Security

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

     The number of Industry Integration Centers for Excellence and Expertise within U.S. Customs devoted to centralizing the import process for trusted shippers could double to four this fiscal year, Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski recently said.    Customs and Border Protection last fall established two Centers of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) - one in New York that deals with the pharmaceutical industry and one in Los Angeles responsible for electronics - as ...

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

     U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would make substantial changes to the way imported merchandise is transported inland under a bond, enabling the cargo owner to defer payment of duties until it reaches the destination port or is exported.     The primary fixes involve making the in-bond process electronic and tightening up procedures to better track merchandise and prevent diversion. In the past, CBP has...

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

     The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security Undersecretary Eric L. Hirschhorn on March 1 will meet with leading Silicon Valley companies to update them on the reform of the country’s export control regulations.    The two-hour seminar, scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at SAP in Palo Alto, Calif., is sponsored by Women in International Trade – Northern California. The seminar will include a preview of proposed rulings and how companies are impacted by the e...

Monday, February 20, 2012

     A smaller appropriation from Congress for Department of Homeland Security preparedness grants has resulted in the cutback of the Port Security Grant Program to $97.5 million in fiscal year 2012 from $235 million in the last round.    On Friday, DHS issued its grant guidance for seven grant programs to help communities prevent, respond to or recover from natural or man-made disasters. The department has more than $1.3 billion to assist states, non-profit agencies and th...

Monday, February 20, 2012

     The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said Jeng “Jay” Shih, 54, a U.S. citizen, was sentenced in the District of Columbia to 18 months in prison, while his Queens, N.Y.-based company, Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corp., was sentenced to 24 months corporate probation for conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-origin computers from the United States to Iran via the United Arab Emirates.    On Oct. 7, 2011, Shih and his company each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violat...

Friday, February 17, 2012

   The U.S. Justice Department said Massoud Habibion, a U.S. citizen and co-owner of a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based Online Micro LLC, pleaded guilty Thursday in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to illegally export computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates.    Additionally, Mohsen Motamedian, 44, a U.S. citizen and co-owner of Online Micro, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice.     At a hearing before U.S. District Judge Ellen S...

Thursday, February 16, 2012

     The U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism could evolve beyond a program focused on supply chain security to one that encompasses all types of threats associated with international trade, David Aguilar, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, recently said.    Plans to widen the scope come as the program prepares to take a $5 million hit, according to the Obama administration's fiscal year 2013 budget proposal released this week.  &nbs...

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

     The Obama administration's fiscal year 2013 budget for the Department of Homeland Security would cut net discretionary spending by $191 million, or 0.5 percent, below the 2012 enacted level to $39.5 billion.    The spending plan reflects fiscal realities that have led to belt-tightening across a wide section of government. Discretionary spending - the amount of the budget controlled by the annual budget process - represents only 30 percent of the federal government's outlay...

Friday, February 10, 2012

     OHL Solutions Inc., a large logistics services provider based in Brentwood, Tenn., has agreed to pay a $1 million civil fine and take other remedial steps for failing to properly screen cargo for explosives as a designated agent of the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana announced Wednesday.    The violations were committed by ActivAir, OHL's air freight forwarding division previously acquired from a British firm, a...

Friday, February 10, 2012

     The Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG), a private-sector panel that provides advice to the federal government on the policy and regulation of U.S. defense trade, is now accepting membership applications for the upcoming 2012-2014 term.    “Membership on this panel presents an exciting opportunity to participate in the administration’s Export Control Reform Initiative, seeking to better align the export control process with emerging global security challenges,” the State De...

Thursday, February 09, 2012

   A former manager of a Netherlands-based freight forwarder pleaded guilty for conspiring to defraud the United States by facilitating the illegal export of goods to Iran.     Ulrich Davis, 50, a Dutch citizen of Pumerend, The Netherlands, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi in Newark, N.J. federal court on Monday.    According to court documents, Davis was the sales and business development manager for a company described in the In...

Thursday, February 09, 2012

     The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said three companies agreed to pay a total of $35,200 in civil penalties to settle allegations that each violated the Export Administration Regulations’ antiboycott provisions.     Antiboycott regulations prohibit U.S. persons from taking certain actions with intent to comply with or support unsanctioned foreign boycotts, including providing information about business relationships with or in a boycott...

