Secretary Kelly Issues Implementation Memoranda on Border Security and Interior Enforcement Executive Orders
(DHS, Feb 21, 2017)
Today, Secretary John Kelly issued two memoranda to the Department of Homeland Security workforce providing further direction to implement the recent executive orders on border security and enforcement of the immigration laws. The first memorandum, Implementing the President's Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvement Policies, is available here. The second, Enforcement of the Immigration Laws to Serve the National Interest, is available here.
DHS memos describe aggressive new immigration, border enforcement policies
(CNN, Feb 20, 2017)
The Department of Homeland Security is set to release guidance on President Donald Trump's immigration and border security executive orders that has sweeping implications for undocumented immigrants in the United States and those seeking to enter in the future. The memos from Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to agency chiefs are the first step to putting Trump's aggressive immigration policies in place, with provisions that could make substantial changes to how immigration laws are enforced.
Trump set to issue streamlined immigrant travel ban
(USA Today, Feb 20, 2017)
President Trump plans to issue a revised version of his temporary travel ban targeting majority-Muslim countries as early as Tuesday, with a likely focus on fewer people so it will survive legal challenges. The new order, according to a draft obtained by the Associated Press, would focus on the same seven countries — Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — but would only bar entry to those without a visa and who have never entered the United States before. Unlike the original order, people from those countries who already have permanent U.S. residency (green cards) or visas would not face any restrictions.
Revised Trump executive order may ditch indefinite ban on Syrian refugees
(Politico, Feb 20, 2017)
The Trump administration is considering dropping an indefinite ban on Syrian refugees in a revised executive order on immigration that the president is expected to release this week, according to a source briefed on drafts of the plans. The revised order, however, would keep in place provisions that temporarily ban the admission of all refugees, including Syrians. It also will temporarily halt the future issuance of visas to people from the same seven predominantly Muslim countries targeted by the legally contentious order it is designed to replace.
Trump Still Has a Vast Legal Arsenal for Limiting Immigration, Deporting Millions
(Bloomberg, Feb 21, 2017)
Whether President Donald Trump’s ban against travelers from seven Muslim majority countries is saved by revision or scrapped by the courts, he’ll still have a vast legal arsenal at his disposal for limiting immigration into the U.S. and deporting millions of undocumented people. The law vests the president with broad authority over immigration, said Austin Fragomen, whose Manhattan-based Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy is the biggest U.S. law firm focused on immigration. Trump hasn’t wasted time tapping his power.
TSA allows JFK passengers to bypass security checkpoint
(NY Daily News, Feb 21, 2017)
Eleven passengers strolled through a security lane without being screened at Kennedy Airport early Monday after Transportation Security Administration agents left the area unsupervised, law enforcement sources said. Instead of following protocol and notifying Port Authority cops, it took the TSA two hours to tell police about the frightening breach, the sources add. The unscreened passengers — three of whom set off a metal detector — didn’t even have to take off their shoes to get through security.
New Authentication Tools May Have You Blink to Access Your Files
(Fed Tech, Feb 17, 2017)
Federal officials expect a trove of hijacked data, stolen from government agencies in recent years, to jeopardize U.S. national security for more than a generation. To prevent future intrusions, look no further than the path many hackers exploited to gain access to federal networks in the first place: compromised and stolen user credentials. Government agencies are now turning to biometric technologies to minimize cyberthreats and streamline system access.
New York City Gangs Turn to White-Collar Crimes
(The Wall Street Journal, Feb 20, 2017)
New York City gang members are turning more often to white-collar crimes such as fraudulent checks and credit cards to fund their enterprises and lifestyle, according to law-enforcement officials. In New York City, police started noticing the occasional gang member with a fake credit card about five years ago. By 2014, financial crimes had become more prevalent, as word spread that they carried lighter prison sentences than drug or armed-robbery convictions.
At Kroger, Technology Is Changing the Grocery-Store Shopping Experience
(WSJ, Feb 20, 2017)
For a glimpse of how technology can affect shopping, consider Kroger Co., whose 2,778 stores make it the largest supermarket chain in the U.S. Kroger has deployed cameras and infrared sensors to monitor foot traffic, and is using data algorithms to help schedule cashiers in real time. Its mobile app can analyze shopping habits and produce relevant digital coupons. Kroger’s latest move: testing sensor-laden interactive shelves that detect shoppers in the aisles via their smartphones to offer them personal pricing and product suggestions as they walk along.
Ant Financial to Invest $200 Million in South Korea's Kakao Pay
(The Wall Street Journal, Feb 21, 2017)
The financial arm of Chinese internet giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is expanding its global footprint through a deal with South Korea’s dominant messaging company, Kakao Corp. Ant Financial Group, which is seeking to challenge global payment powerhouses Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., will invest $200 million in Kakao’s payments unit, with the two expected to form Kakao Pay Corp. as a subsidiary of Kakao by early April.
