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Customs Agents to Join Air Marshal System
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Sep 2, 9:16 AM (ET)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is shuffling its homeland
security operation to make available more armed agents for airliner
protection.
According to a plan being unveiled Tuesday, the reorganization will
combine the federal air marshal's program with the customs and
immigration security programs so agents in both can be cross-trained and
used for aviation security, officials said.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge planned to outline the
reorganization in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute. He was
to describe the changes as a way to better mobilize the resources of his
department.
Earlier this year, the administration came under criticism from
lawmakers when it was learned the Transportation Security Administration
wanted to cut 20 percent of its funding for the air marshal's program to
plug other budget holes.
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Lawmakers vowed to block any such funding cuts.
The reorganization plan is aimed at giving the Homeland Security
Department more flexibility in the way it uses its armed customs and
aviation security agents.
The number of air marshals is classified. In a news release, the
department said its reorganization will "make available more than 5,000
additional armed federal law enforcement agents to the skies."
As part of the changes, the Federal Air Marshal's program will be moved
from the Transpiration Security Administration to Immigration and
Customs Enforcement.
The immigration and customs agents and the air marshals will be
cross-trained so they all can be deployed "to help disrupt aviation
security-related threats" if necessary, the department said.
The changes "will significantly increase the number of federal law
enforcement agents available ... providing a surge capacity during
increased threat periods or in event of a terrorist attack," it said.
Ironically, in the 1970s, when teams of "sky marshals" were first
created to thwart hijackings, they originally also were part of the U.S.
Customs Service.
In its reorganization the Homeland Security Department also will:
_Consolidate three different border inspections into one where a single
"primary inspector" will handle immigration, customs and agricultural
checks.
If a question arises about a traveler, a "secondary inspection" will be
conducted by another agent. The consolidation will allow more agents to
be deployed for the more precise secondary inspections "targeting our
resources toward those passengers with suspicious indictors," the
department said.
_Establish a network of secure communications between the department and
the states, including secure video-conferencing and telephone lines to
be used for sharing information about terrorist threats.
_Make it easier for states to obtain anti-terrorist and security grants.
The department will ask Congress to centralize the grant application
process, which now is spread across numerous agencies, under one agency.
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