The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued a report covering firearms smuggling from the U.S. into Mexico and issuing recommendations to better understand the problem.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a Privacy Impact Assessment of CBP One™, a mobile app launched by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that provides the public a single portal to a variety of CBP services. The app is meant to streamline services for travelers, importers, brokers, airlines, and international organizations by asking them a series of questions that determine the correct services, forms, or applications to meet their needs. CBP maintains that the app increases transparency at CBP and streamlines the process for foreign travelers without sacrificing security.

Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Coons (D-DE) introduced the Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Law Enforcement Protection Act, which would allow individuals who kill or attempt to kill federal law enforcement abroad to be prosecuted in U.S. courts.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to launch an effort to care for unaccompanied children who are entering the United States from the southern border.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has offered the COVID-19 vaccine to its entire workforce, but just 49 percent have accepted a vaccine as of last week. Meanwhile, other agencies are seeing their employees accept vaccines in larger numbers, causing members of Congress to question the Bureau of Prisons’ vaccine rollout plan. For example, as of last month, 72 percent of the Veterans Health Administration workforce had accepted the vaccine.

Several bills were introduced last week to commemorate Sunshine Week, a national initiative spearheaded by the News Leaders Association to educate the public about the importance of open government.

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that expands benefits for the federal workforce and Americans.

Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) and 16 other lawmakers reintroduced the Protect and Serve Act, which would create federal penalties for individuals who target law enforcement officers at the federal, state, and local levels.

The Judicial Conference of the United States—the Judiciary’s policy-making body—recently proposed 79 new judgeships for courts across the country and initiatives to improve both personal security and courtroom security.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alexander Mayorkas recently signed an Interim Final Rule (IFR) to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) implement provisions from the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention (STOP) Act.

A recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has not been able to come up with outcome-oriented measures to gauge their success when it comes to bringing small businesses into the market of security infrastructure.

Two top Department of Justice (DOJ) nominees, deputy attorney general nominee Lisa Monaco and associate attorney general nominee Vanita Gupta, attended a joint confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 9, 2021.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) plans to hire 6,000 new Transportation Security Officers before summer 2021 to prepare for the influx of travelers that is expected as COVID-19 vaccine rollout accelerates. At approximately 430 airports nationwide, TSA is ramping up efforts to add staff who can assist with security screenings and other airport tasks.

Christopher Wray, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 2, 2021 to answer questions from lawmakers about events that transpired during the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The hearing focused on what the FBI knew leading up to the attack and its general response to the rising threat from domestic violent extremists.

From February 22 to February 23, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the position of Attorney General in the Biden administration.

The federal government’s efforts to modernize and rationalize its workforce vetting policies and protocols continue to move forward, with actions coming at the tail end of the last administration and in the first month of the Biden administration.

The Biden administration recently proposed the 2021 U.S. Citizenship Act to Congress. The bill has been introduced in both chambers by Congressional Democrats. The act would revamp the United States immigration system and reverse many immigration initiatives that were introduced by the Trump administration. The plan also includes several reforms aimed at improving the homeland security workforce.

The African American Federal Executive Association, Executive Women in Government, Senior Executives Association, and Management Concepts partnered to present "It Starts with Us: Forging the Future of Federal Leadership.” The event featured Ambassador Susan Rice, current head of the White House Domestic Policy Council, as a keynote speaker and then continued with a panel discussion on the role of leaders in increasing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the federal leadership cadre of the future.

Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently reintroduced the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act. The bill has bipartisan support and would guarantee that law enforcement officers across the federal government have full access to federal retirement benefits.

The House Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on February 11, 2021 titled The U.S. Immigration System: The Need for Bold Reforms. The discussion covered a number of topics ranging from the terminology of using “illegal alien” versus “undocumented immigrant” to some policy steps the government can take to better approach the immigration system and solve its problems.