[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                DHS'S EFFORTS TO DISRUPT TRANSNATIONAL 
              CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS IN CENTRAL AMERICA

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                            SUBCOMMITTEE ON
                         OVERSIGHT, MANAGEMENT,
                           AND ACCOUNTABILITY

                                 OF THE

                     COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                             JULY 28, 2021

                               __________

                           Serial No. 117-26

                               __________

       Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security
                                     

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        Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov

                               __________

                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
45-929 PDF                 WASHINGTON : 2021                     
          
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                     COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY

               Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi, Chairman
Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas            John Katko, New York
James R. Langevin, Rhode Island      Michael T. McCaul, Texas
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey     Clay Higgins, Louisiana
J. Luis Correa, California           Michael Guest, Mississippi
Elissa Slotkin, Michigan             Dan Bishop, North Carolina
Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri            Jefferson Van Drew, New Jersey
Al Green, Texas                      Ralph Norman, South Carolina
Yvette D. Clarke, New York           Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa
Eric Swalwell, California            Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee
Dina Titus, Nevada                   Andrew S. Clyde, Georgia
Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey    Carlos A. Gimenez, Florida
Kathleen M. Rice, New York           Jake LaTurner, Kansas
Val Butler Demings, Florida          Peter Meijer, Michigan
Nanette Diaz Barragan, California    Kat Cammack, Florida
Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey          August Pfluger, Texas
Elaine G. Luria, Virginia            Andrew R. Garbarino, New York
Tom Malinowski, New Jersey
Ritchie Torres, New York
                       Hope Goins, Staff Director
                 Daniel Kroese, Minority Staff Director
                          Natalie Nixon, Clerk
                                
                                ------                                

       SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT, MANAGEMENT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

                  J. Luis Correa, California, Chairman
Dina Titus, Nevada                   Peter Meijer, Michigan, Ranking 
Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey         Member
Ritchie Torres, New York             Dan Bishop, North Carolina
Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi (ex  Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee
    officio)                         John Katko, New York (ex officio)
                Lisa Canini, Subcommittee Staff Director
         Eric Heighberger, Minority Subcommittee Staff Director
                  Geremiah Lofton, Subcommittee Clerk
                           
                           
                           C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

                               Statements

The Honorable J. Luis Correa, a Representative in Congress From 
  the State of California, and Chairman, Subcommittee on 
  Oversight, Management, and Accountability:
  Oral Statement.................................................     1
  Prepared Statement.............................................     2
The Honorable Peter Meijer, a Representative in Congress From the 
  State of Michigan, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on 
  Oversight, Management, and Accountability:
  Oral Statement.................................................     3
  Prepared Statement.............................................     4
The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress 
  From the State of Mississippi, and Chairman, Committee on 
  Homeland Security:
  Prepared Statement.............................................     5

                               Witnesses

Mr. Francis J. Russo, Acting Deputy Executive Assistant 
  Commissioner, Operations Support, U.S. Customs and Border 
  Protection:
  Oral Statement.................................................     6
  Prepared Statement.............................................     8
Mr. John A. Condon, Acting Assistant Director, International 
  Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration 
  and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security:
  Oral Statement.................................................    12
  Prepared Statement.............................................    14

                                Appendix

Questions From Chairman J. Luis Correa for Francis J. Russo......    35
Questions From Hon. Dan Bishop for Francis J. Russo..............    35
Questions From Hon. Diana Harshbarger for Francis J. Russo.......    36
Questions From Chairman J. Luis Correa for John A. Condon........    36
Questions From Hon. Dan Bishop for John A. Condon................    37
Questions From Hon. Diana Harshbarger for John A. Condon.........    37

 
  DHS'S EFFORTS TO DISRUPT TRANSNA- TIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS IN 
                            CENTRAL AMERICA

                              ----------                              


                        Wednesday, July 28, 2021

             U.S. House of Representatives,
                    Committee on Homeland Security,
                    Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, 
                                        and Accountability,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 1:59 p.m., via 
Webex, Hon. Lou Correa [Chairman of the subcommittee] 
presiding.
    Present: Representatives Correa, Titus, Meijer, Bishop, and 
Harshbarger.
    Chairman Correa. Good afternoon. The hearing on Committee 
on Homeland Security Oversight will now come to order. Without 
objection, the Chair is authorized to declare the subcommittee 
in recess at any point. Let's begin by thanking everyone today 
for joining us.
    Over the last few months, this subcommittee has had the 
opportunity to look closely at some of the factors that push 
people from Central America and Mexico to leave their homes and 
travel to the United States border. We have heard about 
crippling effects of the recent natural disasters, wide-spread 
poverty, COVID-19, as well as the pervasive presence of 
corruption which stifles progress, economic progress, and 
maintains inequality.
    Today, I look forward to diving more deeply into some of 
these issues the Department of Homeland Security is working on 
to combat both abroad and at home, primarily violence and 
instability caused by transnational criminal organizations. 
These TCOs are far-reaching criminal enterprises that seek to 
profit from a wide variety of illicit schemes including drug 
trafficking, smuggling migrants, money laundering, and 
extortion. Their activities affect migration at almost every 
level.
    These TCOs are often connected to the local gangs that 
spread violence and fear in Central America, providing the 
weapons and legitimacy that allows these gangs to continue 
preying on the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. This is 
particularly true in the Northern Triangle countries of 
Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, which have some of the 
highest homicide rates in the world, and where this violence is 
disproportionately directed toward women and girls. The 
extortion, kidnapping, and threat of violence perpetrated by 
these gangs is one of the main reasons why people leave their 
homes and go north. Additionally, TCOs are typically either 
directly connected to the groups that smuggle migrants across 
the borders or will allow those smugglers to pass through the 
territory they control for a fee, generating, of course, 
millions of dollars a year from the exploitations of those who 
seek a better life.
    For many who hope to escape violence by leaving their 
homes, the journey can be as perilous. It is estimated that 
about 80 percent of the women and girls who migrate from the 
Northern Triangle face sexual violence along the way. Migrants 
are also highly susceptible to robbery and, of course, 
kidnapping. The same connections that allow TCOs to guarantee 
passage free from legal hassle also allow them to victimize 
migrants with impunity. Therefore, key to the success of 
President Biden's efforts to slow irregular migration will have 
to be a continued focus on the detection and disruption of 
these TCOs and their many illegal activities.
    We have with us today two witnesses from the Department of 
Homeland Security to outline how they are supporting the 
President's goal and how they are working to implement the 
President's goals. For years, the Department has undertaken 
efforts to degrade the influence of TCOs that have in foreign 
countries and at the border and even in the United States 
created such chaos. Customs and Border Protection utilizes a 
combination of personnel, technology, and information gathering 
to monitor the flows of goods and people across the border, 
while Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeks to investigate 
the crimes perpetrated by these TCOs and ensure prosecution 
both at home and abroad. Additionally, DHS participates in 
several interagency task forces that coordinate the TCO 
investigation efforts of DHS, the Department of Justice, and 
State and local law enforcement.
    Under the Biden administration, DHS will participate in two 
new interagency task forces to enhance enforcement efforts 
against human smuggling, and these are Operation Sentinel and 
Joint Task Force Alpha. These collaborations ensure that DHS is 
part of a unified effort to attack and dismantle these criminal 
organizations as quickly and as effectively as possible. We 
must remember that in these nefarious and resilient criminal 
networks, we must remember who the real enemy is, and not those 
that they leave behind in terrible situations.
    [The statement of Chairman Correa follows:]
                  Statement of Chairman J. Luis Correa
                             July 28, 2021
    Over the last few months, this subcommittee has had the opportunity 
to look closely at some of the factors that push the people of Central 
America and Mexico to leave their homes and travel to the U.S. border. 
We have heard about the crippling effects of recent natural disasters 
and wide-spread poverty, as well as the pervasive presence of 
corruption, which stifles progress and maintains inequality.
    Today I look forward to diving more deeply into an issue that the 
Department of Homeland Security is working to combat both abroad and at 
home: The violence and instability caused by transnational criminal 
organizations (TCOs). TCOs are far-reaching criminal enterprises that 
seek to profit from a wide variety of illicit schemes including drug 
trafficking, migrant smuggling, money laundering, and extortion. Their 
activities affect migration at almost every level.
    TCOs are often connected to the local gangs that spread violence 
and fear in Central America, providing the weapons and legitimacy that 
allows these gangs to continue preying on vulnerable communities. This 
is a particular problem in the Northern Triangle countries of 
Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, which have some of the highest 
homicide rates in the world, and where this violence is 
disproportionately directed toward women and girls. The extortion, 
kidnapping, and threat of violence perpetrated by these gangs is one of 
the main reasons why people leave their homes and migrate north. 
Additionally, TCOs are typically either directly connected to the 
groups that smuggle migrants across borders or will allow the smugglers 
to pass through the territory they control for a fee, generating 
millions of dollars a year from the exploitation of those who seek a 
better life.
    For many who hope to escape violence by leaving their homes, the 
journey can prove just as perilous.
    It is estimated that approximately 80 percent of women and girls 
who migrate from the Northern Triangle face sexual violence along the 
way. Migrants are also highly susceptible to robbery and kidnapping. 
The same connections that allow TCOs to guarantee passage free from 
legal hassles, also allow them to victimize migrants with impunity. 
Therefore, key to the success of President Biden's efforts to slow 
irregular migration will have to be a continued focus on the detection 
and disruption of these TCOs and their many illegal activities.
    We have with us today two witnesses from the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) to outline how they are supporting the President's goal. 
For years, the Department has undertaken efforts to degrade the 
influence TCOs have in foreign countries, at the border, and even in 
U.S. cities. Customs and Border Protection utilizes a combination of 
personnel, technology, and information gathering to monitor the flow of 
goods and people across the border, while Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement seeks to investigate the crimes perpetrated by TCOs and 
ensure prosecution both at home and abroad.
    Additionally, DHS participates in several interagency task forces 
that coordinate the TCO investigation efforts of DHS, the Department of 
Justice, and State and local law enforcement.
    Under the Biden administration, DHS will participate in two new 
interagency task forces to enhance enforcement efforts against human 
smuggling: Operation Sentinel and Joint Task Force Alpha. These 
collaborations ensure that DHS is part of a unified effort to attack 
and dismantle these criminal organizations as effectively as possible. 
We must remember that it is these nefarious and resilient criminal 
networks who are the real enemy here, and not those who leave behind 
impossible situations in the hope for something better.

    Chairman Correa. With that, I want to thank you for joining 
us today. Now, I would like to recognize the Ranking Member of 
the subcommittee, the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Meijer, for 
an opening statement.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this 
hearing today, and I look forward to having a frank and in-
depth discussion with our witnesses. I hope we can delve into 
the reality of the situation in the Northern Triangle and get a 
better sense of the threat that these transnational criminal 
organizations, or TCOs as the Chairman mentioned, pose to the 
region and how they are fueling the exodus of families and 
civilians across our Southern Border.
    While this is the third hearing that our subcommittee has 
held on the Northern Triangle region in an effort to better 
understand the range of push factors contributing to migration, 
this is the first one we have had with Government witnesses. 
This allows us the chance to hear directly from CBP and HSI 
about the threat posed by TCOs in the area and the affect that 
they are having on citizens in those countries as they travel 
through Mexico and to our Southern Border.
    As I stated in the first hearing, this administration has 
compounded the problem at the border by failing to adequately 
dissuade those who seek to illegally cross. Although I do not 
fault those who seek a better life for their families, we now 
find ourselves in a border crisis where too many individuals 
and families have been making that choice to enter the United 
States illegally at the encouragement of the administration.
    On July 14, we passed a threshold of over 1 million border 
crossings in the last fiscal year. There are many reasons why 
people in the Northern Triangle choose to migrate, and we have 
discussed those at length in previous hearings. But it is clear 
that many actions taken by the administration have resulted in 
this crisis. On June 15, the administration provided an update 
on the actions that have been taken to improve the border 
crisis and highlighted a number of accomplishments, including a 
significant reduction in the number of unaccompanied children 
being held in Customs and Border Protection facilities. What 
that announcement failed to mention, however, is the issue has 
not been resolved. Just last month, we hit an unfortunate new 
record of over 15,000 unaccompanied minors who were encountered 
by CBP at the border. The bottleneck has simply been shifted 
from CBP to Health and Human Services and disbursed throughout 
the country including in our third Congressional district.
    HHS is now responsible for housing these unaccompanied 
minors. In the first hearing on the topic that we held, the 
subcommittee heard from Sheriff Steve Hinkley of Calhoun 
County, Michigan, in our district, as he described the strain 
that the shift in administration policy has placed on local law 
enforcement and the lack of coordination and assistance 
provided by the Federal Government in enacting this new 
procedure. Unfortunately, there are instances of unaccompanied 
minors, as well as adults, arriving at our Southern Border as a 
result of human trafficking operations. I look forward to 
engaging with our witnesses today to learn more about their 
agency's efforts to combat criminal organizations in the region 
that conduct these operations and determine what additional 
resources DHS may need in order to prevent future humanitarian 
and security crises in the region. I am hopeful we will use 
this opportunity today to engage on specific strategies and 
potential solutions that Congress and the administration can 
pursue together in order to productively address these 
challenges in a responsible and effective way.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, again, for holding this hearing. I 
look forward to hearing from our witnesses.
    [The statement of Ranking Member Meijer follows:]
                Statement of Ranking Member Peter Meijer
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this hearing today.
    I look forward to having a frank and in-depth discussion with our 
witnesses today, and I hope we can delve into the reality of the 
situation in the Northern Triangle and get a better sense of the threat 
that these Transnational Criminal Organizations, or TCOs, pose to the 
region and how they are fueling the exodus of families and civilians 
from the area to our Southern Border.
    While this is the third hearing that this subcommittee has held on 
the Northern Triangle region in an effort to better understand the 
range of push factors that contribute to migration, this is the first 
one we've had with Government witnesses. This allows us the chance to 
hear directly from CBP and HSI about the threat posed by TCOs in the 
area and the effect they have on citizens of those countries as they 
travel through Mexico to our Southern Border.
    As I stated in the first hearing, this administration has 
compounded the problem at the border by failing to adequately dissuade 
those who want to illegally cross our borders. Although I do not fault 
those who seek a better life for their families, we now find ourselves 
in a border crisis where too many individuals and families have been 
making the choice to enter the United States illegally at the 
encouragement of the administration.
    On July 14, we passed the threshold of 1 million border crossings 
in the last fiscal year. There are many reasons why people in the 
Northern Triangle choose to migrate, and we have discussed those at 
length in the previous hearings. It is clear, however, that many 
actions taken by this administration have resulted in the crisis we're 
still seeing today.
    On June 15, the administration provided an update on the actions 
that have been taken to improve the border crisis and highlighted a 
number of accomplishments, including a significant reduction in the 
number of unaccompanied children being held in Customs and Border 
Protection facilities. What the administration's announcement fails to 
mention, however, is that the issue has not been resolved. Just last 
month, we hit an unfortunate new record of 15,253 unaccompanied minors 
who were encountered by CBP at the border.
    The bottleneck has simply been shifted from CBP to Health and Human 
Services, which is now responsible for housing unaccompanied minors 
around the country, including at a facility in my district. In the 
first hearing on this topic, this committee heard from Sheriff Steve 
Hinkley of Calhoun County Michigan, as he described the strain that the 
shift in administration policy has placed on local law enforcement, and 
the lack of coordination and assistance provided by the Federal 
Government in enacting this new procedure.
    Unfortunately, there are instances of unaccompanied minors, as well 
as adults, arriving at our Southern Border as a result of human 
trafficking operations. I am looking forward to engaging with our 
witnesses today to learn more about their agencies' efforts to combat 
criminal organizations in the region that conduct these kinds of 
operations and determine what additional resources DHS may need to 
prevent future humanitarian and security crises in the region.
    I am hopeful that we will use this opportunity today to engage on 
specific strategies and potential solutions that Congress and the 
administration can pursue together in order to productively address 
these challenges in a responsible and effective way.
    Mr. Chairman, thank you again for holding this hearing. I look 
forward to hearing from our witnesses.

