Border Security and Immigration Policy (B&I) develops strategy and policy aimed at ensuring the integrity immigration systems as well as the safe and efficient facilitation of people across the borders. B&I advises Department leadership on immigration policies and regulations and engages interagency counterparts on immigration policies and strategies to counter transnational crime and human trafficking. B&I’s policymaking responsibilities ensure consistency on all border security and immigration matters across DHS’s various Components. Additionally, B&I’s Office of Homeland Security Statistics, recently evolved from the Office of Immigration Statistics, currently leads the collection and dissemination to the public of statistical information and analysis useful in evaluating social, economic, demographic, and other impacts of immigration laws, migration flows, and immigration enforcement and is moving into other homeland security data domains.
Immigration Policy covers all issues that relate to how immigration laws and policies are implemented and administered. It also identifies gaps and inconsistencies in current immigration programs and works with Components and other Agencies to resolve these gaps and inconsistencies and develop new immigration initiatives.
The Americas team accomplishes the homeland security mission through direct engagement with key international partners in the Western Hemisphere, represents DHS in U.S. and foreign fora concerning DHS international equities, and coordinates the international activities of DHS components to align them to DHS priorities. The Americas team is responsible for the overall strategic and policy relationship with foreign partners in the Western Hemisphere and plays an advising role within DHS for domestic programs with international implications. The Americas team supports senior-level engagement with counterparts throughout the hemisphere and represents DHS in the U.S. interagency on matters touching DHS’s interests and missions.
The Trade and Transport Policy unit is responsible for the Department’s policy development and coordination functions for trade, transportation and cargo security, and the foreign investment process. In the area of trade, the office remains the primary interlocutor for trade facilitation and enforcement, and economic security issues. In addition, the Trade and Transport office is responsible for policies across air, land and sea transportation systems, as well as the movement and security of cargo across domains. The Foreign Investment and Risk Management team is the Departments’ primary representative to the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and manages the associated caseload and risk mitigation process.”
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS) leads the collection and dissemination to Congress and the public of statistical information and analysis useful in evaluating the social, economic, environmental, and demographic impact of immigration laws, migration flows, and immigration enforcement; this information is summarized in OIS’ flagship publication, the Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. OIS also establishes standards of reliability and validity for the Department’s immigration statistics; and it develops other immigration-related reports and conducts research at the direction of the Secretary.