued 170,000 visas to the citizens of countries facing an outright ban. The list of affected countries is far broader geographically than in Mr Trump's first term, with nine drawn from sub-Saharan Africa, three from the Americas, three from the Middle East and four from elsewhere in Asia. Of the countries reprieved this time, two offer an instructive insight into Mr Trump's shifting geopolitical priorities. North Korea and Syria omitted from list North Korea, added to the initial list later in 2017, is the first omission. In his first term, Mr Trump expended significant diplomatic capital in a fruitless quest to force Kim Jong-un to give up his nuclear arsenal. North Korea's inclusion may have been part of a pressure campaign designed to force concessions. That having failed, there is little value now in a symbolic measure like a visa ban. Very few North Koreans ever come to the United States, after all. The second is Syria, one of the main targets of the first ban because of the flood of refugees fleeing its civil war during Mr Trump's first term. But the war is over, the dictator Bashar al-Assad has been toppled and the White House has taken significant steps – over the objections of Israel but to the delight of most Arab states – to end Syria's isolation. Russia was floated as ban candidate Laying aside concerns about the new Syrian government's jihadi past, Mr Trump met President Ahmed al-Sharaa during his Middle East tour and announced an end to US sanctions on Damascus. Syria's exemption from the ban is further evidence of its accelerating rehabilitation. Other countries have remained on the banned list for more obvious reasons. Libya, Somalia and Yemen are all conflict-ridden with a large jihadi presence. In other cases, diplomatic factors may be at play. Iran has been included again – presumably to increase diplomatic pressure for a nuclear deal. Removing it from the list could be an inducement the Trump administration hopes to dangle to extract concessions from Tehran. Russia was floated in March as a possible candidate but avoided the final list – despite the threat posed by Russian sleeper operatives in the US. But Mr Trump, whose affinity with Moscow is well known, has no wish to alienate Vladimir Putin while he hopes for a peace deal with Ukraine. Including Russia would also have triggered pushback from Moscow's allies on the American right. The most puzzling entries are some of the countries whose citizens are facing a ban for the first time. Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of Congo – not to be confused with its larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is in talks with Washington over a critical minerals deal – are hardly obvious candidates for Mr Trump's ire. The three may not have cooperated sufficiently in accepting nationals deported from the US but none poses a more serious security threat than nearby states. Chad's neighbours in the African Sahel – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – are military dictatorships that have lost swathes of territory to jihadist groups, but escaped without a visa ban. Immediate answers are not obvious. But it is worth remembering that decision-making in the Trump administration can be arbitrary. Under the 'Liberation Day' tariffs announced in April – and later suspended – countries were hit with different rates based on rudimentary trade calculations. It is possible that some of the African states now on the visa ban list have suffered a similar fate. They may also serve to camouflage accusations of anti-Muslim bias. And as low-profile countries unfamiliar to most Americans, the risk of diplomatic blowback is small.