    Chairman Correa. I thank the Ranking Member. Members are 
also reminded that the committee will operate according to the 
guidelines laid out by the Chairman and Ranking Member in their 
February 3 colloquy regarding remote procedures. The Chair now 
recognizes the Chairman of the full committee, which is not 
here. So, we move on to the Ranking Member, also not here. 
Statements may be submitted for the record.
    [The statement of Chairman Thompson follows:]
                Statement of Chairman Bennie G. Thompson
                             July 28, 2021
    As the subcommittee has learned through its recent hearings, many 
of the root causes of migration from Central America are interrelated. 
Transnational criminal organizations are an example. Violence fueled by 
these organizations' efforts to control migration routes in the region 
has led to some of the highest crime rates in the world. Crime has 
caused thousands to flee in fear of their lives, especially minors who 
are often targeted by local gangs.
    The ability of criminal organizations to bribe government officials 
and exploit weak judicial systems in Central American countries allows 
them to operate with impunity. The Department of Homeland Security 
(DHS) has had long-standing efforts focused on addressing the many 
threats transnational criminal organizations pose to the United States. 
But actions by the Trump administration to dismantle some of these 
efforts may have limited the Department's effectiveness. For example, 
we now know that President Trump's DHS worked to undermine--and 
ultimately shutdown--a joint task force that coordinated Department-
wide efforts to address border threats.
    Repeated cuts to U.S. foreign assistance in Central America and 
failure to hold corrupt politicians accountable also made conditions in 
the region worse over the past 4 years. The influx of migrants to the 
U.S. Southern Border created new opportunities for criminal 
enterprises. Smugglers are charging large sums to help desperate 
migrants make the journey north. In turn, these payments fund fees 
charged by the larger criminal organizations who control access to key 
border crossing routes. Sadly, we have all heard too many stories of 
migrants being assaulted, robbed, or abandoned along the way.
    I applaud the Biden administration for taking action to address 
these challenges and to strengthen DHS's capacity to combat criminal 
organizations. In April, Secretary Mayorkas announced the creation of 
Operation Sentinel, a collaborative effort led by U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection to counter migrant smuggling operations. In June, the 
Department of Justice formed a joint task force with DHS to enhance 
U.S. law enforcement efforts against human smuggling and trafficking 
groups operating in Mexico and the Northern Triangle.
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about these 
initiatives and ways Congress can support DHS's efforts to combat 
transnational criminal organizations and further strengthen border 
security.

    Chairman Correa. OK. What I would like to do is now move to 
welcoming our witnesses. The first witness we have is Mr. 
Francis Russo. He is the acting deputy executive assistant 
commissioner for operation support at the Customs and Border 
Protection Office. In his role, he supports CBP operations 
across 8 subcomponents, including offices of intelligence, 
international affairs. Mr. Russo has served in multiple roles 
since joining Customs Service in 1995, including as assistant 
director for border security in the New York Field Office.
    Our second witness is Mr. John Condon. Mr. Condon is the 
acting assistant director for Homeland Security Investigations 
internal operations within Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 
He is responsible for 81 international offices in 53 countries. 
His responsibilities include planning, directing, managing, and 
coordinating all policies, procedures, and guidelines 
concerning international investigative activities. He 
previously served in several roles including ICE's regional 
attache for the Caribbean. Without objection, the witnesses' 
full statements will be inserted into the record. I now ask 
each witness to summarize their statements in 5 minutes 
beginning with Mr. Russo. Welcome, sir.

    STATEMENT OF FRANCIS J. RUSSO, ACTING DEPUTY EXECUTIVE 
 ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER, OPERATIONS SUPPORT, U.S. CUSTOMS AND 
                       BORDER PROTECTION

