Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions in the United States

Introduction to Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions

The DHS has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The department is led by a secretary who is nominated by the president of the United States and approved by the United States Senate. The secretary is a member of the president’s Cabinet. A deputy secretary assists the secretary.

The department has four main divisions known as directorates, each administered by an undersecretary. The Directorate of Border and Transportation Security is responsible for preventing terrorists from entering the United States; for protecting air, land, and sea transportation systems; and for enforcing immigration laws. The Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Response is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s response to terrorist attacks and major disasters and for assisting in recovery. The Directorate of Science and Technology is charged with overseeing efforts to protect the United States from attacks involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons. It also conducts and funds research related to homeland security. The Directorate of Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection is responsible for analyzing intelligence from a vast array of federal, state, and local agencies in order to detect terrorist threats and identify vulnerabilities in the country’s infrastructure.

Many major government agencies are part of the DHS. These include the United States Coast Guard, which protects the country’s ports and waterways; the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which plans for and responds to disasters; and the Secret Service, which protects the president, vice president, and other officials and investigates counterfeiting and financial crimes. Other agencies making up the DHS are the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (created from parts of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service), which handles immigrant visa petitions as well as naturalization, asylum, and refugee applications; the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees airport security; and the United States Customs Service, which inspects passengers, vehicles, and cargo entering or leaving the United States.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions

In this Section

Federal Departments, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense (including Department of Defense Purpose, Department of Defense Organization, Department of Defense Liaison of Command and Department of Defense Supporting Agencies), Department of Education, Department of Energy

(including Department of Energy Purpose, Department of Energy Organization and Department of Energy Research and Development), Department of Health and Human Services (including Department of Health and Human Services History and Department of Health and Human Services Agencies and Services), Department of Homeland Security (including Department of Homeland Security Organization and Functions, Department of Homeland Security Origins and Department of Homeland Security Supporting Agencies), Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice (including Department of Justice Functions, Department of Justice Structure and Department of Justice Associated Agencies), Department of Labor, Department of National Defence, Department of State (including Department of State Administration and Department of State Bureaus), Department of the Air Force, Department of the Army, Department of the Interior (including Department of the Interior Functions and Department of the Interior Principal Agencies), Department of the Navy, Department of the Treasury, Department of Transportation, Department of Veterans Affairs (including the Department of Veterans Affairs Service Categories, Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Available and GI Bill of Rights) and Department of War.