The Council’s Executive Tours provide our members with an opportunity to see and understand the working environment and complexities associated with homeland security operations in different geographic regions. These visits allow our industry executives to collectively learn more about the successes, challenges, gaps, mission needs, and day-to-day experiences of on-the-ground operational officials through facility tours, non-classified briefings, roundtable discussions, and technology demonstrations.
These tours focus on mission-driven topics, including border security, immigration, port and maritime security, aviation security, emergency preparedness, cybersecurity, and/or law enforcement information sharing. Members also gain a greater understanding of intra-agency, cross-component collaboration and the level of communication between on-ground operations and DC, helping to aid in their business planning and investment decisions, and provide better product, technology, and services support to the Homeland Security Enterprise.
Past Executive Tours have included visits to:
South
Atlanta, GA - Briefings, tours, and demonstrations with CBP Office of Field Operations, TSA, and Delta Airlines at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport; and the ICE Field Office in Atlanta.
Laredo, TX – Critical facilities and land border sites, and briefings and discussions with officials from ICE’s ERO Operations and Detainment Center; CBP’s Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations at the POE.
Redstone Arsenal/Huntsville, AL – Operations of both the FBI Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC) and the ATF National Center for Explosives Training & Research (NCETR). Through briefings and discussions, attendees learned about coordination with DHS and other partner agencies to accomplish the mission.
Charleston, SC/Glynco, GA – Briefings and the observation of active shooter training, USCG’s hook-and-climb maritime training, and a full tour of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) HQ, with demonstrations of the laser firing range and driving simulators. Roundtable discussions with the entire FLETC management/training team & partner organizations.Attendees also were briefed by CBP, toured the USCG’s operations at the Port of Charleston, and met with the Seahawk Interagency Task Force.
El Paso, TX – Invited by DoD’s Joint Task Force North the visit also included numerous briefings, demonstrations and tours of the POE, as well as the physical land border and fence with the CBP’s Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations; and briefings/tours at the El Paso Intelligence Center and the ICE Immigration Detention Facility.
Miami & Key West, FL – Our visit included facility tours, briefings and roundtable discussions with officials from the Joint Interagency Task Force South, USCG in both Key West and Miami, U.S. Southern Command, Miami International Airport, and the South Florida High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.
North
Burlington, VT/Champlain, NY – Council members visited and were briefed at critical operational facilities run by ICE, including its ERO Law Enforcement Support Center; Homeland Security Investigations’ Tip Line Operations; Bulk Cash Smuggling Center; and National Criminal Analysis & Targeting Center. Attendees also toured CBP’s Office of Field Operations at the Port of Entry in Champlain; and presented at a Reverse Industry Day set of panels for the USCIS contracting personnel.
Ottawa & Toronto, Canada – This special visit included briefings and facility site tours with numerous Canadian government officials in Public Safety (Canada’s DHS); Border Services and Immigration; and Pearson International Airport, including CBP’s Preclearance operations in Toronto.
Detroit, MI/Windsor, Canada – Our first Northern Border visit included tours and briefings with USCG Sector Detroit; CBP’s Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine, Border Patrol, and Operational Integration Center; and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations operations. We also met with and visited the ‘other side’ of the border with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Border Services Agency.
West
Seattle, WA – Attendees visited and took part in several roundtable discussions at the Seattle Seaport, SeaTac Airport, and the USCIS District Processing Office with officials from the USCG, TSA, FEMA and CBP. We also met with the DHS Pacific NW Interagency Task Force, as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and officials from the Pacific NW National Laboratory.
Los Angeles, CA – Council attendees took part in numerous facility tours, briefings, and discussions with the USCG and CBP at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach; TSA and CBP at LAX; and local, state, and federal law enforcement officials at the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center.
Tucson/Nogales, AZ & San Diego/Riverside, CA – The Council’s first Executive Tour was an ambitious one that included facility visits, briefings and roundtable discussions with officials at Tucson’s Sector Border Patrol HQ and Joint Command Center; the DeConcini and Mariposa Ports of Entry; passenger and cargo operations; and the I-19 Checkpoint. We then flew to San Diego and met with the leaders of their Law Enforcement Coordination Center; visited the CBP’s Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, and were briefed by CBP’s Air and Marine Operations Center in Riverside.
East
Quantico, VA - Attendees on two separate visits were briefed and toured the FBI’s Laboratory Services & Operational Technology Divisions and Training Academy & Critical Incident Response Group, led by the Assistant Directors of all four operations and each division’s Unit Chiefs.
Clarksburg, WV – Council members visited and took part in several briefings and roundtable discussions at the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) – it’s high-tech hub that provides a range of state-of-the-art tools, technologies, and services to law enforcement, national security, and intelligence community partners around the world.
Atlantic City, NJ/New York’s JFK – We toured and were briefed at both the TSA/S&T Transportation Security Laboratory and CBP’s operations throughout the airport, including Entry/Exit operations, international mail inspections, and luggage screening procedures.
U.S. Secret Service James J. Rowley Training Center
US Secret Service HQ
DHS’s National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
DC Region Emergency Operations Center
