• DHS: 2012 deadline for U.S.-bound cargo screening unrealistic

    DHS says that Congressionally mandated deadline for 100 percent inspection of U.S.-bound cargo containers is unrealistic; what is more, it is unnecessary

  • Texas bolsters border security, enhances trade

    U.S. trade with Mexico has more than quadrupled in the past 15 years from $81 million in 1993 to nearly $350 billion in 2007; projected to reach at least 10 times that number by 2020, Mexico is the fastest-growing U.S. trade partner; nearly 80 percent of the trade between the United States and Mexico is transported via roads or rail; in Texas alone, that equates to 3.1 million inbound and 2.7 million outbound trucks each year; General Barry McCaffrey says it is possible to bolster security while accommodating growing trade

  • Surveillance systems for Singapore

    The Port of Singapore is the world’s largest container transshipment hub, handling around 27 million containers last year; U.K. CCTV company wins large contract to secure the port

  • Trains to pass through X-ray at Turkey-Iran border gate

    Turkey is installing a radiography scanner system at its border with Iran; as trains approach the Kapıköy border point, they will undergo radiography scanning once they are traveling at a stable speed, generally 30 kilometers per hour, after security precautions have been taken to protect passengers and train personnel

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  • Investigators find gaps in port security program

    GAO finds flaws in DHS’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program; a 2005 GAO report found many of the companies were receiving the reduced cargo scrutiny without the required full vetting by DHS; there were some improvements, but much remains to be done

  • A dead end for free trade? I

    Tightening border security along the U.S.-Canada border is hampering trade, experts say; delays owing to security checks have cascading effects, as supplies and raw materials are late arriving at manufacturing plants

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  • DHS delays TWIC compliance date

    DHS pushes (the department says “realigns”) TWIC compliance date from 15 October 2008 to 15 April 2009; industry, port wanted more time; some ports will have to comply with original deadline

  • Maryland leaders worry about shift in DHS priorities after elections

    Because of its proximity to the nation’s capital, the Baltimore metro area and Washington suburbs are particularly vulnerable to terrorist activity, Maryland leaders say; they want attention to security increased, not decreased

  • E-manifests for trucking to go into effect

    By 11 February, trucks entering Alaska will have to submit e-manifests detailing their cargo — and do so before the truck arrives at the border crossing; by 11 May, no truck will be allowed into the U.S. unless the shipper has filed an e-manifest with DHS

  • A better path to container scanning

    Analyst: The congressionally mandated 100 percent container screening is unworkable; it arouses opposition from U.S. trading partners and industry; a better solution would be the adoption of in-container sensing systems