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

     The Obama administration on Wednesday unveiled its global supply chain security strategy at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.    The document  is a whole-of-government approach towards balancing security and international trade that acknowledges to properly manage cross-border commerce extends beyond the Department of Homeland Security.    The objective is to have a holistic approach for preventing, mitigating and responding to supply chain...

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

     The Aerospace Industries Association warned in a report this week that the U.S. space industry is losing its competitive edge and risks falling short of future national security requirements unless the federal government quickly reforms the country’s Cold War-era export control system.     “A strong and globally competitive space industrial and supplier base is a major national security asset,” said AIA President and Chief Executive Officer Marion C. Blakey, in a ...

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

     The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security conducted investigations in fiscal year 2011 that resulted in the criminal conviction of 39 individuals and businesses, compared to 31 convictions in fiscal year 2010.    The agency tallied its fiscal year 2011 convictions in its annual report  to Congress.    The penalties from these convictions came to $20,214,000 in criminal fines, more than $2.1 million in forfeitures, and more than 572 months...

Monday, January 23, 2012

     The Coast Guard has set up a temporary safety zone around the Export Grain Terminal (EGT) located on the Columbia River in Longview, Wash., in anticipation of additional demonstrations by longshoremen and their supporters when the first ships come to load grain at the facility.    The International Longshore and Warehouse Union argues that EGT is required to honor a labor agreement with its members, but has hired a subcontractor who is using members of a rival uni...

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

     In his new job as the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for international affairs and chief diplomatic officer, Alan Bersin will likely try to replicate across multiple agencies the types of management, policy and structural reforms that became the hallmark of his 21-month term as U.S. Customs commissioner, his successor at Customs and Border Protection said Monday.    David Aguilar, acting commissioner of CBP, told a handful of reporters during an ...

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

     The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said FedEx Express has agreed to pay a $370,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it committed six violations of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) relating to FedEx’s provision of freight forwarding services to exporters.     BIS alleged that on two occasions in 2006, FedEx “caused, aided and abetted” acts prohibited by the regulations when it facilitated the attempted unlicensed export of ...

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

     There will be no letup in the rapid pace of reforms underway at U.S. Customs and Border Protection to reduce red tape associated with trade enforcement so that legitimate cargo can be cleared and processed as efficiently as possible, Acting Commissioner David Aguilar said 10 days into his new job.    In an invitation-only meeting with three reporters, Aguilar emphatically pledged to build on the initiatives begun by his predecessor, Alan Bersin, to ...

Monday, January 09, 2012

   The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said three Philippine nationals were arrested on charges of attempting to import unlicensed firearms into the United States.    Sergio “Yogi” Santiago de Leon Syjuco, 25, of Muntinlupa City; Cesar Paolo “Arvi” Inciong Ubaldo, 26, of Paranaque City; and Arjyl Revereza, 25, of Manila were charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday in the Central District of California with importing defense articles into the United States without a license...

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

     Two veteran hands who have lead many program initiatives and offices at U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been promoted, according to the agency.    Kevin McAleenan has become acting assistant commissioner for field operations in the wake of the reshuffling that took place last week following Commissioner Alan Bersin's departure, according to news release about the transition on the CBP web site.     Two weeks ago, CBP appointed Richard DiNucc...

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

     President Obama on Friday named Alan Bersin assistant secretary for international affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, keeping him in the fold to continue pursuing initiatives on cross-border trade and travel in a different position.    DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano made the announcement at a ceremony in Washington in which leadership of Customs and Border Protection was transferred from Bersin to Deputy Commissioner David Aguilar.  ...

Friday, December 30, 2011

Bersin    President Obama has named Alan Bersin assistant secretary for international affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, keeping him in the fold to continue pursuing initiatives on cross-border trade and travel in a different position.    DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano made the announcement this morning at a ceremony in Washington in which leadership of Customs and Border Protection was transferred from Bersin to Deputy Commissioner David Ag...

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Thor Liberty    Finland's Transport Safety Agency has rescinded an impoundment order on the ship Thor Liberty , which was detained in Kotka Harbor after what authorities said were irregularities in the packing of its cargo that included 29 Patriot missiles and explosives.     YLE , Finland's national broadcast company, reported during an inspection carried out on Monday, "the agency gave the green light for releasing the vessel after determining that all poorly packaged explosiv...

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Thor Liberty     Finnish police and customs officials have reportedly seized a cargo of 69 Patriot missiles and explosives on a ship bound for China.     YLE , the Finnish Broadcasting Co., said there is a "shroud of mystery" about the shipments, which were found on the ship Thor Liberty , a 1994-built 5,400 deadweight ton tweendecker that is part of the fleet of Thorco Shipping of Denmark.     "Not only is the final intended destination of the 69 American-ma...

