Plenary Session 11: Addressing the Push Factors of Migration

Founded as a direct result of the attacks on 9/11, The Department of Homeland Security has undergone changes and added several missions to its original mandate. How is the federal government’s third largest department gearing up for the challenges out country faces now and in the foreseeable future?

Our society is shifting rapidly and our longstanding institutions are trying to keep pace. New technologies, better training, and efforts to diversify our nation’s police forces have all had positive impact. Everyday we call on our police to be more than law enforcement officers and expect them to also respond to nonviolent calls relating to mental illness, addiction, and other social ills. Still we hear for calls to “defund.” Is it time to ask more of our police and cut resources? What technologies might we better leverage in our policing?

Terrorist attacks prompted by the Taliban resurgence are a rising threat. Violent extremists in Afghanistan (ISIS-K, Al Qaeda, Haqqani Network) could be emboldened to attack regionally given the absence of United States and Afghan security forces in the country. Meanwhile, terrorists and affiliates across the world - including individuals in America - may strike given the inspirational revival of a like-minded militant group and the appearance of a wounded United States.