Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute, the Honourable Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety, and John Baird, Canada’s Transport Minister met January 28 to bolster cooperation and coordination between the United States and Canada on aviation security measures and standards

Secretary Napolitano met with leaders from Muslim, Sikh, South Asian and Arab communities—key partners in homeland security that contribute to many different parts of American life and exemplify the diversity that is a hallmark of our country—to discuss ways the Department can increase engagement, dialogue and coordination, and enhance information sharing between DHS and faith- and community-based groups.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to support U.S. government efforts—led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department—by deploying more than 1,000 personnel to provide operational and humanitarian assistance in Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake. On Jan. 25, DHS stood up pre-departure identity verification teams in Haiti, comprised of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials, to streamline and expedite the evacuation process.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has begun enforcement of the Importer Security Filing and Additional Carrier Requirements interim final rule—significantly increasing the scope and accuracy of information gathered on shipments of cargo arriving by sea into the United States and bolstering DHS' layered enforcement strategy to protect against terrorism and other crimes at U.S. ports of entry.

Secretary Napolitano highlights aviation security in a press briefing.

Transcript of January 22, 2010 press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland by Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director-General Bisignani on aviation security.

Secretary Napolitano designated 11 new countries as eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B nonimmigrant visa programs, which allow U.S. employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill temporary or seasonal jobs for which U.S. workers are not available.

Secretary Janet Napolitano met with members of the International Air Transport Association (IATA)—which represents approximately 230 airlines and more than 90 percent of the world’s air traffic—in Geneva as part of the Department’s ongoing efforts to work with the airline industry to meet both international and U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security standards.

The Ministers of the Member States of the European Union, together with the Vice President of the European Commission and the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America, meeting informally in Toledo, (Spain), have discussed current terrorists threats, in particular the attempted attack on an aircraft approaching Detroit on 25th December 2009, ways to strengthen international security measures and standards for aviation security, and an upcoming global dialogue on securing international travel.

Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano traveled to Toledo, Spain, at the invitation of her Spanish colleague, Interior Minister Alfredo Rubalcaba, to meet with her European counterparts regarding ways to bolster international aviation security measures and standards.