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

   The Treasury Department has identified 10 companies and an executive in Malta for their affiliation with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and will now subject them to U.S. sanctions.    The companies connected with IRISL and Irano Hind, a joint venture between IRISL and Shipping Corporation of India, include BIIS Maritime Ltd., ISIM Amin Ltd., ISIM Atr Ltd., ISIM Olive Ltd., ISIM Sat Ltd., ISIM Sea Chariot Ltd., I...

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

     Only a quarter of the nearly $1.7 billion awarded from fiscal year 2006 through 2010 under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Port Security Grant Program has been drawn down by grantees, according to a report released earlier this week by the Government Accountability Office.    GAO said an additional one-quarter of the funds, which are to be used to protect critical maritime infrastructure and the public from terrorist attacks, remains unavailable.    The...

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

     The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) said it has published its first report ever on maritime cyber security challenges and threats.    The report covers key insights, existing initiatives, precautions and recommendations, and a baseline for cyber security.    ENISA said all sectors that deploy information and communication technologies (ICT) are vulnerable to threats. The body noted there have been recent, deliberate disruptions to automati...

Monday, December 19, 2011

   The European Shippers Council (ESC) said it's becoming increasingly concerned about the impact on supply chains from European Commission regulation 185/2010 which will amend the air cargo security regime after April 29, 2013.    On that date, known consignors will need their security procedures and measures validated by an officially approved inspector. Otherwise the air freight must be made secure by a regulated agent or a carrier by scanning.   &nbs...

Friday, December 16, 2011

   The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security on Thursday added an individual and a company in the United Arab Emirates to its Entity List.    The Entity List contains names of certain foreign persons – including businesses, research institutions, government and private organizations, and individuals - that have been determined through an interagency review process to have engaged in activities contrary to U.S. national security and/or foreign policy int...

Thursday, December 15, 2011

     U.S. and Canadian officials last week outlined priorities for coordinating customs and cargo security processes, enhancing border infrastructure and harmonizing regulations to increase the efficiency of trade across the border and boost their respective economies.    A Beyond-the-Border action plan as well as new focus areas for a Regulatory Cooperation Council were the primary outcomes of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to the White House. Th...

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

   George Ortega of Kinnelon, New Jersey, the former managing director of Passport CFS Logistics, was arrested Dec. 7 for allegedly embezzling or obtaining unlawfully approximately $1.6 million from ARGIX Direct, doing business as Passport CFS Logistics, over an eight-year period. The arrest was announced by Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli in New Jersey    Passport's primary business involved the transporting shipping containers from various ports located in the ...

Monday, December 12, 2011

   Kevin Harriger has been promoted to executive director of agriculture inspection programs at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with responsibility for keeping foreign plant pests and animal disease out of the country.    He previously was deputy executive director of Agricultural Operational Oversight. In that position he coordinated implementation of agricultural policies and procedures across CBP field offices.    Harriger joined CBP when the Animal and Plant Health I...

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

   A grand jury has charged three persons with smuggling honey from China into the United States, said United States Attorney Robert E. O'Neill in Jacksonville.    Chin Shih Chou, a/k/a "Jeff" (48, Taiwan), Qiao Chu, a/k/a "Dott" (25, China), and Wei Tang Lo a/k/a “Danny,” a/k/a “Larry Law,” a/k/a "David Lo" (48, Hacienda Heights, California) are charged with falsely labeling the honey as "rice fructose" in order to avoid more than $1 million in duties owed to the United States. They...

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

     The Transportation Safety Administration says integrated circuit chips on approximately 26,000 previously issued Transportation Worker Identification Credentials or "TWIC Cards" were improperly encoded and may not work with machines designed to read them. The cards were issued before April 5 of this year.    TSA said the issue only affects cards when using it with some readers.    "If you determine your TWIC has this issue, and depending on how you use y...

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

     The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Navy announced on Monday that the Defense Logistics Agency signed a contract to buy 450,000 gallons of advanced drop-in biofuel, the single largest purchase of biofuel in government history.    While the Navy fleet alone uses more than 1.26 billion gallons of fuel annually, this biofuel purchase is significant because it accelerates the development homegrown fuels to reduce the military’s dependence on foreign oil, USDA said.  ...