    Mr. Russo. Good afternoon, Chairman Correa, Ranking Member 
Meijer, and distinguished Members of the subcommittee. Thank 
you for the opportunity to testify today about transnational 
organized crime in Central America and U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection's efforts to dismantle it.
    As you are aware, transnational criminal organizations, or 
TCOs, are heavily involved in smuggling a combination of human 
beings, weapons cache, or narcotics. Essentially, anything with 
a high profit margin. They operate seamlessly across 
international borders exploiting supply chains, financial 
flows, corrupt officials, and overburdened law enforcement 
without regard for human life. They pose a clear threat to 
National security and public safety.
    It is estimated that TCOs profit anywhere from $200 million 
to $2.3 billion alone for smuggling migrants from the Northern 
Triangle to the Southwest Border. Desperate migrants pay TCO-
connected human smuggling groups thousands of dollars to aid on 
their journey to escape violence, natural disasters, food 
insecurity, and poverty at home. Smugglers control where these 
illegal border crossings occur, often abandoning migrants in 
remote and dangerous areas. Last month, CBP conducted 9,500 
rescues in these areas and rescued 81 percent more individuals 
this year than last fiscal year. Unfortunately, we have also 
confirmed 300 deaths this year.
    This callous activity creates border security gaps that 
TCOs seek to exploit. While agents are busy processing large 
groups or rescuing migrants, TCOs move illicit narcotics or 
other contraband elsewhere across the border.
    CBP leverages key partnerships and sound analytics to 
combat TCOs. Joint Task Force Alpha, our newest initiative, 
includes partnerships with Federal prosecutors along the 
Southwest Border supported by law enforcement agents and 
analysts from ICE and CBP. The task force is enhancing the 
Department of Justice's ability to investigate and prosecute 
the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking 
groups operating in Mexico and the Northern Triangle. 
Complementing Task Force Alpha, Operation Sentinel is a CPB-led 
initiative to counter TCOs affiliated with migrant smuggling. 
It is supported by ICE, USCIS, the U.S. Department of State, 
the U.S. DEA, and the FBI.
    The operation targets and disrupts those individuals 
responsible for sending structured payments facilitating human 
smuggling. We are mapping the networks while targeting their 
members, associates, and their assets. Examples include 
revocation of travel documents, suspension and debarment, and 
freezing of bank accounts and other financial assets tied to 
TCO logistical networks. To date, Operation Sentinel has 
yielded the revocation of more than 150 visas associated with 
TCO members and their associates, preventing these individuals 
from traveling to the United States or using their visas to 
enter foreign countries. In addition, our foreign partners have 
frozen overseas bank accounts, curbing the ability of TCOs to 
access the proceeds of their illicit activities.
    Operation Sentinel has identified multiple businesses for 
suspension or debarment, precluding those associated with TCOs 
and their affiliates from participating in Federal programs.
    To support Operation Sentinel, CBP recently announced the 
partnership with the National Insurance Crime Bureau to prevent 
companies linked to migrant smuggling from securing insurance 
for their commercial enterprises. NICB's network of 1,200 
companies includes more than 80 percent of the Nation's 
property-casualty insurance companies. Their partnership, 
combined with CBP's suspension and debarment program protects 
the public interest, the public's money, and the integrity of 
Federal programs by ensuring that Federal agencies only conduct 
business with those engaged in lawful enterprise.
    Starting in June, CBP personnel deployed to Guatemala to 
provide advisory and capacity-building expertise to the 
government of Guatemala to improve border security efforts, 
target human smuggling groups, and enhance trade and customs 
modernization. The initiative coordinated closely with the 
State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law 
Enforcement seeks to manage migration and the growing number of 
non-citizen unaccompanied children transiting through and from 
Guatemala.
    In addition, CBP's National Targeting Center known as the 
NTC in Sterling, Virginia uses Classified law enforcement 
commercial and open-source information in innovative ways to 
identify high-risk travelers and shipments at the earliest 
point possible to mitigate threats at and beyond the border. 
The NTC collaborates closely with Federal, State, and local 
partners including HSI's Human Smuggling Unit to dismantle 
special interest migrant facilitation networks prioritized for 
action through ICE, HSI's Extraterritorial Criminal Travel 
program. Finally, the NTC actively participates in the 
transnational organize crime watch-listing program, accounting 
for a large percentage of all U.S. Government nominations to 
the program.
    Thank you for the opportunity to appear today, and I look 
forward to answering your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Russo follows:]
                 Prepared Statement of Francis J. Russo
                             July 28, 2021
    Chairman Correa, Ranking Member Meijer, and Members of the 
subcommittee, it is my honor to appear before you today to discuss the 
threats posed to the United States by transnational criminal 
organizations (TCOs) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) 
efforts to disrupt and dismantle them.
               the threat of tco s and migrant smuggling
    The United States faces persistent threats from innovative and 
constantly-evolving transnational criminal networks whose collaborative 
efforts seek to gain illicit financial benefits by causing harm, 
inflicting damage, corrupting officials, undermining security efforts, 
and degrading the State. These international networks, one subset of 
which are known as TCOs, adjust organizationally and shift alliances to 
acquire new specialized talent, sources, and access privileges to 
improve long-term earnings, efficiencies, and operations. Successful 
TCOs exploit existing logistical chains and financial flows and 
diversify their portfolios to move multiple illicit items such as 
drugs, money, counterfeit goods, individuals, and weapons. TCOs conduct 
their operations without regard for human life and have proven to be 
highly capable, profitable, powerful, dangerous, elusive, and extremely 
resilient. In short, TCOs pose a significant threat to both National 
security and to public safety.
    Human smugglers--many with ties to TCOs--engage in the crime of 
unlawfully bringing people into the United States, or unlawfully 
transporting and harboring people already in the United States, in 
deliberate evasion of immigration law. It is estimated that TCOs profit 
anywhere between $200 million and $2.3 billion alone for smuggling 
migrants from the Northern Triangle to the Southwest Border.\1\ 
Desperate migrants often pay human smuggling groups thousands of 
dollars to aid them on their journey. These smugglers and TCOs profit 
by exploiting people who are seeking a better life. Violence, natural 
disasters, food insecurity, and poverty have long existed in Mexico and 
the Northern Triangle countries of Central America, all of which have 
become more severe during the COVID-19 pandemic. TCOs exploit these 
trends and deceive desperate people about our country's laws, while 
also abusing and exploiting them on their journey north. While the 
number of CBP encounters along the Southwest Border dropped 
dramatically in fiscal year 2020 over the previous year's numbers, the 
number of encounters for fiscal year 2021 to date is higher than all of 
fiscal year 2019, which were the highest in about a decade. In June, 
CBP migrant encounters jumped to over 188,000 people. Thirty-four 
percent of encounters in June 2021 were individuals who had at least 
one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average 
1-year re-encounter rate of 14 percent for fiscal years 2014-2019. The 
number of unique new encounters in June 2021 was 123,838. The number of 
unique individuals encountered to date during the fiscal year is 
454,944 compared to 489,760 during the same time period in 2019.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ See, https://www.rand.org/news/press/2019/04/22.html.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Many who make the journey become sick, injured, or traumatized. 
Some even lose their lives. Alarmingly, transnational smuggling 
organizations often abandon migrants in remote and dangerous areas, 
leading to a dramatic rise in the number of rescues CBP performs. In 
June 2021, CBP conducted 9,500 rescues Nation-wide and has rescued 81 
percent more individuals in fiscal year 2021 than all of fiscal year 
2020. Despite these successful rescues, many other migrants fail to get 
the help they need in time. CBP has confirmed over 300 migrant deaths 
so far in fiscal year 2021, compared to 250 in all of fiscal year 2020. 
Around a third of these are heat-related deaths in the dangerous 
terrain of the desert, mountains, or brush. Around 18 percent are 
water-related, often in the rivers and canals that make up our border 
with Mexico.
    Human smuggling poses a substantial threat to the homeland by 
creating conduits that allow contraband and persons seeking to harm the 
United States to clandestinely enter the country. Smugglers control 
where and how these illegal migrant border crossings take place, 
putting human lives at risk to create gaps in border security. While 
agents are diverted to process large groups or to conduct migrant 
rescues, TCOs are using these diversions to move illicit narcotics or 
other contraband elsewhere across the border. These same TCOs, through 
diversified criminal activities, are responsible for the movement of 
illicit drugs entering the United States. Of note, CBP continues to see 
a surge in fentanyl seizures, with fiscal year 2021 seizures through 
June 2021 78 percent greater than all of fiscal year 2020. The TCOs 
often use many of the same resources and logistical nodes to move 
proceeds from their illicit activities from the United States to 
Mexico. TCOs continually adjust their operations to avoid detection and 
interdiction by law enforcement, and--like legitimate businesses--are 
quick to take advantage of improved technology, cheaper transportation, 
and better distribution methods.
                             cbp's response
    To confront TCOs and other threat networks, CBP has embraced a 
counter-network approach. This effort leverages CBP's unique 
authorities, data holdings, Intelligence Enterprise, and partnerships 
to illuminate, disrupt, degrade, and dismantle networks that pose a 
threat to the homeland and its interests. CBP's international 
collaboration and integration with the interagency counter-network 
community optimizes the collective global effort, which identifies 
options for intelligence-driven, risk-mitigating responses.
    Our success at identifying, degrading, and disrupting transnational 
networks depends on our ability to execute CBP's counter-network 
approach on two fronts--partnerships and sound analytical methodology. 
On the former, CBP front-line agents, officers, trade, and intelligence 
professionals must work hand-in-hand with the whole of Government, as 
well as international partners. On the latter, CBP must have the 
systems and processes in place to efficiently detect, collect, and 
analyze threat network data, and the ability to rapidly respond with 
intelligence-driven operations. Developing these relationships and 
capabilities, together with taking these actions will enable CBP to 
proactively identify and stop threats before they arrive at U.S. 
borders.
Partnerships
    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and CBP are 
partnering with the U.S. Attorney General in a new initiative--Joint 
Task Force Alpha--that is combining the investigative, prosecutorial, 
and capacity-building efforts of both DHS and the Department of Justice 
(DOJ). Joint Task Force Alpha was recently formed to investigate and 
prosecute the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and 
trafficking groups operating in Mexico and the Northern Triangle 
countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.\2\ The task force 
consists of Federal prosecutors along the Southwest Border along with 
law enforcement agents and analysts from DHS's Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement (ICE) and CBP. The FBI and the U.S. Drug Enforcement 
Administration (DEA) are also task force members, which is seeking to 
enhance the DOJ's on-going efforts to fight corruption in Northern 
Triangle countries. The Justice Department is increasing its focus on 
investigations, prosecutions, and asset recoveries relating to 
corruption in the Northern Triangle through its Foreign Corrupt 
Practices Act enforcement program, counter-narcotics prosecutions, and 
Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. In addition, adopting a task 
force approach, the Department of Justice's Office of Prosecutorial 
Development (OPDAT) and International Criminal Investigative Training 
Assistance Program personnel--including new Northern Triangle anti-
corruption legal advisors--are working with Northern Triangle 
prosecutors and investigators to build corruption cases in those 
countries themselves, as well as to develop leads that can be pursued 
by the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
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    \2\ See, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-announces-
initiatives-combat-human-smuggling-and-trafficking-and-fight.
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    Task Force Alpha is working closely with Operation Sentinel, a 
recently-announced DHS operation focused on countering TCOs affiliated 
with migrant smuggling. CBP has taken the lead on Operation Sentinel, 
which is a collaborative effort with ICE's Homeland Security 
Investigations (HSI), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the 
U.S. Department of State, the FBI, and DEA.
    Partners in Operation Sentinel are targeting all personnel and 
identifiable resources that TCOs require to operate. One of the main 
lines of effort for Operation Sentinel is to target and disrupt those 
individuals responsible for sending structured payments for human 
smuggling, which may include proceeds from illicit drugs. Utilizing the 
full breadth of domestic and foreign authorities, data, analytic 
capability and capacity, Operation Sentinel is mapping the 
organizations' networks; targeting their members, associates, and 
assets; and employing a series of targeted actions and sanctions 
against them. Examples of these actions include:
   Revocation of travel documents
   Suspension and debarment
   Freezing of bank accounts and other financial assets tied to 
        TCO logistical networks.
    To date, Operation Sentinel partners in the State Department have 
revoked more than 150 visas associated with TCO members and their 
associates, preventing these individuals from traveling to the United 
States and from using their U.S. visas as entry documents in foreign 
countries. Operation Sentinel has also identified multiple entities for 
U.S. Government-wide suspension and/or debarment, which would preclude 
TCO members, their affiliates, and their associated businesses from 
Federal programs. The operation has also worked with foreign partners 
to freeze overseas accounts, curbing TCOs' ability to send and receive 
the financial proceeds of their illicit activities.
    To complement Operation Sentinel, CBP also recently announced a 
partnership with the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) to prevent 
companies associated with smuggling migrants into the United States 
from securing insurance for their commercial enterprises. The NICB is 
the insurance industry's premier association dedicated to predicting, 
preventing, and prosecuting insurance crime. Their extensive network of 
more than 1,200 member companies includes more than 80 percent of the 
Nation's property-casualty insurance companies. Following CBP's 
determination to suspend or debar a particular company or individual, 
NICB will inform their members of the suspended or debarred entity. The 
Government-wide suspension and debarment system exists to protect the 
public interest, the public's money, and the integrity of Federal 
programs by ensuring that Federal agencies only conduct business with 
presently responsible persons.
    In addition to Task Force Alpha and Operational Sentinel, DHS also 
commissioned a comprehensive plan led by both CBP and ICE-HSI to 
disrupt the illicit flow of firearms, firearms components, and 
ammunition from the United States into Mexico. The culmination, known 
as Operation Without a Trace, provides a joint platform for CBP and 
ICE-HSI personnel to target, and investigate the financing, 
transportation, and communications methods employed by firearms 
procurement and smuggling networks to disrupt and dismantle their 
illegal gun trafficking operations. This is done in collaboration with 
the Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and 
Explosives. Under Without a Trace, ICE and CBP launched a public 
information campaign, including public service announcements in land 
and air ports of entry, to publicize the scope and results of Operation 
Without a Trace and to increase public awareness about how to provide 
confidential tips regarding cross-border weapons trafficking 
activities. Since the initiative's inception in fiscal year 2020, 
Operation Without a Trace has achieved significant success preventing 
Mexico-bound gun trafficking, resulting in the initiation of 353 
investigations, the execution of 227 arrests, the service of 62 search 
warrants, and the seizure of 542 firearms, nearly 500,000 rounds of 
ammunition, and $16.5 million in illicit currency.
    In partnership with the Department of State Bureau of International 
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, CBP is supporting the United 
States' initiative to address the root causes of irregular migration 
from Central America. In coordination with the Vice President of the 
United States' visit to Guatemala, CBP personnel deployed to Guatemala 
in early June to provide advisory and capacity-building expertise to 
the government of Guatemala to improve border security efforts, target 
human smuggling groups, and enhance trade and customs modernization. 
The initiative, known as the Guatemala Advisory Assistance Root Causes 
Deployment, is in response to the National Security Council request for 
a 90-day plan to manage migration and the growing number of noncitizen 
unaccompanied children transiting through and sourcing out of 
Guatemala.
    CBP also continues to collaborate with the government of Mexico on 
border security matters, irregular migration flows, and efforts to 
enhance bilateral information sharing, targeting, and mentoring. On 
June 29, CBP hosted an engagement between Acting Commissioner Miller 
and a delegation from the Mexican Embassy led by Ambassador Esteban 
Moctezuma Barragan to discuss dynamic information and knowledge sharing 
to identify, disrupt, and manage cross-border risks. CBP continues to 
engage government of Mexico counterparts to share information and 
jointly target human smuggling networks and transnational criminal 
organizations.
Sound Analytical Methodology
    Sound analytical methodology centers on providing timely and 
actionable intelligence to our front-line officer and agents, decision 
makers, and partners. To strengthen our intelligence posture in 
responding to this complex threat environment, CBP's Intelligence 
Enterprise (IE) was established in 2017 as a cohesive, threat-based, 
data-driven, and operationally-focused effort to leverage the 
collective intelligence capabilities and expertise across CBP's 
operational components, including Air and Marine Operations (AMO), 
Office of Field Operations, Office of Trade, and USBP.
    To enhance its intelligence capacity, the CBP IE established 
investment priorities that support a whole-of-agency approach to 
countering various border threats, such as the use of a common 
reporting platform to timely share and disseminate threat information 
to disparate offices. CBP's IE was also responsible for launching the 
CBP Watch, a situational awareness facility that provides trend 
analysis and real-time feedback to better support the Agency's 
operational front line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
    CBP's National Targeting Center (NTC) is another critical component 
of our comprehensive, analytical border security and management 
strategy. The NTC emphasizes partnerships, both cultivating new ones 
and maintaining existing relationships. It provides real-time 
actionable information to strategic foreign and domestic partners 
through such programs as the Container Security Initiative, Immigration 
Advisory Program/Joint Security Program, International Targeting 
Center, and liaison locations abroad. CBP's NTC hosts liaisons in 
Sterling, Virginia from key agencies and international partners to 
actively share critical information. Over two dozen domestic and 
foreign partners are represented at the NTC.
    These programs and partnerships effectively enhance global domain 
awareness and targeting capabilities while enabling the interdiction of 
travel and cargo threats at their origin. The NTC coordinates 
mitigation efforts across agencies and foreign partners to interdict 
high-risk shipments and uses risk-based strategies to identify TCOs and 
drug trafficking organizations. The NTC uses tools such as the 
Automated Targeting System and subject-matter expertise to analyze, 
assess, and segment risk at every state of the trade and travel life 
cycles. It uses Classified law enforcement, commercial, and open-source 
information in innovative ways to identify high-risk travelers and 
shipments at the earliest point possible and coordinates with CBP staff 
as well as interagency and foreign partners to take appropriate action.
    Currently, the NTC is supporting over 20 transnational organized 
crime-related investigations encompassing all organizational elements 
(e.g., command/control/finance/logistics). The NTC is also 
collaborating on over 50 trade-based money-laundering cases and 
supporting OFAC designations under the Foreign Kingpin Act. The NTC 
closely collaborates with HSI's Human Smuggling Unit in the 
identification, analysis, disruption, and dismantling of special 
interest migrant facilitation networks prioritized for interagency 
action through HSI's Extraterritorial Criminal Travel program. Finally, 
the NTC actively participates in the transnational organized crime 
watch-listing program.
    CBP is also working to increase detection of threats from 
transnational organized crime before they arrive at the U.S. borders by 
closing gaps in domain awareness in the air, land, and maritime 
environments. AMO's Air and Marine Operations Center (AMOC) manages the 
air and maritime domain awareness of the Department, and is critical in 
detecting, identifying, and coordinating a response to threats to 
National security. The use of tools such as the Air and Marine 
Operations Surveillance System integrates various radar feeds into a 
consolidated system that provides both air and marine track data, thus 
providing air and maritime situational awareness that can inform 
operations and is shared with strategic partners.
    In fiscal year 2020, AMOC successfully evaluated detections of over 
300,000 air targets. These capabilities will continue to increase the 
information and data collection that helps feed the CBP intelligence 
cycle for analysis and building a comprehensive understanding of the 
logistical supply chains TCOs use to further illicit activity. From 
these activities CBP is actively engaged in addressing the key maritime 
and air threat areas of San Diego, Puerto Rico/Caribbean, the Pacific 
Northwest, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico with these varying 
technologies. In particular, maritime smuggling on the Southern 
California coastline has been on the rise. Between fiscal year 2019 and 
fiscal year 2020, San Diego Sector experienced a 92 percent increase of 
apprehensions in the maritime domain. San Diego Sector has made over 
900 arrests to date this fiscal year, putting CBP on track for an 
additional 40 percent increase by the end of the fiscal year. Finally, 
in January 2021, AMO, in coordination with Joint Interagency Task 
Force--South (JIATF-S) and Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, conducted an 
integrated air and sea operation in Panama for 84 days utilizing 
Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) technology to detect, identify, and 
facilitate the interdiction of maritime surface vessels attempting to 
use the Eastern Pacific and Panamanian Territorial Waters to smuggle 
people and contraband. This operation resulted in 539 mission hours, 
and 9,995 pounds of cocaine and 10,210 pounds of marijuana seized or 
disrupted.
                               conclusion
    TCOs pose a significant threat to U.S. National security, and acute 
dangers to migrants as TCOs not only seek to profit from their 
exploitation but also have little regard for their well-being, exposing 
them to violent encounters, injury, and death. TCOs are directly 
involved in sexual assaults, human trafficking, and abandonment of 
vulnerable migrants--including minor children.
    CBP continues to work closely with its National and international 
partners on multiple levels to identify and disrupt the illicit 
activities and lucrative profits of TCOs. This layered approach reduces 
our dependence on any one point of contact or program to stop the flow 
of narcotics, people, and other contraband, and extends our zone of 
security outward, ensuring our physical border is neither the first nor 
the last line of defense. Through a series of administrative and 
enforcement actions, CBP has improved its sources and information-
collection methodology related to foreign operations. We will continue 
to use this information to strengthen our ability to identify and 
interdict not only narcotics, but also other illicit and unsafe 
products and people that would harm Americans.
    As the Nation's largest law enforcement agency, CBP must always 
operate within legal boundaries to guard U.S. borders against those who 
operate outside of the law. CBP must lead the Nation in developing a 
well-informed, agile, and seamless global network that will inform and 
inspire integration, cooperation, and comprehensive actions. This 
network must be able to persistently evolve its capabilities to serve 
common interests in combating terrorism and violent extremism and 
defining, prioritizing, and disrupting TCOs.
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I look forward to 
your questions.

    Chairman Correa. Thank you, Mr. Russo. I now call on Mr. 
Condon to summarize his comments in 5 minutes. Welcome, sir.

