Source NBC News
The current head of DHS and two of his predecessors reflect on how the agency has changed in 20 years and whether it’s up to fighting domestic extremism.
WASHINGTON ” When then-President George W. Bush commissioned the formation of the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he was clear about the new agency’s top goal – to be “one department whose primary mission is to protect the American homeland.” In other words, to prevent another foreign attack on American soil.
Twenty years after the attacks, DHS is now the third-largest federal agency, with nearly 230,000 employees, and is most visible for its role in enforcing immigration laws at the southern border.
This week, two former DHS secretaries and current Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reflected on the agency’s evolution and whether the agency formed in the wake of 9/11 was built to respond to threats such as cyber intrusion and domestic violent extremism, which they say now eclipse the threat of foreign terrorist organizations.
