SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS PFLUGER, D'ESPOSITO PROBE DHS OVER LIMITED SECURITY CLEARANCES ISSUED TO STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS
Letter
Dear Secretary Mayorkas:
The Committee on Homeland Security (Committee) is writing to request information
about the policy and processes used by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of
Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) for issuing security clearances to law enforcement partners in
the State, Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT) community nationwide.
Recently, the Committee has learned that I&A, which has a responsibility for providing
SLTT law enforcement access to intelligence products, including some at the classified level, is
apparently not issuing an adequate number of security clearances for some SLTT agencies to
properly staff posts requiring a security clearance. Specifically, multiple concerns have been
raised that DHS as a policy--whether formally or informally--has begun more strictly limiting
security clearances to some or all SLTT law enforcement agencies for unknown reasons, which
is having a negative effect on their ability to receive and use intelligence critical to their
important duties to protect and serve their communities.
To more fully understand I&A's processes and policies for issuing security clearances to
SLTT agencies, we request that DHS provide Committee staff a briefing, to include but not
limited to, information about I&A's screening and vetting processes for issuing security
clearances to SLTT law enforcement partners, no later than August 17, 2023. We also request
that DHS provide an annual accounting of how many security clearances were granted and
rescinded for major SLTT partners from January 20, 2021, to the present, detailing by
department (e.g., Houston Police Department, New York Police Department). Please contact the
Committee on Homeland Security Majority staff at (202) 226-8417 with any questions about this
request.
Per House Rule X, the Committee on Homeland Security is the principal committee of
jurisdiction for overall homeland security policy and has special oversight functions of "all
Government activities relating to homeland security, including the interaction of all departments
and agencies with the Department of Homeland Security."
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter
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