    STATEMENT OF JOHN A. CONDON, ACTING ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, 
  INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS, HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS, 
    U.S. IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF 
                       HOMELAND SECURITY

    Mr. Condon. Thank you, sir. Chairman Correa, Ranking Member 
Meijer, and distinguished Members of the subcommittee, thank 
you for the opportunity to appear before you. Today, I will 
focus on the role U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
Homeland Security Investigations plays in identifying, 
disrupting, and dismantling transnational criminal 
organizations associated with the Northern Triangle countries 
of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
    As the principal investigative component of the Department 
of Homeland Security, HSI conducts criminal investigations into 
the illegal movement of goods, money, technology, people, and 
contraband into and out of and throughout the United States. 
HSI has more than 10,000 employees in over 200 cities Nation-
wide and 81 locations around the world.
    In the Northern Triangle, HSI has attache offices in 
Guatemala City, Guatemala, San Salvador, El Salvador, and 
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Each of the Northern Triangle attache 
offices also has a Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit, 
or TCIU, made up of foreign law enforcement, customs and 
immigration officials, and prosecutors who undergo a strict 
vetting process and complete robust training. HSI works with 
TCIU personnel to provide intelligence and resources to allow 
our partners to take enforcement actions under their country's 
authorities.
    The close relationship built by HSI's TCIU program have led 
to unique opportunities to share information with Northern 
Triangle law enforcement counterparts. Operation Gatehouse is 
an initiative that deploys TCIU officers from the Northern 
Triangle countries to the United States and to assist HSI 
offices and Federal, State, and local partners with 
investigating MS-13 members. Pushing our borders out to address 
threats before they reach the United States is a priority for 
HSI.
    Through our Operation Citadel, HSI identifies, disrupts, 
and dismantles TCOs and terrorist support networks by targeting 
mechanisms used to move migrants, illicit funds, and contraband 
throughout the region. Citadel provides training and capacity-
building including using cross border operations to enhance 
foreign partners' investigative and information-sharing 
capabilities. Through the Biometric Identification 
Transnational Migration Alert program, also known as BITMAP, 
HSI trains and equips foreign law enforcement officers to 
collect biometric and biographic data on suspects of interest. 
Foreign law enforcement partners share their BITMAP information 
with HSI and this data is used to populate U.S. databases to 
identify transnational criminals, known or suspected 
terrorists, and gang members and prevent their travel to the 
United States.
    HSI's National Air Trafficking Initiative, or NATI, 
addresses the transportation of narcotics from source countries 
to the United States by air, which is the preferred method of 
smuggling by many Colombian and Mexican drug cartels. HSI 
disrupts these smugglings routes by shutting down the 
transshipment of cocaine through Guatemala and Belize. NATI has 
resulted in historic interdictions, arrests, and seizures 
striking a serious blow to TCOs exploiting our Nation's 
borders.
    To complement its international focus, HSI's efforts 
continue at our domestic field offices where HSI special agents 
respond to and investigate criminal schemes that are 
encountered or identified in the United States. HSI special 
agents combat narcotics smuggling by launching complex criminal 
investigations to take down sophisticated networks that 
produce, transport, broker, finance, and sell and distribute 
drugs. HSI further disrupts TCO operations by identifying and 
seizing the significant currency and assets attained through 
their criminal activities.
    TCOs also require a steady supply of firearms and 
ammunition. HSI special agents investigate criminal 
organizations responsible for financing, procurement, 
brokering, transportation, and dissemination of firearms in 
support of these TCOs. These efforts take weapons off our 
streets and prevent the smuggling of U.S. arms. HSI and its 
partners have dismantled pipelines used to smuggle undocumented 
noncitizens through Central and South America, seized millions 
of dollars from entities actively violating U.S. immigration 
and money-laundering statues, and dismantled networks of 
transportation and harboring cells that endanger undocumented 
noncitizens by exposure, abandonment, or unsafe transportation 
methods.
    Joint Task Force Alpha, JTFA, initiated by DOJ and launched 
with DHS, is a multi-agency operation to dismantle TCOs engaged 
in human smuggling in Mexico and/or through the Northern 
Triangle to the United States via the Southwest Border. HSI is 
a partner in JTFA and has identified dozens of smuggling 
organizations that have been designated as significant priority 
cases for this initiative.
    Thank you, again, for the opportunity to appear before you 
today and for your continued support of HSI and the critical 
investigative role it plays in investigating the TCOs that 
facilitate and profit from our cross-border crimes. Thank you.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Condon follows:]
                  Prepared Statement of John A. Condon
                        Wednesday, July 28, 2021
                              introduction
    Chairman Correa, Ranking Member Meijer, and distinguished Members 
of the Subcommittee on Oversight, Management, and Accountability: Thank 
you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the 
efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland 
Security Investigations (HSI) to secure the homeland from transnational 
crime and threats. My statement will focus on the important role HSI 
plays internationally and domestically in identifying, disrupting, and 
dismantling transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) emanating from 
and associated with the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El 
Salvador, and Honduras.
                            the hsi mission
    As the principal investigative component of the Department of 
Homeland Security (DHS), HSI is a premier global law enforcement 
organization responsible for conducting Federal criminal investigations 
into the illegal cross-border movement of goods, money, technology, 
people, and other contraband into, out of, and throughout the United 
States. HSI's workforce consists of more than 10,000 employees, 
including special agents, criminal analysts, and mission support 
personnel assigned to over 220 cities across the United States and over 
81 locations around the world.
    In collaboration with its strategic partners in the United States 
and abroad, HSI special agents gather evidence used to identify and 
build criminal cases against TCOs, terrorist networks and facilitators, 
and other criminal elements that threaten the homeland. HSI works with 
prosecutors to indict and arrest violators, execute criminal search 
warrants, seize criminally-derived money and assets, and take other 
actions designed to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations 
operating around the world. These efforts protect the National security 
and public safety of the United States.
                        the nature of the threat
    TCOs represent a significant threat to our Nation and our 
communities. During the last two decades, TCOs have expanded 
dramatically in size, scope, and impact, which poses a significant 
threat to National security. HSI is deep focused on the threat of TCOs 
and targets TCOs at every critical location in the cycle: 
Internationally, in cooperation with foreign counterparts, where 
transnational criminal and terrorist organizations operate; at our 
Nation's physical border and ports of entry, in coordination with U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), where the smugglers attempt to 
exploit America's legitimate trade, travel, and transportation systems; 
and in cities throughout the United States, where criminal 
organizations earn substantial profits off of their illicit activities.
    Mexico is a major source of production, as well as a transit 
country, for illicit drugs destined for the United States, including 
marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and, more recently, 
fentanyl. Mexico is not only a source of fentanyl production; it is 
also a transit country for fentanyl and precursor chemicals originating 
from Asia. In the last two decades, Mexico has also become the largest 
transit country for South American-sourced cocaine destined for the 
United States. The Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras, and 
Guatemala) countries serve as transit points for these drugs. Often, 
aircraft are used to transport narcotics from Venezuela and Colombia, 
destined to Honduras and Guatemala, for subsequent land transportation 
through Mexico and into the United States.
    Transnational gangs from this region represent another threat to 
our Nation's safety and security. La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as 
``MS-13,'' is a gang operating throughout the United States and 
Northern Triangle countries. Members and associates of MS-13 are 
expected to protect the name, reputation, and status of the gang from 
rival gang members and other persons. MS-13 members require that all 
individuals show respect and deference to the gang and its membership. 
To accomplish this, MS-13 members and associates are expected to use 
any means necessary to force respect from those who show disrespect, 
including acts of intimidation and violence. HSI-led investigations 
have linked MS-13 gang members to a variety of organized criminal 
activity, including drug trafficking, extortion, and homicide.
    Another significant concern for our country, human smuggling, 
involves the provision of a service--typically transportation, 
navigation, or fraudulent documents--to facilitate an individual's 
unauthorized entry into the United States. Harsh terrains and travel 
conditions, combined with the potential detection by law enforcement 
and the threat of violence posed by cartels controlling territory along 
smuggling routes across Central America and Mexico, make it difficult 
for migrants to travel from their home countries and reach our borders 
without the assistance of human smugglers. Criminal organizations play 
a major role in facilitating the smuggling of these noncitizens from 
their home countries and across our borders. U.S.-bound human smuggling 
and related criminal activities are estimated by the Homeland Security 
Operational Analysis Center to produce revenues of between $2 billion 
to $6 billion per year.
    While human smuggling may constitute the initial crime facilitating 
the illicit movement of people to our borders, the criminality does not 
stop there. In some cases, migrants become victims of human 
trafficking--a crime of exploitation that does not require movement--
when criminal networks introduce force, fraud, or coercion into 
smuggling schemes to induce victims into forced labor or commercial sex 
acts.
    HSI's investigations have also demonstrated that perpetrators of 
human smuggling and trafficking often concurrently or subsequently 
commit other transnational crimes such as gang activity, identity, and 
benefit fraud, money laundering, bulk cash smuggling, narcotics 
smuggling, arms trafficking, and terrorism and other National security-
related crime.
                         hsi response to tco s
    The multi-faceted, complex, transnational nature of the crimes 
surrounding TCOs requires an equally robust and layered investigative 
response, which HSI implements on multiple fronts. This starts abroad, 
where HSI has the largest international investigative presence within 
DHS, comprised of 81 offices in 53 countries with 41 visa security 
screening posts. This wide-spread presence continues domestically, 
where HSI special agents and criminal analysts respond to and pursue 
investigations into transnational organized crime. Both at home and 
abroad, HSI special agents utilize a broad and unique range of legal 
authorities; leverage strategic relationships; and provide resources, 
technology, and training in support of a whole-of-Government approach 
to combating the TCO threat.
International Operations
    HSI's international presence is a key facet of its approach to 
countering transnational organized crime. HSI special agents abroad 
develop and foster relationships with host government law enforcement 
partners to exchange information, coordinate and support 
investigations, and facilitate enforcement actions and prosecutions to 
deter the ability of TCOs to smuggle drugs, people, and other 
contraband into and out of the United States. HSI and its foreign 
counterparts identify and target sources of supply and identify and 
disrupt transportation and smuggling routes. These efforts enable HSI 
and its partners to prevent dangerous narcotics and other illicit goods 
from reaching our borders, or to stop illicit southbound flows of 
illegally-derived currency or weapons.
    HSI maintains three attache offices in the Northern Triangle 
countries--HSI Guatemala City, HSI San Salvador and HSI Tegucigalpa--
and is expanding the HSI footprint in these locations.
    Each of the Northern Triangle Attache offices has a Transnational 
Criminal Investigative Unit (TCIU), funded by HSI, which plays a 
critical role in its law enforcement efforts within the region. In 
2011, HSI established the TCIU program to increase its reach in the 
fight against TCOs. HSI TCIUs comprise foreign law enforcement 
officials, customs officers, immigration officers, and prosecutors who 
undergo a strict vetting process and complete robust training. HSI 
TCIUs facilitate information exchange and rapid bilateral 
investigations involving violations that HSI has the authority to 
investigate, including narcotics smuggling; human smuggling and 
trafficking; weapons trafficking; money laundering and bulk cash 
smuggling; and other transnational criminal activity. More than 430 
vetted and trained foreign law enforcement officers comprise the 13 
TCIUs throughout the world. HSI special agents are uniquely positioned 
to partner with TCIU personnel to provide critical intelligence and 
resources to allow our partners to take appropriate enforcement action 
under the authority of the host country.
    The Northern Triangle TCIUs have achieved significant law 
enforcement success in concert with HSI. In fiscal year 2020, pursuant 
to investigations and operations targeting transnational criminal 
activity, the HSI Guatemala City TCIU, the largest in the Northern 
Triangle, made 599 arrests, and seized $1,036,206 USD, 31,164.78 pounds 
of cocaine, 11 aircraft, 17 firearms, and 10 vehicles. In fiscal year 
2020, the HSI San Salvador TCIU made 94 arrests and seized $52,499 USD, 
121 pounds of cocaine, 9 firearms, and 5 vehicles. In fiscal year 2020, 
the HSI Tegucigalpa TCIU made 99 arrests, and seized 1,078 pounds of 
cocaine, an aircraft, and 2 firearms.
    The close relationships built by HSI's TCIU program have led to 
unique opportunities to share information with law enforcement 
counterparts in the Northern Triangle in support of international 
efforts to combat TCOs in the region. In March 2021, HSI reinitiated 
the Operation CENTAM/Northern Triangle Initiative, deploying special 
agents to HSI attache offices within the Northern Triangle to assist 
with targeting MS-13 gang members and other Northern Triangle-based 
TCOs operating in or connected to the United States. The initiative 
also focuses on developing and furthering Organized Crime Drug 
Enforcement Task Force investigations across the United States and in 
the Northern Triangle countries. The agents coordinate with HSI Attache 
