December 09, 2020

Modernizing the Department of Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been at the center of any number of controversies under the Trump administration, leading to arguments over whether the department should be reorganized or even done away with altogether. Over the past six months, in fact, there have been increased calls for the dismantling of the department. But President-elect Biden’s selection of former Deputy Director of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas as the next secretary suggests that the Biden administration will not seek to dismantle the department, but will likely instead shift its mission and priorities in a way that recalibrates the department’s interactions with the public.

There is a fresh opportunity to conceive of a forward-looking Department of Homeland Security that best serves the nation’s safety.

This is a welcome development. With almost two decades behind it and new leadership in the Biden-Harris administration on the horizon, there is a fresh opportunity to conceive of a forward-looking Department of Homeland Security that best serves the nation’s safety.

Read the full article in Lawfare.

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