Homeland Security Resource Center

In December 2023, migrant encounters at the US-Mexico border reached a record high, according to Pew Research Center. Although by August 2024, those encounters had dropped 77%, migrants crossing the southern border illegally were still occurring at higher rates than much of the past decade.

The recent decline in migrant encounters is partially attributed to policy changes on both sides of the border. The Washington Post reported this September that authorities in Mexico have stepped up their efforts to prevent migrants from reaching the southern border. Meanwhile the Biden administration issued an executive order this June that ordered an asylum ban for migrants crossing the southern border illegally.

Besides policy changes, another factor in improving the mitigation of illegal border crossings are the technologies and personnel Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have committed to over the past year

One such technology is unmanned aerial systems, or drones. CBP has begun expanding the role of drones in its operations, which has offered significant benefits in terms of time and cost savings, and officer safety. This report will analyze not only how CBP is leveraging drones on the southern border, but inversely, the risks drones present on the southern border when used maliciously.

To learn more about drone use on the southern border, and other CBP initiatives, be sure to register for next year’s Homeland Security Week starting March 25 in Arlington, Virginia.

This two-day summit will focus on advancing cybersecurity/ biometric measures, optimizing border security strategies, counter-UAS, enhancing infrastructure resilience, strategies of local law enforcement, and more.

In the latest report from IDGA, we look at the top cybersecurity vulnerabilities of the year according to CISA, as well as the newest cybersecurity training program provided by the federal government.

The continually evolving landscape of homeland security has proven to bring unique challenges. In order to overcome these obstacles, the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA) has annually brought together the top minds in the homeland defense and security spheres at our Homeland Security Week event, and this January proved to be one of the best iterations of the event yet.

For two days experts from across the Federal Government, Law Enforcement, Industry and Academia shared insights on a wide range of topics including border security, cybersecurity, counter UAS, intelligence sharing, infrastructure protection and resilience, identity technology, agency collaboration, budget planning and much more.

This post-show report includes:

• A list of attending organization and speakers
• Daily summaries from event presentations
• Testimonials from attendees
• A list of 2024 speakers

In March 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its AI Roadmap, outlining the organization’s AI initiatives and the technology’s potential uses across the homeland security enterprise.

The roadmap was released on the heels of President Biden’s Executive Order 14110, “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence,” which tasked DHS with several critical roles, including:

• To manage AI in critical infrastructure and cyberspace;
• Promote the adoption of AI safety standards globally;
• Reduce the potential risk of AI’s use to facilitate weapons of mass destruction attacks;
• Combat AI-related intellectual property theft;
• Ensure our nation attracts talent to develop responsible AI in the United States.

Within their newly established remit, the DHS roadmap focuses on three lines of effort to ensure the agency adequately meets the duties outlined by the White House. Those three lines of effort are: leveraging AI to advance homeland security missions, promoting nationwide AI safety and security, and advancing AI through strong partnerships. This report will break down all three of these lines of efforts laid out in the road map and look at the initiatives DHS has in place to realize these goals.

To hear directly from DHS leaders about the AI Roadmap, register for IDGA’s Homeland Security Week 2025. Last year’s event featured speakers such as Eric Hysen, Chief Information and AI Officer for DHS, and Scott Parker, Branch Chief of Advanced Threats Security at CISA. This year will continue to explore the latest AI initiatives across DHS, as well as how AI is impacting border security and biometrics efforts.

Ahead of Homeland Security Week 2025, the 2024 Attendee Report highlights the leading organizations within the industry and an extensive list of high-level attendees who attended last year. Join senior federal government leaders, state and local law enforcement representatives, subject matter experts and industry innovators to engage in two days of high-level networking, knowledge sharing, collaboration and interactive discussion group participation.

>> Download 2024 Attendee List 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has the tough job of protecting America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety. This piece of content summarises the business opportunities proposed by the Presidential budget in a short succinct document. It includes the amount the executive office wants to spend on procurement, construction and improvements. With this document and our upcoming Homeland Security Week Summit, IDGA hopes to provide some clarity on ICE’s spending priorities.

UAS technology is primed to become a key pillar of the economy’s infrastructure. This comes with its own risks and challenges in terms of cyber security. In this piece we interview Scott Parker, branch chief from Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, who discusses the DHS’ efforts in securing the national infrastructure. In this interview he:     

• Describes the office’s mission and the threats it aims to mitigate
• How the office guides the private sector
• How technological trends will impact CISA’s mission
  

New technologies such as AI and machine learning are continuing to mature and create new challenges and opportunities for homeland security professionals. We had the privilege of interviewing RADM, USN (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director at the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation to understand more about changes to the threat landscape and the solutions available to combat these new and emerging threats. Few people are as experienced and knowledgeable on the subject and this interview also gives a preview of what to expect for the Homeland Security Summit.

IDGA's Homeland Security Week Conference is returning for its 18th iteration from March 25-26 2025 at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, VA. 

The conference will bring together over 550 key decision-makers actively looking to invest in homeland security solutions and technology. Download the partnership prospectus to find out more about: 

• Early confirmed speakers 
• The 2025 attendee breakdown 
• Attending Organizations in 2024 
• Attending Job Titles in 2024
• Key conference themes and formats
• What's new for 2025
• The array of solutions in demand at Homeland Security Week 2025 
• Ways to sponsor and opportunities
• Benefits of sponsoring

>> Download the partnership prospectus>>

Ahead of Homeland Security Week 2025, the 2024 Attendee Report highlights the leading organizations within the industry and an extensive list of high-level attendees who attended last year. Join senior federal government leaders, state and local law enforcement representatives, subject matter experts and industry innovators to engage in two days of high-level networking, knowledge sharing, collaboration and interactive discussion group participation.

>> Download 2024 Attendee List 

With the FY2023 presidential budget released, the new administration had promised changes to the US Homeland Security approach with a greater focus on trade. This snapshot focuses on delivering a Birdseye view of presidential budget request and what it means for:

• Biometric investment
• Border Patrol facilities and platforms
• USGC marine and aerial assets

IDGA conducted an exclusive interview with Cyberspace Solarium Commission Co-Chairman's, Senator Angus King and Congressman Michael Gallagher and Executive Director, Mark Montgomery outlining the context and some of the product of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission that was authorized by the Fiscal Year 2019 National Authorization Act.

Cybersecurity is arguably one of the most pressing matters across the US federal government.

IDGA had the pleasure of interviewing RADM, USN (ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Director, Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, discussing the challenges of implementing cybersecurity across the government and private sector.

This discussion:

• Details the recommendations of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0 and its efforts to strengthen agencies like CISA and the Office of the National Cyber Director
• Offers a state-of-play of current cybersecurity challenges
• Identifies some of the biggest risks faced today, and how to mitigate them
  

Nelson Balido delivers a hard-hitting interview on the current state of the play of Homeland. He delves into Homeland's current challenges, especially the situation on North America’s Southern Border. Furthermore, as chairman of the 2024 event, he explains what he expects, and how vendors can make the most out of it. An honest and direct interview, for anyone in the homeland domain.

Eric Hysen, Chief Information Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, spoke with IQPC's Justin Ederheimer about the need for mindful modernisation in cybersecurity systems, the importance - but insufficiency - of the cloud, and building talented teams.

Hear IDGA conduct an exclusive interview with U.S Department of Homeland Security Chief Procurement Officer, Soraya Correa outlining the Procurement Priorities to enable advanced Homeland Protection Capabilities.