office personnel, TCIU members, local law enforcement, and other 
Federal agencies to augment, assist, and provide expertise to advance 
investigations into TCOs.
    In May 2018, HSI initiated Operation Gatehouse, an initiative that 
deploys TCIU officers from Northern Triangle countries to the United 
States to assist HSI domestic field offices with targeting and 
investigating MS-13 gang members within the United States. As part of 
their assigned duties, TCIU officers assist HSI with criminal gang 
investigations and work closely with Federal, State, and local partners 
to identify, disrupt, and dismantle transnational criminal gangs and 
organizations. Most recently, in May 2021, HSI deployed TCIU personnel 
from El Salvador and Honduras to HSI domestic field offices in 
furtherance of Gatehouse.
    Recognizing the regional nature of TCOs within South and Central 
America, HSI launched Operation Citadel to identify, disrupt, and 
dismantle TCOs and terrorist support networks by targeting the 
mechanisms used to move migrants, illicit funds, and contraband 
throughout the region. Citadel provides resources to enhance foreign 
partners' investigative, intelligence, and information-sharing 
capabilities to counter transnational threats and organized crime. In 
turn, this assistance provides HSI the ability to expand domestic and 
international investigations well beyond U.S. borders and to more 
effectively target the illicit pathways exploited by TCOs. Citadel 
facilitates training and capacity-building through cross-border 
operations with partner nation TCIUs, undercover operations, judicially 
approved wire intercepts, and document and media exploitation at ports 
of entry and along smuggling routes.
    Investigative activities also include sensitive site exploitation/
evidence collection and biometric collection of extraterritorial 
criminal travel (ECT) subjects of special interest. HSI's ECT program 
is a partnership between HSI and the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) 
Criminal Division, Human Rights, and Special Prosecutions Section. The 
program uses expert dedicated investigative, prosecutorial, and 
intelligence resources to target and aggressively pursue, disrupt, and 
dismantle foreign-based transnational human smuggling networks. ECT 
supports the highest-priority human smuggling investigations posing the 
greatest National security and public safety threats. These include 
investigations concerning special interest non-citizens and 
investigations that pose a significant humanitarian concern, to include 
maritime smuggling events, extortion, kidnapping, and corruption, among 
others.
    Pushing our borders out to effectively identify and mitigate 
threats before they reach the United States remains a priority for DHS, 
HSI, and our counterparts. A key tool in this fight is the Biometric 
Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP). Pursuant 
to BITMAP, HSI trains and equips TCIUs and other cooperating foreign 
law enforcement officers to collect and share biometric and biographic 
data on suspects of particular interest, such as third-country 
nationals who are encountered by foreign law enforcement agencies at or 
along irregular border-crossing check points, illicit pathways, 
airports, seaports, jails, detention centers, and specialized mobile 
units. Foreign law enforcement partners share their collected BITMAP 
information with HSI, and this biometric data is used to populate U.S. 
databases and subsequently identify transnational criminals; known or 
suspected terrorists; gang members; and other persons of interest and 
prevent their travel to the United States. BITMAP information is also 
used to provide host-nation law enforcement partners with actionable 
intelligence related to terrorist, criminal, and National security 
threats.
    The National Air Trafficking Initiative (NATI) is an HSI-led 
initiative to address the transportation of narcotics from source 
countries to the United States by air, which is the preferred method of 
smuggling by many Colombian and Mexican drug cartels. HSI has partnered 
with CBP Air and Marine Operations, and other Federal agencies to HSI's 
efforts to disrupt these smuggling routes by shutting down the 
transshipment of cocaine through Guatemala and Belize. These efforts 
have resulted in a decrease of air deliveries of narcotics. This 
investigation has resulted in historic interdictions, arrests, and 
seizures that have assisted several domestic HSI offices with their 
transnational narcotics smuggling investigations. To date, NATI has 
resulted in 63 arrests and the seizure of 59 aircraft valued at over 
$23 million, $15 million in U.S. currency, over 33,000 kilograms of 
cocaine, and 27 firearms, striking a serious blow to TCOs exploiting 
our Nation's borders and furthering the efforts to disrupt and 
dismantle TCOs.
Domestic Operations
    To complement its international focus, HSI's efforts continue at 
the border and within our domestic field offices, where HSI special 
agents respond to and investigate criminal schemes that are encountered 
or identified in the United States. Along the border, many 
investigations begin as reactive cases in response to seizures of 
drugs, money, guns, or other contraband, or to interdictions or 
apprehensions of undocumented noncitizens. Leads are also developed 
through a variety of other methods, including referrals from Federal, 
State, and local law enforcement partners; confidential informants and 
sources of information; tip line or social media reporting; community 
relations and public affairs outreach; criminal analysis/targeting; and 
information gleaned from existing operations.
    Upon receiving information into a potential crime, HSI uses the 
full breadth of its authorities and expertise to pursue the 
investigation and attack all aspects of the organizations responsible. 
HSI special agents work diligently to expand their cases to complex, 
multi-jurisdictional investigations targeting key individuals, 
communications, logistics networks, and vulnerabilities within a TCO's 
command structure. To do this, HSI special agents use sophisticated 
investigative tools and techniques to collect evidence and conduct 
operations designed to disrupt and dismantle TCO operations and 
mitigate the threat they pose to the homeland. These actions occur at 
home and abroad, involve key U.S. and foreign law enforcement 
partnerships, and require significant, long-term manpower and resource 
commitments.
    While HSI conducts these activities in furtherance of the full 
spectrum of crimes that HSI investigates, the crimes that TCOs in the 
Northern Triangle most often pursue are the smuggling of narcotics and 
undocumented noncitizens into the United States; the smuggling of 
weapons and currency out of the United States; and the illegal 
operations of transnational gangs.
    To combat narcotics smuggling, HSI special agents launch complex 
criminal investigations designed to expose and take down sophisticated 
networks that produce, transport, broker, finance, sell, and distribute 
illegal drugs. These efforts have resulted in some of the most 
significant arrests of traffickers and seizures of illicit drugs across 
the globe. HSI also continues to expand its Border Enforcement Security 
Task Force (BEST) footprint across the United States and uses this 
model to ensure a comprehensive interagency response to the continuous 
border security, public safety, and National security threat posed by 
drug trafficking organizations. HSI-led BEST teams--comprising officers 
from HSI's Federal, State, and local partners--eliminate barriers and 
leverage the authorities and resources of HSI's partners in the fight 
to identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle TCOs at every level of 
operation.
    To mitigate the human smuggling threat, HSI focuses its 
investigative efforts on smuggling networks that pose a National 
security and public safety risk, jeopardize lives, or engage in 
violence, abuse, hostage-taking, or extortion. In coordination with 
domestic and international partners, HSI targets and investigates all 
links in the human-smuggling chain, including overseas recruiters and 
organizers, fraudulent document vendors and facilitators, corrupt 
officials, financial facilitators, and transportation and employment 
infrastructures that facilitate and benefit from human smuggling. As a 
result, HSI and its partners have disrupted the efforts of several 
organizations attempting to smuggle humans into the United States from 
special interest countries, identified and dismantled pipelines used to 
smuggle undocumented noncitizens through Central and South America, 
seized millions of dollars from entities actively violating U.S. 
immigration and money-laundering statutes, and dismantled networks of 
transportation and harboring cells that endanger undocumented 
noncitizens by exposure, abandonment, or unsafe transportation methods.
    TCOs, including narcotics and human smuggling organizations, 
generate significant proceeds from their crimes, often in cash. To keep 
their proceeds and associated activities away from the scrutiny of 
financial regulators and law enforcement agencies, criminal actors 
avoid traditional financial institutions by repatriating their illicit 
proceeds across our borders through conveyances such as commercial and 
private aircraft, passenger and commercial vehicles, maritime vessels, 
and pedestrian crossings at our land borders. HSI diligently pursues 
these violations in an effort to disrupt TCO operations by identifying 
and seizing currency and assets attained through their criminal 
activities.
    TCOs also require a steady supply of firearms and ammunition to 
assert control over the territory where they operate, eliminate rival 
criminal organizations, and resist Government operations. In response, 
HSI focuses its weapons smuggling investigations on disrupting the 
illicit flow of firearms, firearms components, and ammunition from the 
United States to other countries. HSI special agents investigate 
individuals and criminal organizations that are responsible for the 
financing, procurement, brokering, transportation, and dissemination of 
firearms in support of TCOs. These efforts take weapons off the streets 
of our communities and prevent the smuggling of U.S. arms to other 
countries where they can be used to commit acts of violence.
    TCOs such as MS-13 represent a significant threat to public safety 
in communities throughout the United States. Gangs commit violent 
crimes and facilitate criminal activity such as narcotics and firearms 
trafficking, sex trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, and 
corruption. To combat this threat, HSI conducts multi-jurisdictional 
and international investigations that target gang leadership, members, 
and associates in the United States and abroad. HSI works closely with 
the Department of Justice to prosecute gang members and enterprises, 
often pursuing Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) 
Act, Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering (VICAR), and criminal 
conspiracy charges to disrupt and dismantle gang operations and 
organizations.
    From narcotics smuggling to bulk cash smuggling to transnational 
gang violations, the investigations HSI conducts out of its domestic 
field offices represent an important part of the U.S. Government's 
efforts to disrupt and dismantle TCOs linked to the Northern Triangle.
                         joint task force alpha
    DHS and DOJ continue to identify strategies to counter the TCOs 
facilitating and profiting from the increased influx of migrants 
originating from Central America and Mexico and transiting to the 
United States. Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) is one facet of the U.S. 
Government's response to this problem.
    Initiated by DOJ and launched in partnership with DHS, JTFA is a 
multiagency operation designed to identify, target, investigate, and 
prosecute known TCOs engaged in human smuggling from Mexico and/or 
through the Northern Triangle countries to the United States via the 
Southwest Border. HSI is a primary partner of DOJ in this initiative. 
The aim of JTFA is to proactively investigate and prosecute those who 
are smuggling and trafficking individuals into the United States, with 
a particular focus on individuals and networks who abuse, exploit, or 
endanger those being smuggled; pose National security threats; or have 
links to transnational organized crime. In addition to investigations 
and prosecutions in the United States, JTFA seeks to work closely with 
foreign partners to ensure a coordinated, international response to 
illicit cross-border human smuggling.
    Drawing upon a wide range of resources across the Government, JTFA 
leverages and synchronizes the intelligence, interdiction, 
investigative, and prosecutorial capabilities of HSI, CBP, and other 
partners to maximize efforts to counter transnational human smuggling 
networks that operate from and through Central America and Mexico to 
the United States. By unifying efforts and capitalizing upon the 
authorities, knowledge, and specialized skillsets and capabilities of 
each partner agency, the JTFA is better positioned to more effectively 
counter, mitigate, disrupt and ultimately dismantle the most 
significant human smuggling TCOs operating along and facilitating 
movement to the Southwest Border.
    Enhancing effective prosecution of HSI human smuggling 
investigations is a key component of JTFA's mission. Through fiscal 
year 2020 and thus far in fiscal year 2021, HSI has initiated more than 
3,800 new human smuggling investigations, 69 of which have been 
designated as significant priority cases for HSI. DOJ has evaluated and 
identified a subset of these cases for inclusion in the initial JTFA 
efforts and will be the foundation of DOJ's prosecutorial focus.
    As the primary law enforcement entities involved in JTFA, HSI, and 
CBP field components review existing JTFA priority investigations and 
threats. Additionally, HSI and CBP jointly develop targeting, 
interdiction, investigative, and prosecutorial strategies for each new 
JTFA investigation. Field components lean on their respective local 
research and analytical components as much as possible to maximize 
information sharing and coordination of investigative and enforcement 
efforts.
    HSI plays a critical role in the implementation of this initiative 
alongside its U.S. and international partners. HSI coordinates 
interdictions, investigations, and enforcement actions domestically and 
internationally; conducts intelligence analysis and document and media 
exploitation; facilitates deconfliction through established interagency 
centers; and supports prosecution and training. HSI has committed to 
doing this through assigning dedicated special agents and intelligence 
analysts to the JTFA at the headquarters level, within multiple 
domestic field offices, and within attache offices in Central America 
and Mexico; by capitalizing on its strong foreign law enforcement 
partnerships; by leveraging existing international programs such as its 
TCIUs, BITMAP, and Operation Citadel; and by using its expert human and 
technological analysis capabilities. The integration of HSI's 
operations with the activities of DOJ, CBP, and other partner agencies 
participating in JTFA facilitates increased cooperation and unity-of-
effort across all levels of Government, domestically and abroad, in the 
fight to counter TCOs engaged in human smuggling, transnational gang 
activity, and other forms of cross-border crime that jeopardize the 
safety and security of the homeland.
                               conclusion
    Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you today and 
for your continued support of HSI and the critical investigative role 
it plays in investigating the TCOs that facilitate and profit from 
cross-border crimes. HSI remains committed to its mission to secure the 
homeland from transnational crime and threats and to uphold the 
National security and public safety of the United States.

