Office will expand Department’s analytic and reporting capabilities and increase data transparency
WASHINGTON – Today, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas launched the Office of Homeland Security Statistics (OHSS), which will advance the Department’s statistical reporting and analysis capabilities. The OHSS will conduct statistical reporting and analysis Department-wide, support evidence-based policymaking and data-driven decision making, and, working with the Department’s Chief Data Officer, oversee the development of enterprise-wide data standards. The OHSS will continue and expand upon the work of the Office of Immigration Statistics. By establishing the OHSS, the Department is delivering on the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to transparency.
“The Department of Homeland Security touches the lives of more members of the public on a daily basis than any other federal department, and increasing the transparency, efficiency, and sophistication of our work has been my priority since day one,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Opening the Office of Homeland Security Statistics is a milestone in that effort and a significant step forward in our work to modernize the Department. Data-driven decision making is an integral part of everything we do, and this new office will inform our policymaking, enhance our law enforcement and investigative operations, and allow us to distribute resources, including grants, more effectively. Our increased transparency will inform the American people as we work to fulfill our security and safety mission, while safeguarding privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.”
“In establishing the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, we will begin releasing data more quickly, with greater granularity, and covering a broader scope of DHS activities,” said Marc Rosenblum, DHS Statistical Official, who will lead OHSS. “DHS does incredibly important work, and the OHSS team is committed to our piece of the mission, which is to foster transparency and data-driven homeland security decision-making by analyzing and disseminating timely, objective DHS data and statistics. The launch of OHSS is a testament to the Secretary’s leadership and his commitment to maturing the Department’s use of data.”
OHSS will aggregate and collect data from DHS operational Components and other sources and work directly with senior career statistical officials in the operational components to validate and publish data on a pre-determined schedule. As a result of this process, public stakeholders will have access to quality data in a timely and consistent manner. OHSS will work closely with DHS’s Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Department’s Privacy Office to ensure that all its products protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.
OHSS will begin releasing its initial sets of data in the coming weeks. The new office’s scope has broadened from an exclusive focus on immigration data to begin covering all DHS mission domains. With annual, semi-annual, and monthly reports, OHSS’ work in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 will include data releases on law enforcement, international trade, cybersecurity, airport screening, emergency response to federal disasters, and maritime response operations. The office includes the Congressionally mandated Migration Analysis Center (MAC), which will support evidence-based policy making by leading enterprise-wide research relating to migration. Congress directed and funded the MAC in Fiscal Year 2022 and then through the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act.
The new website will be easy to navigate and will include a tool to explore data by region. Stakeholders can also preview the products that OHSS expects to publish in Fiscal Year 2024.
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