Of the $20 million the Trump administration is asking Congress to reprogram in FY ’17 funds for construction of prototype sections of border security wall, $15 million would come from an existing border security technology program called the Mobile Video Surveillance System, according to a report by the Democratic staff of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Tactical Micro is providing Customs and Border Protection the short and medium-range MVSS systems under a $50 million contract. The report estimates that the administration’s plans for a southern border wall could cost nearly $70 billion, which is about the same as Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), ranking member on the committee, said last month.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on May 1 began issuing redesigned Permanent Resident Cards, also called Green Cards, and Employment Authorization Documents with enhanced security features. The new cards will display the individual’s photos on both sides, include a unique graphic image and color palette, and have embedded holographic images. The cards won’t display the individual’s signature and the Green Cards will no longer have an optical stripe. Green Cards are issued to individuals given authorization to live and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis.
The Transportation Security Administration plans to award a potential five-year, $500,000 contract to San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute National Transportation Safety and Security Center to support a database on terrorist and serious criminal attacks against public surface transportation. The center’s primary mission is to ensure that the database is Web accessible to government entities.
The Department of Homeland Security has unveiled a trusted traveler comparison tool to help prospective applicants find the best trusted traveler program for them according to their travel preferences and citizenship. The department currently has more than 10.8 million members in its trusted traveler programs, a 169 percent increase since FY ’14, with the largest being Global Entry with more than 4 million members.