    Chairman Correa. Thank you, Mr. Condon. I thank our 
witnesses for their testimony. I will remind the subcommittee 
that we each will have 5 minutes to question the panel. I will 
now recognize myself for 5 minutes of questions.
    First, a question for both of you. The nature of these 
multi-international TCOs has made it difficult to prosecute 
these networks, but really it is crucial that those who violate 
U.S. laws are brought to justice. It is even more important 
that these individuals know that we are watching and there will 
be a price to be paid should they violate our laws. What kind 
of jurisdictional authority do each of your components have to 
investigate and prosecute these TCOs that operate outside the 
United States? Mr. Russo.
    Mr. Russo. Mr. Chairman, we couldn't agree with you any 
more. You know, that is where Operation Sentinel is a clear 
focus because our efforts include the ability to work with our 
foreign partners to freeze bank accounts. That is, you know, 
getting right into their pockets making sure----
    Chairman Correa. So, Mr. Russo, let me interrupt you. Do we 
have the cooperation of our foreign partners----
    Mr. Russo. We do, sir.
    Chairman Correa [continuing]. To do so?
    Mr. Russo. We do, sir.
    Chairman Correa. Mexico?
    Mr. Russo. Absolutely.
    Chairman Correa. El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras?
    Mr. Russo. Absolutely, Mr. Chairman. We are there. We just 
recently deployed staff, including intelligence analysts and 
officers and agents to Guatemala. Our first deployment was in 
June where we sent 16 employees down there to work with the 
government of Guatemala to open up checkpoints, to conduct 
inspections. We have conducted even in just the first month 
while we have been down there, over 7,000 inspections of 
individuals. We have identified 50 individuals that are 
engaging in human smuggling. So, the efforts are there.
    Chairman Correa. So, you have identified them. What next?
    Mr. Russo. What is next is to turn them over--we have 
turned them over to the government of Guatemala for 
prosecution.
    Chairman Correa. What about turning them over to the U.S. 
Government for prosecution?
    Mr. Russo. Well, I would imagine that those efforts, you 
know, would have to continue in the future. But we are not 
there yet.
    Chairman Correa. The reason I say that, Mr. Russo, is that 
I am of the belief that a foreign national who commits crimes 
is more concerned about ending up in a U.S. jail than they 
would in a jail in other parts of the world. I think it is a 
bigger deterrent if you put them in our jails as it is in a 
foreign jail.
    Mr. Russo. We agree, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Correa. Mr. Condon, any thoughts?
    Mr. Condon. Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman. I think for the HSI 
perspective, we do get very good cooperation from our partners. 
In fact, we do that primarily through our TCIU initiative where 
we have vetted teams of law enforcement officials that we work 
very cohesively with. Just yesterday, our team in El Salvador 
arrested--or excuse me--in Honduras, arrested 32 Honduran 
nationals for human smuggling violations.
    Chairman Correa. Thirty-two hundred?
    Mr. Condon. Thirty-two.
    Chairman Correa. Thirty-two.
    Mr. Condon. Thirty-two. That was the equivalent--and with 
that operation what they are able to do with our TCIU is share 
that information rapidly. When we do that, we can employ things 
like our biometrics BITMAP program to share those biometrics 
with CBP immediately and other partners to ensure that these 
folks are fully identified. We also exploit there any kind of 
data rapidly through our TCIUs there in close partnership with 
our task force officers. We are able then to build our 
investigations further from that standpoint. Without these 
individuals being in the United States, we can start and push 
that threat further out and then start our investigation.
    Chairman Correa. Gentlemen, you mentioned a number in terms 
of arrests. I think both of you said less than 100. So, my 
question would be, is this enough to make a dent or is this a 
drop in the bucket?
    Mr. Russo. Well, Mr. Chairman, the operation that we 
alluded to is Operation Sentinel and it just started in May. 
So, you know, we believe that that operation as it unfolds and 
as the phases of that operation continue we will have some 
major successes.
    Chairman Correa. Mr. Condon.
    Mr. Condon. Yes, sir. Similarly, through the Joint Task 
Force Alpha, through work with our partners such as CBP and 
Department of Justice, we have identified at least 20 cases or 
investigations to put under that umbrella for the large-scale 
significant investigations that are being coordinated and 
ideally, will be prosecuted here in the United States for the 
most impact. That is being done through Joint Task Force Alpha.
    Chairman Correa. I am out of time, but hopefully with a 
incentive, my Members here will do another set of round of 
questions. But my next question later on I will ask is, you 
have got Operation Alpha and Sentinel. Clearly, we have had 
other operations before. How are you coordinating or how is the 
legacy of prior successes or lessons learned being incorporated 
into Alpha and Sentinel? How are we essentially working across 
what I would call silos?
    Homeland Security is big. It was created 20 years ago to 
coordinate across Government agencies. My concern is we are 
still operating under silos and that we haven't quite gotten 
there. So, in the next round I am going to ask for you to 
address those questions. If I can, I will turn to our Ranking 
Member, Mr. Meijer, for his 5 minutes of questions.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I agree wholeheartedly 
on seeking more strong criminal deterrents. Just briefly on 
that question of silos. I think we saw with the--when the DEA 
started to have that ability to engage in bringing back some of 
the narco traffickers in the late 1980's and 1990's to the 
United States a strong deterrent capability came in there. 
Clearly, this is a human trafficking component is a multi-
billion--potentially a multi-billion dollar industry for a lot 
of these same organizations that just, you know, when we think 
about the scourge of drugs versus human smuggling and what that 
does to the border, I think we have been approaching that 
through two different lenses.
    But shifting to my question directed specifically to Mr. 
Condon. Sir, if you could provide just an overview briefly of 
HSI's TCIU, the Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit, just 
what it does, some of the challenges that are facing it today 
in carrying out its mission.
    Mr. Condon. Thank you, sir. So, the TCIU program is HSI's 
partnership with our host nation partners where we bring along 
law enforcement officials or Immigration and Customs officials 
from each of these countries, especially the Northern Triangle. 
We vet them. We utilize polygraphs. We have a very intense 
training program that we bring them to to the United States in 
Georgia where we present the training. We also incorporate 
their prosecutors as part of this or identify prosecutors to go 
through the similar sort of training and capacity building.
    Through that, we also have them--we work with the State 
department in their host nation to have them in a separate sort 
of facility, oftentimes, away from their typical police 
headquarters. They focus largely speaking on these crimes. 
Basically, we build their capacity. We help them to be able to 
investigate and interdict and prosecute these types of crimes 
in their home countries. But also, just as importantly, to 
share information with us appropriately to pass information and 
leads back and support our domestic cases is part of the goal 
to prosecute and dismantle these organizations largely here in 
the United States.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you. So, focusing on that training, 
having some segregation of office locations so that it is kind-
of clear there is a separate mission for them within their host 
nation country. But so I am clear, you are not authorized to 
pay them directly.
    Mr. Condon. No, sir. Also, the only thing we--DOJ entities 
are allowed to pay salary stipends, however, DHS does lack 
that. So, there are times where we do lose our officers because 
these officers are obviously very--the pay for these officers 
by their home countries is very, very low. So, oftentimes, 
other USG agencies are able to provide some salary stipends. 
So, one of the things that does hamper us slightly there is 
the--or not slightly, but does hamper us is the inability to 
kind-of mirror that.
    Mr. Meijer. Then, obviously, and I think it is smart to 
have that segregation of that office, but still I could only 
imagine that transnational criminal organizations in a Northern 
Triangle country are able to exert tremendous influence 
potentially within the government by, obviously, offering 
financial renumeration otherwise. So, is that a concern on that 
oversight of that potential for some of the individuals you are 
partnering with to, obviously, be under a kind-of clear threat, 
but also, get----
    Mr. Condon. Yes,----
    Mr. Meijer [continuing]. Taken off the mission?
    Mr. Condon [continuing]. Very much so. Yes, very much so. 
We try to in addition to the financial inducements, you know, 
up their professional standards, you know, the mission focus 
and, you know, so much what we, you know, as best we can here 
in the United States, but definitely the financial inducements 
it is a clear challenge.
    Mr. Meijer. Then just shifting real quick. Last week, 
actually in this same hearing room, we had an Intelligence and 
Counterterrorism Subcommittee hearing about the use of 
cryptocurrency by TCOs in Central America, but also otherwise. 
Are you seeing any--this could go to either of you--are you 
seeing any challenges in terms of, you know, you mentioned 
Operation Sentinel to debar businesses from Federal contracts, 
to work with those insurance agencies, any challenges of 
transnational criminal organizations that you have been seeing 
doing an end-run around some of our financial, you know, money 
laundering or in other operations on the financial side by 
using cryptocurrency as an end-run?
    Mr. Condon. For the Northern Triangle, and we just 
confirmed with our offices there, we have not seen that to any 
great lengths in the Northern Triangle. We are seeing that 
further down range, if you will, in Colombia and other areas. 
But, yes, in the Northern Triangle, no. However, we are taking 
steps to get ahead of that. We are incorporating training for 
our TCIUs. We are also--we have also funded a very small--it is 
in the nascent stages of small sort-of cyber centers. One in 
Panama, one in Guatemala to help sort-of build capacity there 
in the cyber realm for these TCIUs and our host nation partners 
to try to at least get somewhat ahead of this curve when it 
does hit. It is only matter of time. Right now, not so 
prevalent in Latin America--excuse me--Central America.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you. You know, again, you know, strong 
partners here and looking to shore up any ways we can of 
finding ways in which our current approach is not as strong. 
So, potentially it could be. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield 
back.
    Chairman Correa. Thank you very much, Mr. Meijer. Now, I 
call Ms. Titus for 5 minutes of questions. Ma'am?
    Ms. Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you to our 
witnesses. I will just start with a question to Mr. Russo. You 
know that TCOs are diversifying their revenue sources. You know 
it better than anybody. One of the things they are doing is 
turning to resource extraction and wildlife trafficking. These 
illegal actions not only harm our wildlife species and our 
environment, but they have also led to an increase in violence 
as environmental conservationists who attempt to stop poachers 
have been attacked and killed in some instances.
    The last Congress I had a bill that passed. It was called 
the Rescuing Animals with Rewards Act. It made wildlife 
trafficking part of the State Department's whistleblower 
program. It goes a long way toward combating trafficking. I am 
glad that we have it. But we need to stop this method of 
illicit funding and financing when criminals try to bring these 
animals across our borders. I just wonder what you are doing to 
disrupt this kind of supply chain, as it were, and how you can 
try to help protect our wildlife and also our environment and 
the people who are engaged in protecting those two things 
themselves?
    Mr. Russo. Thank you, Congresswoman. We work very well with 
Fish and Wildlife at the ports of entry to really look at that 
specific threat. When we encounter any of these animals that 
come across, we are quick to turn to Fish and Wildlife to 
investigate all of these threats and working with HSI as well. 
The threats, as you say, they come far and wide and they all 
lead back to these transnational organized crime syndicates. 
Our job is really to take each single one of these cases and 
work it from cradle to grave. So, that is what we are doing.
    Ms. Titus. Well, thank you. I appreciate hearing that. I 
would ask to both of you, you know, so often the people who 
migrate here come up through Central America and Mexico are 
really victims of the lawless and violent activities of these 
organizations. I know you work with community-based 
organizations that have some direct experience dealing with 
these victims. But I wonder if you engage at all with migrants 
themselves, especially women to find out how you can better 
understand their experiences and how you can collaborate with 
local NGO's or civic organizations to try to deal with the 
problem and help these victims maybe even before they get on 
the road.
    Mr. Russo. So, Congresswoman, we obviously encounter and 
engage with all of these poor migrants coming across and we 
understand the struggles that they face. We do interview them 
and we talk to them at length to understand what it is that 
they are dealing with, but also to understand how it is that 
these TCOs are operating. We think that by engaging with them 
and talking to them more and more we can help them more and 
help dismantle these TCOs. The migrants are taken care of by 
us. We have medical contractors that we have employed 
throughout the facilities on the Southwest Border, including 
trauma care for them as well. So, that is part of our efforts 
going forward.
    Ms. Titus. Thank you. Mr. Condon, you want to add to that?
    Mr. Condon. Similar to what Mr. Russo said. Obviously, Mr. 
Russo encounters more of these folks in the border and what we 
do is--if we were similarly to find--encounter these folks in 
the interior, we would follow the same in post-arrest 
interviews and ensure that their care and safety was adequately 
taken care of and work with our local State health officials 
and police officials to ensure, you know, all their needs were 
met should they be victims of violence or coercion and, you 
know, forced labor and things like that nature.
    Ms. Titus. I would think that would be important for human 
trafficking as well. It is kind-of like neighborhood policing 
if you feel comfortable talking to law enforcement, you are 
much more likely to give them some information that could be 
helpful to keep the whole neighborhood safe. I would think that 
these migrants if they feel like they can trust you, they would 
be able to give you some pretty good information you could use 
to help address the problem.
    Mr. Russo. That is correct, Congresswoman. You know, when 
these individuals, you know, understand that they have been 
taken advantage of, they are happy to talk to us.
    Ms. Titus. Right.
    Chairman Correa. Thank you, Ms. Titus.
    Ms. Titus. Thank you, and I yield back, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Correa. Thank you. Thank you very much. I call on 
Mr. Bishop for 5 minutes of questions, sir.
    Mr. Bishop. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, you have 
a way of putting things sometimes. I have noticed that a number 
of occasions. You asked a question a moment ago of the 
witnesses about whether the efforts to interdict or counter the 
cartels are a drop in the bucket. Mr. Russo, I was struck. I 
hadn't had a chance to read your statement beforehand. I was 
struck by what you said about the cartel--I have always 
wondered and I have heard about the cartels earning tremendous 
revenues from the flow of migrants across the border. So, I 
looked at your--I pulled the statement and I just want to--it 
bears emphasis. So, what is in your statement is, it is 
estimated that cartels profit anywhere between $200 million and 
$2.3 billion alone for smuggling migrants from the Northern 
Triangle to the Southwestern Border. You cited a Rand 
Corporation source, I believe, from 2019. I don't know whether 
this--this is quite a big range. I would assume that that 
revenue is in proportion to the flow, right? So, the more 
people that come, the more the cartels earn, right?
    Mr. Russo. Congressman, that would make sense. But there 
are a lot of factors that go into those numbers. That is----
    Mr. Bishop. I am sure.
    Mr. Russo. That is why the range is so wide.
    Mr. Bishop. Yes.
    Mr. Russo. It really depends.
    Mr. Bishop. I was just asking really for that point. I 
mean, it is a point of obvious agreement. I think it does make 
a tremendous amount of sense. You have men and women who are 
undertaking risks to their lives and working hard to interdict 
and counter these cartels. Homeland Security Investigations has 
people who are taking risks to their lives and you made 
reference to other people who might cooperate with you being at 
risk. The American taxpayers carry a tremendous amount of 
expense for those efforts. But to the point about whether it is 
a drop in the bucket, if the flow is large enough, those 
efforts kind of get washed out, don't they? Mr. Russo.
    Mr. Russo. I wouldn't necessarily agree, Congressman. To 
us, every single one of these cases can help us dismantle a 
network. As we work these cases and especially now as we are 
working to look at the logistics and the finances behind these 
groups, every single encounter that we make is an encounter 
that can help us bring down these networks. So, you know, 
obviously it can seem like a drop in the bucket right now, but 
as we continue to work together and as we continue to look at 
the networks behind these smuggling and TCOs, I think we are 
going to make--we are going to make quite a difference.
    Mr. Bishop. Well, I appreciate your spirit and the can-do 
attitude that you bring to it. But I ask you, sir, and I don't 
say this because I want to demoralize the efforts that you and 
your men and women bring to this task, either of you in your 
departments, but I think it bears emphasis. Because policy 
makers up here need to hear if policy is being set in 
Washington to facilitate huge flows, unprecedented in the last 
21 years, flows across the border, does that not demoralize the 
men and women that pursue your responsibilities? Mr. Russo.
    Mr. Russo. I think the men and women of CBP, and I am sure 
I speak for HSI and ICE as well, we are dedicated to doing our 
job. You know, it doesn't matter the volume of the threat for 
us. It is about doing our job and doing it to the best of our 
ability.
    Mr. Bishop. So, if the coyotes are across the Rio Grande as 
they are paid $6,000 a pop for migrants coming across and they 
are ridiculing and cursing and jeering the CBP borders on our 
side, you don't think that has an impact on their morale?
    Mr. Russo. It could have an impact, Congressman. But, you 
know, our job remains the same. Our job is to protect the 
borders and to protect this country.
    Mr. Bishop. Well, I admire you. I particularly admire those 
line officers and the investigators that you have, sir, Mr. 
Condon, for the way they persist in the face of misguided 
policy. I wonder if you have--and so I have got about maybe a 
chance to ask one more question. I have so many to ask. But I 
understood along the way that it was anticipated the Biden 
administration has been saying that this massive surge we are 
seeing across the border was going to peter out. It was 
seasonal. It happens every spring and it was going to stop, 
hasn't stopped. Mr. Condon or Mr. Russo, do you have any 
insight as to why that prediction has turned out not to be 
correct?
    Mr. Condon. I will defer to Mr. Russo on the migrant 
influence for the specific numbers being encountered.
    Mr. Russo. The numbers have not gone down. I mean, I am 
sure you have seen the numbers, Congressman. You know, we 
encountered 188,000 individuals in June. Migration flows, you 
know, what we have seen over the last 40, 50 years, they really 
do ebb and flow. So, you know, with COVID, with natural 
disasters, those are all push factors that lead to some of 
these migration issues.
    Mr. Bishop. God bless the law enforcement folks that work 
for the United States of America on behalf and through--under 
your charge. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Mr. Russo. Thank you, Congressman.
    Chairman Correa. Thank you very much, Mr. Bishop. Before I 
move to our next, Mrs. Harshbarger. I just want to say that you 
bring up some good issues, which is a drop in the bucket, 
migration flows, patterns, and deterrents. I am hoping we can 
have a few more hearings on these issues because one of the 
things that I have heard over and over again, big push factor 
is the economy. I mean, over the last few years, Chinese 
imports of textiles have devastated not only the Carolinas in 
our country, but they have decimated the economies in Central 
America. Now with COVID-19, you have these push factors that 
continue to push folks.
    Mr. Bishop, I will tell you, I went to El Paso, but I also 
went to Tijuana. In El Paso, you have a situation of the 
migrant children. In Tijuana, you have under Section 42 of the 
Health Code, deportations of families. I went in to interview a 
lot of those families there in the Tijuana or the Mexican side 
of the border. It was interesting because they weren't talking 
6,000, they were talking 10,000 per family per smuggling 
attempt. A lot of those families----
    Mr. Bishop. Inflation, Mr. Chairman. It is inflation.
    Chairman Correa. Good God, that is hyperinflation, sir. 
Their comment was, I sold everything I had back home to make 
the trip. What they were doing on the Mexican side of the 
