Homeland Security’s Napolitano: ‘Passive surveillance’ inaccurate term for border response

October 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has told Bloomberg Television that Al Qaeda-type terrorists are present in the country and are being tracked.

September 16th, 2009 Under fire, Napolitano halts projects for reviewWASHINGTON — Facing criticism for her handling of federal stimulus money, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that she would not start any new border construction projects while the department reviewed how projects were selected. Napolitano has faced questions since The Associated Press reported last month that Homeland Security officials did not follow their internal priority lists when choosing which border checkpoints would get money for renovations.

September 16th, 2009 Napolitano says border security progress seenLAS CRUCES, N.M. — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the U.S.

September 2nd, 2009 Napolitano: 'Big Influx' of new infections likelyWASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that people should expect "a big influx" of swine flu cases this fall and prepare as best they can. "The best thing we all can do are the very simple things, the washing of the hands, the coughing into the sleeve," Napolitano said in a nationally broadcast interview.

July 29th, 2009 Napolitano says public should help fight terrorismNEW YORK — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says the U.S. government has not done everything it can to educate and engage the public in preventing terrorism.

July 28th, 2009 Napolitano tours new Olympics center in WashingtonBELLINGHAM, Wash. — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano got a tour Monday of a $4 million Olympics Coordination center that in six months should be a bustling hub of counterterrorism and security operations for the 2010 Winter Games in nearby British Columbia.

June 25th, 2009 Napolitano to Europe, Kuwait for terrorism talksWASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano leaves this weekend for meetings with officials in Europe and Kuwait on counterterrorism issues. At a meeting with reporters Thursday, Napolitano said she will be meeting with her counterparts in Britain as well as officials in Spain, Ireland and Portugal.

April 29th, 2009 First US swine flu death, spread deepens in EuropeWASHINGTON — Virulent swine flu swept deeper into Europe Wednesday, extending its global reach as President Barack Obama mourned the first U.S. death, a Mexican toddler in Texas, and said wider school closings in the United States may be necessary.

April 29th, 2009 49 people tested for flu at border, most clearedWASHINGTON — Customs agents have stopped and cleared 41 people with flulike symptoms at U.S. borders and are awaiting test results on eight more.

April 29th, 2009 Napolitano asserts strong federal flu responseWASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that dealing with the swine flu virus will be "a marathon, not a sprint" and individual citizens have a responsibility to help. Appearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Napolitano, who is the Obama administration's lead official on the federal disaster response, said that in important respects, state and local authorities represent the "first responder" role in the widening health emergency.

April 28th, 2009 Official: Some in US deaths likely from fluWASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is warning that more severe illnesses and some deaths are likely in the United States from the current swine flu outbreak. At a daily briefing on the government's response to the outbreak, Napolitano also said the virus could subside this summer and return in the fall when the normal flu season begins.

April 28th, 2009 Gov't: Stern border enforcement not yet necessaryWASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Tuesday staunchly defended its "passive surveillance" policy on the emerging swine flu threat, saying that its measured, cautious border monitoring makes sense. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano declared that more draconian enforcement steps are not yet necessary, even as she acknowledged that officials "anticipate confirmed cases in more states." She reiterated President Barack Obama's stance that people are justifiably concerned but need not be alarmed by it.

April 28th, 2009 Gov't: Stern border monitoring not yet necessaryWASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is arguing that "passive surveillance" of the U.S. border with Mexico is sufficient and that tougher monitoring measures are not yet necessary.

April 27th, 2009 Homeland chief says US preparing for full pandemicWASHINGTON — The head of the Homeland Security Department says the United States is preparing as if the swine flu outbreak is a full pandemic. Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters Monday that the World Health Organization is operating at level three, with level six a full pandemic.

April 27th, 2009 Congress to probe swine flu outbreakWASHINGTON — Congress plans to hold emergency hearings this week on swine flu. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of an appropriations subcommittee dealing with health issues, called for a hearing Tuesday afternoon to explore the public health response to the outbreak.