United States Department of Homeland Security - Structure

Structure

The Department of Homeland Security is headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security with the assistance of the Deputy Secretary. The Department contains the components listed below. Not all subcomponents are listed; see the linked articles for more details.

Agencies:

  • United States Citizenship and Immigration Services: Processes and examines citizenship, residency, and asylum requests from aliens.
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Law enforcement agency that enforces U.S. laws along its international borders (air, land, and sea) including its enforcement of U.S. immigration, customs, and agriculture laws while at and patrolling between all U.S. ports-of-entry.
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement: Law enforcement agency divided into two bureaus:
  1. An agency that enforces U.S. laws while it investigates and gathers intelligence on national and international criminal activities that threaten the security of the homeland (Homeland Security Investigations); and
  2. An agency that investigates violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act and enforces the detention, deportation and removal of violators of United States immigration law (Enforcement and Removal Operations).
  • Transportation Security Administration: Responsible for aviation security (domestic and international, most notably conducting passenger screenings at airports), as well as land and water transportation security
  • United States Coast Guard: Military service responsible for law enforcement, maritime security, national defense, maritime mobility, and protection of natural resources.
  • United States Secret Service: Law enforcement agency that investigates threats against and provides protective services for the President and Vice President of the United States and their immediate families as well as other important governmental officials. While under jurisdiction of the United States Treasury Department before 2003, they also formerly investigated crimes against the U.S. monetary system including the crime of counterfeiting U.S. currency and other financial instruments.
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency: agency that oversees the federal government's response to natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, forest fires, etc.

(Passports for U.S. citizens are issued by the United States Department of State, not the Department of Homeland Security.)

Advisory groups:

  • Homeland Security Advisory Council: State and local government, first responders, private sector, and academics
  • National Infrastructure Advisory Council: Advises on security of public and private information systems
  • Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee: Advise the Under Secretary for Science and Technology.
  • Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council: Coordinate infrastructure protection with private sector and other levels of government
  • Interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness and Individuals with Disabilities
  • Task Force on New Americans: "An inter-agency effort to help immigrants learn English, embrace the common core of American civic culture, and become fully American."

Other components:

  • Domestic Nuclear Detection Office: Develop nuclear threat detection capabilities at all levels of government and in the private sector
  • Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: Interagency law enforcement training facilities located in Georgia, New Mexico, and South Carolina.
  • National Protection and Programs Directorate: risk-reduction, encompassing both physical and virtual threats and their associated human elements.
    • Federal Protective Service: Federal law enforcement and security agency that protects and investigates crimes against U.S. federal buildings, properties, assets, and federal government interests.
    • National Communications System
  • Directorate for Science and Technology: Research and development
  • Directorate for Management: Responsible for internal budgets, accounting, performance monitoring, and human resources
  • Office of Policy: Long-range policy planning and coordination
    • Office of Immigration Statistics
  • Office of Health Affairs: Medical preparedness
  • Office of Intelligence and Analysis: Identify and assess threats based on intelligence from various agencies
  • Office of Operations Coordination: Monitor domestic security situation on a daily basis, coordinate activities with state and local authorities and private sector infrastructure
  • Office of the Secretary includes the Privacy Office, Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Office of Inspector General, Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, Office of Legislative Affairs, Office of the General Counsel, Office of Public Affairs, Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement (CNE), Office of the Executive Secretariat (ESEC), and the Military Advisor's Office.
  • National Cyber Security Center

Read more about this topic:  United States Department Of Homeland Security

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