border with help of NGO's, I would say, trying to figure out 
how to get back home and try to figure out what they were going 
to go back to do. Because they had bet everything and had lost.
    So, a lot of these issues are important because as we talk 
about U.S. aid to Central America, what it is going to, what it 
is supposed to do, versus the dynamics. Some people would say 
the border. I would say the dynamics of the American continent 
as they continue to unfold. We have got to anticipate what is 
going on.
    Right now, it is shocking to see how much money is being 
made off of smuggling. It almost seems like it is competing 
with illegal drugs in terms of profit centers. So, to 
anticipate where do they go next? What is the next profit 
center? Where is this money being invested? How do we create a 
deterrent? It is very interesting issues for policy makers. 
Policies that have to be made based on the facts that you are 
presenting to us don't want to operate up here, pontificate 
based on philosophy or perspective, but rather let the facts 
drive the solution.
    That is what I would like to do is continue to work with 
you and try to figure out this whole thing that, you know, I 
will be honest with all of us. If we are honest, we only look 
at south of the border when we see smoke. We only act when we 
see fire. This thing has been going on for 50 years. As long as 
we don't see it, as long as it stays invisible, you know what, 
it is not there. Now it is there.
    We have got to focus on this for the next couple of decades 
to figure it out. It is not going to be one easy solution, but 
a number of solutions designed to implement a public policy 
designed to stabilize. I say that stabilize this continent that 
right now isn't looking good from a--you know, Mexico just had 
the great elections. Great elections. Hundred political 
candidates were assassinated. Where did you hear that? Did you 
read that anywhere? We have got challenges. I am hoping, you 
know, my quick commercial here is we have got a lot of work to 
do in this committee and I am hoping to work with our 
witnesses. So, thank you very much for bringing up those 
comments.
    Now, I will turn to Mrs. Harshbarger, for her 5 minutes of 
comments. Thank you.
    Ms. Harshbarger. Thank you, Chairman Correa, and thank you 
to the witnesses today. We all know this is a huge problem and, 
you know, I guess one of the concerns that I have is that in a 
lot of rural areas, especially in Guatemala, there has been 
chaos because of the pandemic, but it strengthened the narco 
trafficking in those areas. As a pharmacist, you know, we see 
that drugs are coming in unimpeded and the process going way 
down. So, when you talk to these law enforcement agents, they 
are just--it is unbelievably hard to counter some of the things 
that are happening. But if you live in Guatemala, for God 
sakes, even the local governments and the people there, you 
know, sometimes they become beholden to these people because 
they have no other choice. You know, that just tears the 
society apart. No wonder they want to migrate to this country.
    Now, I have learned that these Guatemalan authorities are 
allowing some of these people that live there the property 
rights to be violated by taking their land, some of these narco 
traffickers. I just wondered what do you think we can do about 
that? How can we stabilize that government to keep them from 
wanting to come over and, you know, it is a bad situation. It 
is not those people's faults, but we have to step in and say, 
if we help you, what is it we can do to make things more 
efficient and to make that government responsible and 
accountable for what they do?
    Mr. Russo. Congresswoman, we agree with you. From a CBP 
perspective, the deployment of our agents and officers and 
intel analysts to Guatemala is a step in the right direction. 
It is our ability to mentor, train the Guatemalan government 
officials. We work with their mobile targeting interdiction 
unit to help them understand about anti-corruption so that they 
can better, you know, conduct operations in Guatemala. So, that 
is what we are trying to do while we are there.
    Ms. Harshbarger. Yes. You know, we were at the border with 
the Ranking Member down--well, it was in April. HSI said, all 
we want to do is we want to be able to--we don't need more 
laws, we just want to be able to use the ones we have on the 
books already. I guess my question is, what is it that--how are 
their hands being tied to where they can't combat what is going 
over? We found out some of the modalities they use to get these 
people to come in and shuffle these drugs through social media, 
with TikTok, and some of these other things. I mean, it is a 
travesty that we are not doing something about that. But on 
your end, what do you see that you are not able to do that you 
should be doing and you should have the authority to do, sirs?
    Mr. Condon. From the HSI perspective, social media and 
maybe misinformation on social media is a challenge. It is 
something that I think many agencies are dealing with and we 
are kind-of coping with that and developing strategies. But 
also similar to what Mr. Russo is doing, we work hand-in-hand 
with CBP and Central America to eliminate or mitigate much of 
that corrupt focus and to work with our vetted teams to try to, 
again, build that professionalization in order to, again, to 
keep those threats from coming to the United States. The more 
and more we do that, the less strain you are going to have on 
the U.S. law enforcement and its related organizations. That is 
the main focus for us. But the challenge for the social media 
and those types of things is a small drop in the bucket, but we 
are beginning to help train our TCIUs and others on how to 
combat that social misinformation, how to work more closely in 
the cyber realm. But it is, again, in the nascent stages. So, 
that would be--that is kind-of the main drivers at least on the 
international side to try to push and to try to work and 
mitigate that further down range before it gets here to the 
United States.
    Ms. Harshbarger. Well, you know, in my opinion and many of 
my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, you know, these 
cartels are the biggest criminal threat to our Nation, period. 
We have to do more to subdue them and, you know, closing the 
border would be a perfect example. Making sure that when we do 
deliver aid, money, whatever it is to these triangle countries, 
that we hold them accountable and we have some kind of outcome 
system set in place so we know that when we give that in good 
faith that they are going to fight and help those people and 
make them want to stay there. That is the bottom line.
    Thank you so much, gentlemen. Chairman, I yield back.
    Chairman Correa. Thank you, Mrs. Harshbarger. Now, without 
objection, I would like to go on to a second set of questions, 
if I can. Gentlemen, I am going to follow up where I left off, 
which was you are doing the job of finding a needle in a 
haystack. You have got some great organizations, a lot of work, 
Project Alpha, Project Sentinel. You have incorporated probably 
a lot of the work you have done in the past through other 
agencies. Do you feel you are doing enough to coordinate the 
resources of Department of Homeland Security so that you can be 
successful?
    Mr. Russo. Mr. Chairman, you spoke of silos and I have been 
in this agency for the better part of 25 years, and I can tell 
you that we have come a long way. I speak for ICE as well when 
I say this because we work hand-in-hand. We have over 260 
employees who are assigned to task force offices across the 
Nation. They work with the HIDTAs, the High Intensity Drug 
Trafficking Areas. They work with HSI, with the DEA, with the 
FBI, and all the State and local partners. Those relationships 
have never been stronger than they are today.
    We are breaking down those silos. Really, when you look at 
Operation Sentinel, it is a perfect example of that because we 
are not doing this alone. We are working with all of our 
partners to build these cases and I just think that we are in a 
much better place today than we ever were.
    Chairman Correa. Mr. Condon.
    Mr. Condon. Similarly, I would agree with Mr. Russo as 
well. We, again, cradle to grave--cradle, the beginning to the 
end, just about everything we do is in conjunction with CBP. In 
this day and age of data analytics, it just it makes sense and 
there is no reason not to.
    Further, one of the best tools we bring is our border 
enforcement security task forces. That is recognizing that, you 
know, these border issues they go into the interior, they 
affect a lot of communities and there is a lot of shared 
interest. There is the violence that is spawned from some of 
these things. The smuggling events that create disruptions. 
Opioids that come in through, you know, Asia or through China 
or through Mexico at the express consignment hubs. We have 
initiated border and security task forces in Memphis, northern 
Kentucky in Louisville to try to combat that and bring our 
State and local partners, even into that realm of the opioid 
issues and try to show them and help break down those barriers 
when they have intelligence, to share that directly on the 
impact of where these illicit things are coming into. Further, 
the border enforcement security task forces, there are 80 of 
them around the country, including seaports and airports and 
try to bring that similar subset in so you have everybody in 
the room. That includes State, local, Tribal----
    Chairman Correa. Mr. Condon, let me interrupt you. I only 
got a couple of minutes here. Fusion centers, we have one in 
Orange County. I work very closely with my local sheriff. He is 
always complaining to us that, you know, he is kind-of the 
stepchild when it comes to resources. When it comes to 
coordinating, he complains that the Fed, Federal agencies, it 
is a one-way street when it comes to sharing information.
    I say that to you because I think of the border as one 
piece of a bigger puzzle. We cannot overlook the fact that for 
smuggling, for drugs, for these other elements to be 
successful, there has to be a connection in the United States. 
That means good intel from people working in the community, 
good intel from folks that are seeing who the drug dealer is. 
Good intel from seeing where things begin to unfold in the 
United States side. Would you say that we are working enough 
with these local folks, fusion centers? Fusion centers, as you 
know, are where the sheriff, the police officer, the FBI agent, 
some of the others, get together, you know, 30 people to try to 
figure this out at the street level. It is a question for both 
of you.
    Mr. Condon. I would say, while always there is work to be 
done, I would say it is better than ever. I know HSI puts a 
premium on being responsive to State and local officials. It is 
really not tolerated. It is not part of our ethos to be--to not 
work with them and not respond out to their calls and not to 
share, more importantly, because that is the only way this 
works when you share that information. It is not just to get 
Federal prosecutions, right? Oftentimes, it is best to get a 
State prosecution. Oftentimes, there is the crime, the 
localized violence that really is impactful to human beings, 
right, that the State and local officials are very well-
equipped to handle. The smaller scale has more impact. So, we 
definitely put a premium on that. We want to make sure that 
that doesn't happen so we do focus on that greatly.
    Chairman Correa. Mr. Russo.
    Mr. Russo. Mr. Chairman, when it comes to these cases, we 
are prosecution-agnostic. All we care about is stopping the 
threat. We will work with anyone. We do work with everyone. We 
have countless cases of helping State and locals. I can speak 
to New York because, you know, that is where I most recently 
worked. The work we did to dismantle MS-13 gangs in New York is 
just one example of how we work with them.
    Chairman Correa. Thank you very much. I am out of time so, 
I will turn to our Ranking Member Mr. Meijer, for 5 minutes of 
questions.
    Mr. Meijer. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate this 
second round. You know, I was with Mrs. Harshbarger and our 
Ranking Member down at the border in April. You know, it was--
it was enlightening to kind-of to see the reality and that 
consequence, but also understanding that that flow of 
individuals is not just--well, it is largely a product on the 
demand side of those push and pull factors. But on that 
facilitation side, that there is a very long tail there.
    I guess, my first question to Mr. Russo, in the past 
several months, has there been, you know, I know there are 
dozens of nationalities represented among those who are seeking 
to cross the border. We have a very strong, you know, 
significant majority that are coming from Northern Triangle 
countries, but also others from Central America, South America, 
and even farther afield. Have we seen any shifts in those 
nationalities over the past several months?
    Mr. Russo. Not really. In looking at the numbers, it is 
pretty much the same as it has been. When you look at the 
188,000 encounters that we had last month, there is also a 
percentage of individuals that are coming across multiple 
times. So, there is that percentage as well. But in terms of 
the diversity of it, it pretty much is the same, the majority 
being from Mexico.
    Mr. Meijer. Then just from the portion that are not from 
Latin America originally, I know there are some individuals who 
seek to cross our border who will fly into airports in the 
region from Africa or from parts of Asia. Then kind-of seek 
that land route to circumvent a lot of our passport security 
checks. I am aware of some of those other activities on that 
interdiction side. But I guess the broader question, when do 
those individuals interact with a human trafficking smuggling 
network? Is that communication something that takes place when 
they are in Latin America or is there a communication prior, to 
your awareness? Maybe Mr. Condon.
    Mr. Russo. It depends. It depends and I will turn to 
Assistant Director Condon for a greater answer. But I will tell 
you that even in Guatemala recently, we encountered 12 
Uzbekistan nationals in this latest operation that we ran. So, 
it is happening for sure. But in terms of where they are coming 
from or where they are encountered, John?
    Mr. Meijer. I guess not just where encountered, but just at 
what point do you assess that they start to get within the 
protection or the assistance of a TCO?
    Mr. Condon. So, depending on where and in what part of the 
region it is encountered, sometimes the human smuggling 
organizations have to interact with two to three cartels or 
TCOs, right? Who is control of each, you know, territory, if 
you will. Oftentimes, it is just to diversify their portfolios. 
TCOs that wouldn't ordinarily be involved in human smuggling 
now they have taken that on as sort-of a, you know, to expand 
their business and diversify, right? So, not to evade the 
question, per se, but it kind of depends on at what point at 
each process and how much communication they have had. But it 
is very connected. A lot of times it is the human smuggling 
organizations that start and initiate that before moving up to 
different parts in the region.
    Mr. Meijer. I have exhausted the majority of my questions. 
But just, Mr. Chairman, I really appreciate this hearing and I 
appreciate our witnesses. I think it is essential that we don't 
try to--we don't wait until we shift to the next thing, right? 
It was drug trafficking, then it became trafficking of 
individuals. I don't know to what degree, you know, some of our 
kind-of laws or loosening of regulations in the United States 
have maybe shifted the demand structure a little bit on their 
revenue streams. But, you know, those illicit entities, those 
organizations, the transnational criminal organizations they 
are making money hand over foot and by the way, those 200 
million to 1.2 billion, just to be clear that is profit. Not 
revenue, but profit.
    Chairman Correa. I can only imagine----
    Mr. Condon. Correct.
    Chairman Correa [continuing]. Where that money came from.
    Mr. Meijer. It is profit. Yes, not revenue, profit. I mean, 
that, I mean, you take net present value of a company like 
that, you know, you can list it on NASDAQ.
    Chairman Correa. Mr. Meijer, I can only imagine, I mean, 
that is a lot of assets to be sold somewhere to generate that 
kind of--the massive transfer of wealth that is going on from 
the very poor to the criminal organizations is unbelievable. 
What is that long-term consequence socially in those Central 
American countries? Good questions. Thank you very much, sir, 
and I am going to turn to----
    Mr. Meijer. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
    Chairman Correa [continuing]. Mr. Bishop for 5 minutes of 
questions if you so desire.
    Mr. Bishop. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have got a couple 
more. So, and I was thinking about what you just said. I was 
thinking about Ms. Titus' questions earlier. I guess $2.3 
billion of profits have probably paid to set up some other 
operations like resource extraction and the wildlife 
trafficking. It all is, I mean, that is how businesses are 
built and this is in a weird sort of way, it is a business. I 
don't want to be its logistics arm, which is what I think we 
have become.
    Let me ask this. I saw an article and I am not sure of what 
it was quoting from, but it just came out that 50,000 migrants 
have been released in the United States without a court date. 
So, at some point in time, there was a change in process since 
the inauguration this year to not put a court date anymore 
because they don't show up at court dates. But I guess you get 
numbers you can't give but so many out. So, they stopped doing 
that, but they are required to report--migrants are required to 
report to their local ICE office within 60 days. I read that 13 
percent have so far shown up. So, that is 6,700 have showed up, 
16,000 have not and are past the 60-day window to report. That 
leaves many others, obviously, who are not past the 90 days--or 
60 days, but is that--and I don't know who would know more 
about that. Mr. Condon, perhaps I will address the question to 
you and you can pass it if you wish. But does that sound 
accurate and is that a surprise?
    Mr. Condon. Sir, I just--only because I come from the 
investigations branch----
    Mr. Bishop. Yes.
    Mr. Condon [continuing]. That is not my bailiwick or area 
of expertise. But I definitely would like the chance to get 
back with you on that question, if I could.
    Mr. Bishop. Yes, Mr. Russo, do you know the answer?
    Mr. Russo. Yes, Congressman, I am sorry. We do not have 
those numbers or I don't have those numbers in front of me.
    Mr. Bishop. Yes.
    Mr. Russo. I am happy to take that back.
    Mr. Bishop. You said, Mr. Russo, in answering a question a 
moment ago, that out of the 188,000 encountered in June, some 
of those came in multiple times. I don't know how to ask the 
question. If it was somebody visiting a website, they call them 
unique visitors. But how many unique border crossers then among 
that 188,000?
    Mr. Russo. From what I recall, it was about 104,000 of the 
188,000.
    Mr. Bishop. OK. Of those 104,000, how many of those 104,000 
actually stayed in the United States?
    Mr. Russo. I don't recall the number but, you know, a large 
percentage of those were returned under Title 42.
    Mr. Bishop. Mm-hmm. You don't have an estimate for the 
number that remained?
    Mr. Russo. I don't have the number, but it is a high--I 
remember it is a high percent.
    Mr. Bishop. I know you don't have the number. Do you have 
an estimate of the number?
    Mr. Russo. I would say about 80, 85 percent.
    Mr. Bishop. Go back so, OK.
    Mr. Russo. Yes.
    Mr. Bishop. So, 20 percent, 20, 25 percent stay.
    Mr. Russo. Mm-hmm.
    Mr. Bishop. Twenty, 25,000 people, roughly.
    Mr. Russo. Correct.
    Mr. Bishop. Once these individuals--how are the people who 
stay, how are they transported elsewhere within the United 
States?
    Mr. Russo. So, we coordinate with HHS and with ICE to 
determine transportation, so.
    Mr. Bishop. Maybe I will ask Mr. Condon. How are they 
transported within the United States?
    Mr. Condon. From----
    Mr. Bishop. The folks who remain, 20-, 25,000 last month 
they remained. Where did they go?
    Mr. Condon. Again, I would have to defer to our co-branch 
of ERO just to get those facts and figures for you, if I could.
    Mr. Bishop. You do not know?
    Mr. Condon. No.
    Mr. Bishop. You do not know in general?
    Mr. Condon. As far as how they get transported from?
    Mr. Bishop. Yes.
    Mr. Condon. No, I do not as far as that process goes.
    Mr. Bishop. OK. I saw a recent article that a law 
enforcement source within CBP says that ICE Office of 
Enforcement and Removal Operations will start issuing cell 
phones with tracking apps in lieu of using ankle monitoring 
bracelets for whoever that has been appropriate for to date. Is 
there any truth to that report, Mr. Condon?
    Mr. Condon. Sir, I am unaware of that. But, again, I will 
have to get back with you on that one and check with our ERO 
counterparts on that, if I could, please.
    Mr. Bishop. OK.
    Chairman Correa. Get back to both of us. I am very 
interested in that information as well.
    Mr. Bishop. Are ICE officers still consistently issuing 
Notices to Appear?
    Mr. Condon. Similarly, again, I would have to check and get 
back to you on that with our ERO counterparts for that one. 
Thank you, sir.
    Mr. Bishop. I think I will stop there, Mr. Chairman. Thank 
you.
    Chairman Correa. A lot of work to do. A lot of questions. I 
want to thank the witnesses for being here today. We will 
continue to call on you to help us with some of the facts and 
try to get a better grasp of the challenge ahead of us and how 
to best come up with the best public policy to effectively 
address the challenges. I want to thank you for being here 
today, for your time. I want to remind the Members that if they 
have any additional questions for the witnesses, to submit them 
to the witnesses. I ask the witnesses to respond as quickly as 
possible. The Chair reminds the Members that the committee 
record will remain open for 10 business days. Without 
objection, the committee stands adjourned. Thank you very much.
    [Whereupon, at 3:05 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]