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

   Belgium’s Port of Antwerp will step up efforts to prevent importers from using second-hand cars to bring illicit wastes into the country.    The Antwerp Port Authority board on Tuesday approved the new measures, effective Jan. 1. Sharper checks will be carried out not only on the vehicles themselves but also on accompanying freight. With these new regulations the port hopes to make clear what can and cannot be shipped.    Antwerp is one of Europe’s largest port...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

   The U.S. government has issued seizure orders against 150 domain names of commercial Websites engaged in the illegal sale and distribution of counterfeit goods and copyrighted works as part of Operation In Our Sites.     “Through this operation we are aggressively targeting those who are selling counterfeit goods for their own personal gain while costing our economy much-needed revenue and jobs,” said Attorney General Eric Holder, in a statement. “Intellectual property crimes...

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

   The U.S. Justice Department said Xun Wang, a former managing director of PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., a Chinese subsidiary of U.S.-based PPG Industries, pled guilty Tuesday to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.     Wang, 51, entered the guilty plea before Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She faces a maximum sentence of five years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. ...

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

   A private navy set up to assist commercial vessels in transiting the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden said this week it plans to start operations within five months, according to a Bloomberg report Monday.    The company, Convoy Escort Programme Ltd., is backed by U.K. insurance and reinsurance broking company Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Plc, and will initially deploy seven former naval patrol boats, each with armed security teams of eight people on board, the report sa...

Thursday, November 03, 2011

   The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to revise its process for designating a U.S. agent before implementing foreign facility re-inspection fees under the Food Safety Modernization Act.     U.S. agents designated under FDA’s current process, which was developed under the Bioterrorist Act (BTA), serve for the limited purpose of notification, the Washington-based organization said in a Nov. 1 letter to...

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

   The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Eric L. Hirschhorn’s nomination to be undersecretary of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, a position he has held through a recess appointment by President Obama since April 2, 2010. Hirschhorn    Hirschhorn is highly regarded among U.S. export interests for the work that he and Kevin J. Wolf, Commerce’s assistant secretary for export administration, have done to steer reform the nation’s Cold War-era export control regu...

Thursday, October 27, 2011

   U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture inspector found a shipment of dried palm leaves contained a fungus during a routine inspection of dried palm leaves. The shipment arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport Air Cargo from Brazil on October 18. The shipment was later destroyed.    Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service inspectors determined  the disease to be  Chalara urceolata, which infects dead stems mainly found in herbaceous plants, and is known...

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

   The Federal Maritime Commission on Tuesday began meetings with officials from the Shanghai Shipping Exchange in an effort to address U.S. shipper and non-vessel-operating common carrier concerns about the purpose and management of certain sensitive shipment information collected by the exchange.    The meetings, underway at the commission’s Washington headquarters, will be held through Thursday. The FMC and the exchange also met briefly with COSCO Americas officials at the end of ...

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

   The chairman of the International Chamber of Shipping has made another call for stronger action against pirates.    "The world community cannot tolerate the abuse and the killing of seafarers," ICS Chairman Spyros M. Polemis told seafarers and maritime industry professionals, during a speech at the India Shipping Summit in Mumbai Tuesday. "India and its seafarers have truly been in the firing line."    Warning that the piracy season was about to begin again with renewed ...

Monday, October 10, 2011

   Jeng “Jay” Shih, 54, a U.S. citizen, and his Queens, N.Y.-based company Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corp., pleaded guilty on Friday in the District of Columbia to conspiracy to illegally export U.S.-origin computers from the United States to Iran through the United Arab Emirates.    At the court hearing, Shih and his company each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and to defraud the United States. The maximum senten...

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

   Piracy costs the global shipping trade more than $9 billion a year, according to Indian ship owners, who on Monday demanded that the United Nations set up a maritime force to halt pirates operating off the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean, the Associated Press reported Monday.    The Indian National Shipowners Organization said increased insurance costs, longer routes to avoid pirate-infested areas, armed guards posted on board ships, and ransoms paid for the release of hijacked v...

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

   The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security on Monday said Flowserve Corp. and 10 of its overseas affiliates have agreed to pay a civil penalty totaling $2.5 million to settle 288 charges for violating the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by making unlicensed exports and re-exports of pumps, valves and related components to Iran and Syria and other countries.    Flowserve is based in Irving, Texas, and is a supplier of goods and services to the oil, gas, ...

