Baker, Jenkins, Kim 1

Ashley Baker
Parker Jenkins
Sambat Jerry Kim
Barker
International Relations
9 November 2015

The Who, What, Where, When and Why of Homeland Security

The United States was rocked to its core in September 2001, in an event where a terrorist
group known as Al Qaeda, launched an attack against the U.S. on its own soil. The terrorists
seized four American commercial aircrafts. Two of them were crashed into the notable Twin
Towers in New York Citythe third was wrecked into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and the
fourth missed its intended target, the White House, disintegrating after crashing into a
Pennsylvanian field. The suicide attacks killed approximately three-thousand American people.1
In a gallant effort to safeguard our nation, the Bush administration pushed through a
whirlwind decision to create the Department of Homeland Security, appointing Thomas J. Ridge,
to fulfill the role of the first ever Director of the Office of Homeland Security.2
Homeland Security is the department of the U.S. federal government charged with
protecting U.S. territory from terrorist attacks and providing a coordinated response to largescale emergencies.3

http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks
http://www.dhs.gov/thomas-j-ridge-homeland-security-secretary-2003-2005
3
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/department-of-homeland-security
2

Baker, Jenkins, Kim 2

We live in a world of uncertainty and literal chaos. Regardless of if borders, air ways, or
water ways are secure, the truth is, no one nation is exempt from threats or acts of terrorism.
The Homeland Security Act (HSA) was cosponsored by 118 members of Congress and
was signed into law November 2002. In June 2002, the first proposal to create the Department of
Homeland Security was passed. The HSA created the Department of Homeland Security; this act
was large enough that it demanded a new stand-alone, cabinet-level department to unify security
efforts4.
This was the most significant transformation of the U.S. Government in over half of a
century by fundamentally altering the current patchwork of government activities into a primary
mission-- to protect our homeland.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 was signed into effect November 25, 2002. On
October 13, 2006 Congress passed the Security Accountability for Every Port Act (SAFE port
Act of 2006). The act assisted in the creation of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
(DNDO).

Duties of Homeland Security

The D.H.S. is divided into several departments, each of which are prepared to respond to
different types of emergencies. They oversee a vast array of topics ranging from academics,

http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/hr_5005_enr.pdf

Baker, Jenkins, Kim 3

border security, natural disasters, human trafficking, cyber and economic security, along with
terrorism prevention.5
The Department of Homeland Security is comprised of 198 federal agencies and departments
including: the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. National Guard, U.S.
Immigration and U.S. Customs and Border Protectionto name a few.
The creation of these departments and agencies assist on the state and federal level allowing
them to communicate with each other more effectively6.
The first responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security is to prevent terrorist attacks in the
United States. However, the investigation and prosecution of terrorism remains the responsibility of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation. The D. H. S. serves as the analytical advisory role in intelligence
activities.7
The D.H.S. also deals with Human Trafficking. Which is a type of modern-day slavery
where people are sold on an illegal human market, to perform some act of labor. Women and
children are often sexually exploited. Homeland Securitys job is to prevent trafficking trades
and shut down these markets by investigating and even arresting the criminals responsible for
such heinous acts against humanity.8
Its role in border security is protecting our country from illegal transport of weapons,
drugs, contraband and people across U.S. borders. 9

http://www.dhs.gov/topics

http://www.dhs.gov/who-joined-dhs
http://www.dhs.gov/publication/proposal-create-department-homeland-security
8
http://www.dhs.gov/topic/human-trafficking
9
http://www.dhs.gov/border-security
7

Baker, Jenkins, Kim 4

Homeland Security oversees operations in the cyber world too. Many crimes are
committed via the internet, including child pornography and hackers who wreak havoc on our
economy by stealing the identities and money from American corporations and hardworking
citizens. The D.H.S. is responsible for keeping citizens safe from such crimes.

D.H. S. and Civil Liberties

With the supervision of our economic and technological information, the Department of
Homeland Security has experienced much scrutiny from the population, accusing them of
breaching our fourth Amendment rightthe right to privacy.
Some say, The Homeland Security Act has reduced privacy of the individual, increased
government secrecy, and fortified government protection of special interests. The Department of
Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act (March 24, 2014) was a bill that
amended the Homeland Security Act of 2002.10 It made the DHS responsible for policies and
directives to achieve and maintain communications across divisions.

The Conundrum

Today, with many people worried about and questioning their own privacy more than
ever. Restrictions and walls that have been put into place by the N.S.A. (National Security
Agency), which limits how much information is kept by the organization on any single person.

10

www.homelandsecurity.gov

Baker, Jenkins, Kim 5

Perhaps these walls and restrictions are the very reason the U.S. was brought to its knees in the
first place by the September 11 assaults.11
The questions still remain: Are we doing enough to protect our nation from power driven
forces who perceive the American Superpower as a world dominator or oppressor? Or is the
development of Homeland Security a way to increase the United States own clout, by imposing
sanctions that purposefully lessen civil rights and liberties of its own population?

11

http://www.skatingonstilts.com/files/chapter-0---introduction---skating-on-stilts-by-stewart-baker-3.pdf