Summary

Border and Transportation Security was made a priority mission for the Department of Homeland Security because the 9/11 attacks were perpetrated by foreign agents operating on US soil. Various different agencies were consolidated within DHS to secure the nation’s air, sea, and land approaches, shared borders, and designated ports of entry. The primary mission objective is to keep terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the US. The task is complicated because at the same time it is necessary to facilitate the legitimate flow of trade. Balancing these two competing demands is not easy.