Above, watch the full conversation with US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson at the 2014 Aspen Security Forum.
Are we safer today than we were when the Department of Homeland Security was created more than a decade ago? What progress has DHS made and what more must it do to secure the nation? US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson answered these questions and others at the 2014 Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, CO. In a candid interview with NPR counterterrorism correspondent Dina Temple-Raston, Johnson discussed the efficacy of his department, and even added personal anecdotes into the conversation.
Below are two highlights from the event.
A Personal Experience at the Texas Border
In the video above, Johnson describes a poignant encounter with a 10-year-old girl being interviewed by a US Customs Border Protection official, and the impact it left on him when considering the growing issue of children fleeing to the US.
Immigration and the Southern US Border
Above, Johnson details the three factors he thinks are contributing the most to driving illegal immigrants to the US. “The way we are combatting this is to convey the message repeatedly, ‘our borders are not open to illegal immigration, and if you come here we will turn you back,'” he said. “Through action I believe we can and will turn this around.”
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