March 3, 2005 -- President Bush spoke at the swearing-in ceremony for Secretary Chertoff.  "I'm pleased to be here at the Department of Homeland Security with our new Secretary, Michael Chertoff.

I have given Mike an ambitious agenda to carry out.  We will continue to work to fully integrate the agencies within the Homeland Security Department.  We will build on the progress that has been made.  We will continue working to reduce our nation's vulnerabilities and prepare effective responses for any future attack.  We will speed the development of new 21st century vaccines and treatments to protect Americans against biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological attacks.  We will continue our historic investments in homeland security to match the threats facing our country.  We will protect the American people from new dangers while protecting their civil liberties.

Mike is the right person to lead this department in this vital work. He knows that to win the war on terror abroad, we always must remember where it began -- here in the homeland. He will be an outstanding Secretary of Homeland Security.”

March 2, 2005 -- Secretary Michael Chertoff testified before the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee on the President’s FY 2006 budget.  “Our analysis of the threats and risks will drive the structure, operations, policies, and missions of the Department, and not the other way around. We will not look at the threats and our mission through the prisms of the Department’s existing structures and functions. Instead, we will analyze the threats and define our mission holistically and exhaustively, then seek to adapt the Department to meet those threats and execute that mission.”

February 22, 2005 -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), issued a warning to the public about two new Iraq-related Internet scams targeting Americans. One is directed at the relatives of fallen U.S. soldiers in Iraq and another claims to be an ICE agent in Iraq tracking Saddam Hussein’s assets.

ICE warns that the public should not respond or provide any personal or financial information to anyone who makes such an overture.

Read More >>