Friday, September 30, 2011

   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory and international partners this week completed the International Internet Week of Action (IIWA), a cooperative effort to curb online sales and distribution of counterfeit and illegal medical products.    The IIWA is a coordinated effort by INTERPOL, World Customs Organization, Permanent Forum of International Pharmaceutical Crime, Heads of Medicines Agencies Working Group of Enforcement Officers, as well as national health...

Friday, September 30, 2011

   The World Customs Organization will host a customs and trade forum in Guangzhou, China on Nov. 24-25 to discuss knowledge sharing as a way to improve public-private cooperation to enhance the management of modern, secure international supply chains.    The event, which is expected to draw upwards of 500 customs and business attendees, will include discussions covering:    • Sharing knowledge to inspire trade development and economic prosperity.    • Risk managem...

Friday, September 30, 2011

   Anthony Barone, director of global logistics policy for drug maker Pfizer, has been named chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Committee on Customs and Trade Regulations.    He will succeed Selig Merber of General Electric in November.    Barone’s term is for three years.    He previously served on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Commercial Operations Advisory Committee for four years ending in 2008.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Widdows   Ron Widdows, the group president and chief executive officer of Neptune Orient Lines, will remain chairman of the World Shipping Council (WSC) through September 2012, even after he retires as head of NOL at the end of this year.   WSC, the chief trade association for the liner shipping industry, said at its membership meeting in Seoul last week, Wan Min, managing director of COSCO, and Ottmar Gast, chairman of the executive board of Hamburg Süd, were elected to two-year ter...

Thursday, September 29, 2011

   U.S. Customs and industry representatives on Monday outlined how a simplified process for filing import declarations would look and said a trial program will start soon to demonstrate how fewer documentation requirements could benefit the government and importers alike.    The goal is to give trusted traders a more streamlined process to get goods released by linking security and admissibility data requirements. A simplified customs entry would resemble the Importer Security Filin...

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

  The International Chamber of Shipping, which represents 80 percent of the world merchant fleet, warned that in the face of the inability to control Somali pirates "the shipping industry will be forced to look at all possible options, including alternative routes, which could have a very dramatic effect on transport costs and delivery times."   ICS said the principal concern of the shipping industry with piracy is humanitarian, adding "there is an urgent need for governments to do m...

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Flynn    Renowned homeland security expert Stephen Flynn is giving up the presidency of the Center for National Policy in Washington to be the founding co-director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University in Boston.    Flynn will join with Peter Boynton, the former commissioner for homeland security and emergency preparedness for Connecticut, in standing up the institute, which will be housed in a new 70,000-square-foot secure facili...

Monday, September 26, 2011

  A ship was reportedly set ablaze by pirates last week after they were unable to take it.   The Kenyan Broadcasting Corp . said 25 member crew of the Pacific Express arrived in Kenya over the weekend after being rescued by an Italian Navy ship.   The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said pirates in two skiffs armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades managed to board the ship on Sept. 20. The crew retreated into the citadel and requested for assistance.   T...

Friday, September 23, 2011

  The U.S. Senate Thursday voted 70-27 to renew the Generalized System of Preferences and Trade Adjustment Assistance programs that had expired within the past year.   The trade package now heads to the House for final approval and opens the door for trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and Korea to be considered.   GSP promotes economic growth in 129 developing countries and territories by providing duty-free entry for up to 4,800 products. The legislation retroactively ...

Thursday, September 22, 2011

  The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security said Ram International, a St. Louis-based freight forwarder, has agreed to pay a $40,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it committed two violations of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR).   BIS alleges that on two occasions in 2006, Ram’s Elk Grove Village, Ill., office “aided and abetted” the unlicensed export of salvage scrap electrolytic tin plate steel to Allied Trading Company in Karachi, Pakistan,...

Friday, September 16, 2011

  A group of industry associations urged the Senate in a letter Thursday to promptly confirm Eric L. Hirschhorn as the Commerce Department’s undersecretary for export administration. Hirschhorn    Hirschhorn has been serving in this role through a recess appointment since March 2010, even though his nomination has twice been approved unanimously by the Senate Banking Committee.    “In that time, he has established an impressive record of accomplishment, taking a leading role in ...

Thursday, September 15, 2011

   Two former U.S. Customs commissioners, now out of government and free to speak their minds, unloaded on Congress for making their jobs more complicated by forcing the Department of Homeland Security to implement ineffective security measures. Bersin    But Alan Bersin, the current commissioner, said the way to prevent politicians from overreacting to perceived threats at the border is to address security gaps and other problems before they rise to a critical level.    Th...