Location:
The Heritage Foundation's Lehrman Auditorium

Effective border controls and interior enforcement of immigration and customs laws is a crucial component of an effective homeland security strategy. However, the response is not as simple as building walls against immigration or cutting off international trade - both measures that would be detrimental to the nation's long-term interests. Instead, the Department of Homeland Security must develop policies that instill security while ensuring the United States remains open and free, a point made clear by the recent Inspect General's report on immigration enforcement and the General Accounting Office. By dramatically restructuring the federal agencies responsible for controlling America's borders, the Department of Homeland Security has taken the first crucial step to improving its ability to enforce customs and immigration law; but what has this accomplished and what issues still need to be addressed?

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement Michael J. Garcia will discuss the progress made by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its restructuring efforts and how it will improve the domestic enforcement of immigration and customs laws.