24 March 2006
Homeland Security Head Cites Cooperation on Security Needs
Chertoff says trip to Asia will allow view of security tools, methods
By Todd Bullock
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Meeting security concerns without compromising economic freedom will be the focus of Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff's trip to China, Japan and Singapore March 24-30.
Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York March 24, Chertoff said he wants "to see firsthand the technology, tools and methods that we are using and that our Asian partners are using overseas to enhance security while maintaining free trade."
"Hopefully, we can learn from each others' experiences and further cement the network of relationships which is pivotal to our elevating security all across the globe," he said.
BORDER SECURITY
Border security -- air, sea and land -- requires dealing with known and unknown threats, the secretary said. He added that unknown threats are especially challenging because they require countries to "screen individuals whose identities we may not know" and "to look for things which can become implements of war or terror," such as radioactive material, chemical weapons and biological material.
Chertoff stressed the importance of private- and public-sector cooperation on security issues.
"We are linked in a system of travel and trade that has hundreds of participants around the world," Chertoff said. "And if we don't all get on board together, the seams between our activities will be exploited by those who want to cause terror."
Addressing maritime security, the secretary said he will be working with his Asian counterparts on the Container Security Initiative, which will increase regulation of supply chains from the points of origin to final destinations.
While in Hong Kong, Chertoff said, he plans to look at technology that would allow border officials to capture X-ray images of containers before they are loaded. This "would give us an additional ability to drill into what is coming into this country and assess it before it actually hits our ports," he said.
Chertoff said he also plans to discuss raising the security level for all container traffic and increasing overseas inspections for containers.
COMBATING HUMAN SMUGGLING
The secretary said he also would work with his counterparts to expedite the process of repatriating illegal migrants.
Preventing illegal immigration is something the United States cannot do without the cooperation of the international community, especially of those countries from which migrants come, he said.
"I know the Chinese government is interested in working with us on this in a partnership approach," he said. "And I think if we eliminate some bottlenecks and some procedural issues, we can make a lot of progress."
Chertoff said he plans to work with China on targeting and eliminating criminal smuggling organizations that are bringing people from China and other parts of the world into the United States. (See Chinese Human Smuggling.)
These organizations rob these people "of every penny that they have in order to secure passage," he said. "And in many instances, they keep them in indentured servitude, if not outright slavery, for years after they get into this country."
Even as Chertoff cited the list of border security concerns he plans to bring up, he also acknowledged the need for the United States to be "a welcoming country."
"We want to attract and retain the best intellectual capital in the world," he said. "That means we have to be more welcoming than we sometimes have been to foreigners who want to come work, study and tour in this country."
According to Chertoff, the United States will look at things like increased visas for people who bring "unique skills" to the United States.
For additional information, see Visas and Passports.
AVIAN INFLUENZA
Regarding avian influenza, or bird flu, the secretary cited the need to increase cooperation between the public and private sectors to bolster public health capacity in the event of a pandemic and for businesses to set priorities.
"This is not a federal government responsibility alone -- this is a state and local government responsibility. That's where most of the public health assets in this country are located." And, at the end of the day, "preparedness is an individual responsibility," he said. (See Bird Flu (Avian Influenza).)
For additional information, see East Asia and the Pacific.
A video of the event is available on the Council on Foreign Relations Web site (login required).
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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