                            A P P E N D I X

                              ----------                              

      Questions From Chairman J. Luis Correa for Francis J. Russo
    Question 1a. The multi-national nature of transnational criminal 
organizations has made it difficult for the United States Government to 
prosecute those who violate U.S. laws. However, doing so is crucial to 
preventing future lawlessness.
    What role do Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement play in efforts to extradite foreign citizens to 
the United States for breaking American laws overseas?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 1b. What authorities are available to your agencies and 
what impediments do they face?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 2. Both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement work with foreign partners in Central America and 
Mexico to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal 
organizations operating in those countries; however, issues like 
systemic government corruption or distrust may undermine these efforts.
    Please describe the varying levels of cooperation your agencies 
receive from Central American nations and Mexico in efforts to codify 
the principals of the rule of law: ensuring all persons, institutions, 
and entities are held equally accountable to laws that are publicly 
promulgated, independently adjudicated, and consistent with 
international human rights principles.
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3a. The tactics that transnational criminal organizations 
(TCOs) utilize are always evolving, and their involvement in the 
smuggling of migrants across the U.S. border varies based on location 
and which criminal organization is involved.
    Please describe how TCOs are currently enabling migrant trafficking 
from Central America?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3b. What are the typical amounts charged and services 
provided?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3c. How have the models changed and adapted over time?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3d. What differences are there across the region, if any?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
          Questions From Hon. Dan Bishop for Francis J. Russo
    Question 1a. There was an article saying 50,000 migrants released 
in the United States without a court date--what policy was changed or 
altered to allow this?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 1b. Is it accurate to say 13 percent of released 
immigrants have showed up to the ICE office as reported, 6,700 showed 
up, 16,000 haven't and have passed the 60-day window to show up? Do you 
have an estimate of how many released immigrants?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 2. Of the 104,000 border crossers that returned multiple 
times (out of the 188,000 total), how many actually stayed in the 
United States? What is the number and percentage of how many stayed and 
how many were returned under Title 42?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3. How are the individuals who stay in the United States 
transported elsewhere within the United States from holding facilities?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 4. There was an article saying that cell phones will start 
being issued instead of ankle monitors moving forward--will this be the 
policy and what is the justification for this?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 5. Are ICE officers still consistently issuing Notices to 
Appear?*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    * Scoop: 50,000 migrants released; few report to ICE: https://
www.axios.com/migrant-release-no-court-date-ice-dhs-immigration-
33d258ea-2419-418d-abe8-2a8b60e3c070.html.
    Exclusive: ICE will issue cell phones to released migrants: https:/
/www.breitbart.com/border/2021/07/15/exclusive-ice-will-issue-cell-
phones-to-released-migrants/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
       Questions From Hon. Diana Harshbarger for Francis J. Russo
    Question 1. I appreciated the witness' responses to my questions 
regarding TCOs creating chaos and instability along narco-trafficking 
routes in the Northern Triangle countries. These situations also erode 
the conditions necessary for legitimate businesses to create economic 
opportunities necessary to counter migration. Could you please provide 
further response regarding what more the United States can do--directly 
or in conjunction with our international partners--to address the 
problem of Guatemalan authorities failing to uphold property rights 
against land invasions that occur with increasing frequency--sometimes 
with the support of narco-traffickers that seek to illegal land on 
occupied land?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 2. Additionally, Mr. Condon noted that ICE is focusing on 
training and working with vetted partners in host countries to address 
such threats further down range, before they get to the United States. 
Could you please provide the committee with greater detail as to the 
different ways the threats posed by such activity manifest themselves 
at our border? Could you also identify specifically which TCO's are 
engaged in activity that poses these threats and the countries in which 
those TCOs are engaged in this activity?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
       Questions From Chairman J. Luis Correa for John A. Condon
    Question 1a. The multi-national nature of transnational criminal 
organizations has made it difficult for the United States Government to 
prosecute those who violate U.S. laws. However, doing so is crucial to 
preventing future lawlessness.
    What role do Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement play in efforts to extradite foreign citizens to 
the United States for breaking American laws overseas?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 1b. What authorities are available to your agencies and 
what impediments do they face?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 2. Both Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement work with foreign partners in Central America and 
Mexico to investigate and prosecute transnational criminal 
organizations operating in those countries; however, issues like 
systemic government corruption or distrust may undermine these efforts.
    Please describe the varying levels of cooperation your agencies 
receive from Central American nations and Mexico in efforts to codify 
the principals of the rule of law: Ensuring all persons, institutions, 
and entities are held equally accountable to laws that are publicly 
promulgated, independently adjudicated, and consistent with 
international human rights principles.
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3a. The tactics that transnational criminal organizations 
(TCOs) utilize are always evolving, and their involvement in the 
smuggling of migrants across the U.S. border varies based on location 
and which criminal organization is involved.
    Please describe how TCOs are currently enabling migrant trafficking 
from Central America?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3b. What are the typical amounts charged and services 
provided?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3c. How have the models changed and adapted over time?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3d. What differences are there across the region, if any?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
           Questions From Hon. Dan Bishop for John A. Condon
    Question 1a. There was an article saying 50,000 migrants released 
in the United States without a court date--what policy was changed or 
altered to allow this?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 1b. Is it accurate to say 13 percent of released 
immigrants have showed up to the ICE office as reported, 6,700 showed 
up, 16,000 haven't and have passed the 60-day window to show up? Do you 
have an estimate of how many released immigrants?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 2. Of the 104,000 border crossers that returned multiple 
times (out of the 188,000 total), how many actually stayed in the 
United States? What is the number and percentage of how many stayed and 
how many were returned under Title 42?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 3. How are the individuals who stay in the United States 
transported elsewhere within the United States from holding facilities?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 4. There was an article saying that cell phones will start 
being issued instead of ankle monitors moving forward--will this be the 
policy and what is the justification for this?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 5. Are ICE officers still consistently issuing Notices to 
Appear?*
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    * Scoop: 50,000 migrants released; few report to ICE: https://
www.axios.com/migrant-release-no-court-date-ice-dhs-immigration-
33d258ea-2419-418d-abe8-2a8b60e3c070.html.
    Exclusive: ICE will issue cell phones to released migrants: https:/
/www.breitbart.com/border/2021/07/15/exclusive-ice-will-issue-cell-
phones-to-released-migrants/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
        Questions From Hon. Diana Harshbarger for John A. Condon
    Question 1. I appreciated the witness' responses to my questions 
regarding TCOs creating chaos and instability along narco-trafficking 
routes in the Northern Triangle countries. These situations also erode 
the conditions necessary for legitimate businesses to create economic 
opportunities necessary to counter migration. Could you please provide 
further response regarding what more the United States can do--directly 
or in conjunction with our international partners--to address the 
problem of Guatemalan authorities failing to uphold property rights 
against land invasions that occur with increasing frequency--sometimes 
with the support of narco-traffickers that seek to illegal land on 
occupied land?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.
    Question 2. Additionally, Mr. Condon noted that ICE is focusing on 
training and working with vetted partners in host countries to address 
such threats further down range, before they get to the United States. 
Could you please provide the committee with greater detail as to the 
different ways the threats posed by such activity manifest themselves 
at our border? Could you also identify specifically which TCO's are 
engaged in activity that poses these threats and the countries in which 
those TCOs are engaged in this activity?
    Answer. Response was not received at the time of publication.

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