Department of Homeland Security: Are We Safer Today?

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed over seven years ago with the expressed mission of keeping America safe. But are we safer? Following the attempted Christmas Day airplane bombing, President Obama demanded a review of international security cooperation measures.

With many European countries considering new passenger scanners for airport screening; with the Obama administration calling for new immigration reform legislation in 2010 and drug-related violence affecting U.S.-Mexican border relations; and with the Winter Olympics, G8, and G20 meetings in Canada this year, the state of DHS cooperation with European, Mexican, and Canadian authorities is a major concern.

Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff discussed international security cooperation and his new book, Homeland Security: Assessing the First Five Years (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009). Hudson Senior Fellow Christopher Sands introduced and moderated the discussion.