Department of Homeland Security in the US - Essay Example

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a cabinet department established following the September 11 terrorist to protect the U.S from possible terrorist attacks and disasters. DHS protects the US within, at, and beyond its borders, through a civilian approach. For efficiency and accountability, the department has three independent branches namely Custom and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Secrete Service (Siegel, & Worrall, 2011). The Custom and Border Protection is the most significant arm of the department.

Indeed, the agency deals with fundamental security issues such as terrorism, drug smuggling, illegal immigration, and human trafficking. The agency also deals with economic oriented issues such as pest invasion and development of legitimate trade. Ideally, the CBP is meant to create a supportive business environment for US businesses by reinforcing trading regulations and discourage illegal trade. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (IEC) is the largest investigative arm of the DHS. The agency identifies and assesses boarder-related vulnerabilities (Siegel, & Worrall, 2011).

Secrete service investigates cases of identity theft, counterfeiting and cybercrimes targeting government’s online services, financial institutions and telecommunication services. Thus, the agency deals with sophisticated crimes that threaten the U.S’s institutional and social developments.