Immigration and Customs Enforcement

In today’s Federal Newscast, Ronald Vitello will be nominated as the new permanent director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Customs and Border Protection is still losing more border patrol agents faster than the agency can hire new ones, said Mark Borkowski, the agency’s chief acquisition officer.

The Homeland Security Department spent 40 percent of its budget on personnel costs in fiscal 2016. That share may continue to rise, as the department attempts to hire 10,000 new immigration officers and 5,000 border patrol agents to meet the Trump administration’s priorities. But DHS leaders say data analytics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things will need to play a bigger role.

Authorities have discovered more than 200 cross-border tunnels originating in Mexico since 1990, most of which entered the United States

President Donald Trump is calling on Homeland Security Department leadership to hire at least 5,000 new border patrol agents and 10,000 additional Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers. But existing hiring challenges could make that task even more complicated.

Between last Labor Day and New Year’s eve alone, 60 people were caught crossing the Mexican border — every hour.

Homeland Security Investigations said it’s found a way to save precious time and resources for agents and investigators who sift through mass amounts of data and images for the unit’s child exploitation cases.

Leaders of R&D components of DHS detailed technological projects and innovation processes at a Senate Homeland Security Subcommittee budgetary hearing.

The Office of Inspector General says the Department of Homeland Security is struggling to keep its component agencies on the same page for communication and coordination of missions.

A new memo calls for a more unified decision-making effort that is supported by data and analysis. Secretary Jeh Johnson is focusing on making programs more effective.