Overview
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), established in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, is a cabinet-level federal agency tasked with protecting the United States from a wide range of threats. Its sprawling mandate encompasses border security, immigration enforcement, cybersecurity, disaster response, and counterterrorism efforts. DHS is comprised of 22 different agencies, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Secret Service, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). With an annual budget often exceeding $100 billion and a workforce of over 260,000 employees, DHS is one of the largest federal departments, playing a critical role in national security and public safety.