Homeland Security Steps Up Efforts — or PR

Cam Simpson reports on homeland security. Mexico is heating up. It’s not just the drug war along the border. It’s also the pressure on Washington to do more about it, especially when it comes to the cash and guns from the U.S. that are fueling the violence. The Department of Homeland Security is working on a plan , and members of Congress are hammering away. Lawmakers held three hearings on the issue this week, and more are planned in the Senate, including one in April on the border. But the two major Homeland Security agencies dealing with the problem — Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection — don’t have funds designated for the job. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has pressed the agencies to do more with what they’ve got, but the Obama administration hasn’t asked Congress to redirect any money for the task. Still, DHS gave its efforts top billing on its DHS Web site , where two press releases ... (link)