Remedy Critical Funding and Operational Staff Deficiencies
Human smuggling, trafficking in persons, and clandestine terrorist travel are transnational issues that threaten national security. In an innovative and crosscutting effort to address these interrelated issues, the State Department, DHS, and DOJ jointly signed a charter in July 2004 to establish the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center. The HSTC brings together representatives from policy, law enforcement, intelligence, diplomatic, and consular areas of federal agencies to address U.S. government and international efforts to combat these interrelated problems and turn intelligence into action.
The HSTC is critical to the effectiveness and success of the Visa and Passport Security Program and Strategic Plan. HSTC will be more effective as a central clearinghouse for intelligence gathering and analysis when it is allowed to focus strategically on efforts to counter terrorist mobility by linking terrorist networks; analyzing their ability to enter, live in, or move within the United States and other countries; and converting analysis into usable information for subsequent law enforcement action.
Realizing this vision will require dedicated resources to remedy current personnel and funding shortages. DS has made a commitment to provide State Department leadership, funding, and personnel to the HSTC. This support will allow the State Department and HSTC to better integrate their efforts to detect smuggling, trafficking networks, and facilitators, with a dedicated focus on the detection links to terrorism. Such integration of resources and efforts will enable HSTC's information acquisition and analysis unit to process and disseminate intelligence to guide both policy and enforcement action.
Creating a New Leadership Role for DS
In addition to resource commitments to HSTC, DS has assumed responsibility as the State Department's primary representative to HSTC. In light of the nature of HSTC's intelligence and enforcement activities, DS is the logical State Department bureau to accept this responsibility. In carrying out this new role, DS will provide stable leadership and contribute to HSTC's mandate to act "as an intelligence fusion center and information clearinghouse for relevant information from all federal government agencies with respect to the government's efforts to address terrorist mobility, human smuggling, and trafficking."
Table of Contents
Mission Statement | Introductory Letter From Assistant Secretary Griffin | The Bureau of Diplomatic Security: A Brief History | Visa and Passport Fraud: An Overview | Introduction | Strategic Goal 1 | Strategic Goal 2 | Strategic Goal 3 | Conclusion | Appendix: Operation Triple X
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