NEW - BIDEN is tackling the daunting task of unwinding one Trump BORDER policy while keeping another in place, an attempt of a more humane approach to migrants while avoiding overcrowded facilities in a pandemic. It has also led to mass confusion.
nytimes.com/2021/02/23/us/… Unwinding Trump's agenda is a daunting task and Biden is starting with one of the more consequential policies in "remain in Mexico." The reprocessing effort is already underway in California, prompting one man fleeing political persecution to "feel safe at last." h/t @mirjordan

DHS has not cancelled a contract w/ ICE union that sparked a whistleblower complaint accusing Cuccinelli, who signed it the day before the inauguration, of abuse of power. Agency says it is still reviewing the agreement that could hinder Biden's policies.
nytimes.com/2021/02/01/us/… Under a federal law, an agency head has 30 days to cancel such an agreement once it is signed, after which it goes into effect.

Starting Feb. 19, the Biden administration will begin processing at a limited number of border entries asylum seekers who have been forced to "Remain in Mexico" under a Trump-era rule.

nytimes.com/live/2021/02/1… Some of the tens of thousands of migrants have been subjected to kidnappings and murders after being turned around to Mexico. This story by @mirjordan has stuck with me.

nytimes.com/2019/12/21/us/…

NEW Fed law enforcement shifted resources last year in response to Trump’s insistence that the radical left endangered the U.S., despite concerns from career officials. Meanwhile, right-wing extremism was building ominously. w/ @adamgoldmanNYT @ktbenner
nytimes.com/2021/01/30/us/… Justice Dep. officials began shifting federal prosecutors and F.B.I. agents from investigations into violent white supremacists to focus on cases involving rioters or anarchists, including Antifa. One prosecutor went to the IG with concerns about the excessive focus on Antifa

“The terrorism alert...made clear that their motivation would include anger over ‘the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fueled by false narratives,’ a clear reference to the accusations made by Pres Trump” nytimes.com/2021/01/27/us/… w/ @SangerNYT An intelligence official involved in drafting the bulletin said the decision to issue the report was driven by the conclusion that the peaceful inauguration last week could create a false sense of security because “the intent to engage in violence has not gone away."

NEW Law enforcement has deep concerns about the inauguration. SecService is establishing a parameter w 15K NG troops. Officials are preparing for a worst case scenario of act. shooters. Extremists are already plotting more riots online. w/ @helenecooper

nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/… Complicating the security effort further, Chad F. Wolf, the head of the DHS, announced that he would be resigning as acting secretary at midnight Monday. DHS includes the Secret Service, which is leading inauguration security. Wolf will remain w/ the agency as under secretary...

Final draft of DHS's Homeland Threat Assessment is issued. Like earlier drafts, white supremacy is described as "the most persistent and lethal threat to the Homeland.

Russia is the "likely primary covert influence actor and purveyor of disinformation." cbsnews.com/news/china-rus… Here's the report: dhs.gov/publication/20…

Good piece here on the $10m in grants recently issued by DHS. Some add context: DHS's anti-terrorism office went from a budget of more than $20m under Obama admin to less than 3 mill in the early years of Trump. McAleenan made it a point to secure the add. funds last year

https://twitter.com/rachael_levy/status/1312367990822891522

Some more on that: nytimes.com/2019/10/01/us/…

So a DHS bulletin dated July 9th on Russian election interference was held back. DHS spx says it didn't meet the agency's standards. But just a week later DHS sent out a bulletin on anarchists in Portland in which officers admitted they had "low confidence" in their assessment?

https://twitter.com/jonkarl/status/1301136043505221633

Here's that bulletin dated July 16th on "suspected anarchists extremists" in Portland. Notice the similar format to the above document obtained by @jonkarl. The "low confidence" assessment was sent out while one on Russia was held back?
int.nyt.com/data/documentt…

NEW What started as a department following the lead of a president aiming to rally his base by declaring himself a protector of statues and monuments has resulted in the militarized crackdown of an American city. Here’s our story—>

nytimes.com/2020/07/17/us/… “The last people you really want are any of these federal officials” at the protests, said Gil Kerlikowske, the former commissioner of Customs and Border Protection and the former chief of the Seattle Police Department.

As protesters made their way into Chinatown, military helicopters were positioned just above rooftops, sending gusts of dust into the air. A part of a tree fell, nearly hitting passerbys. The crowds dispersed down side streets. Some storefronts were shattered. #DCProtest. About 10 minutes later, here it goes again.

A little story of resilience and kindness: From 2015 to 2018, I covered the anniversary of 9/11 at the memorial in Lower Manhattan. Last year, I wrote about someone who returned from college to pay respect to the mother he never met. wsj.com/articles/seven… When the North Tower got hit, Jake Campbell's mother, Jill Maurer-Campbell, called her family from the South Tower to tell them she would be fine. Then a plane hit the South Tower.