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| | Hutchinson reflects on Homeland Security tenure
Sunday, Feb 27, 2005 By Alison Vekshin Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Asa Hutchinson marks his final day Monday at the Department of Homeland Security, ending a two-year tenure in which he attempted to refocus sprawling bureaucracies to the goal of keeping terrorists out of the United States. For Hutchinson, the job was not easy. "It has been probably the most physically draining responsibility I've had in my public service," he said in an interview. On the other hand, he added, "it's been one of the greatest senses of accomplishment that I've enjoyed." Hutchinson's departure as undersecretary for border and transportation security also brings to a close an eight-year chapter in Washington. He arrived in 1997 as a Republican congressman from Fort Smith, and then left Capitol Hill in 2001 to become head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. He has said he would be moving home to Arkansas where he is widely believed to be laying the groundwork to run for governor. The most recent chapter for Hutchinson began in January 2003, when the Senate confirmed him to his job at the newly created Department of Homeland Security. The department opened that March, merging 22 federal agencies and 180,000 employees, with 110,000 falling under Hutchinson's command. It was the largest government reorganization since the Defense Department was created in 1947. "It's changed from 22 agencies going 22 different directions into one department with a clear mission of homeland security," Hutchinson said. Hutchinson said his legacy will be the US-VISIT visitor-screening program, which allows customs and border officers to check visitors' digital finger scans and photographs against a database of known criminals and suspected terrorists and to confirm their identity. Hutchinson called it "probably the most lasting and historic and revolutionary change that will last for decades to come." Hutchinson's performance won points from some homeland security analysts. Others said agencies he oversaw still moved too slowly to upgrade border controls. "He has done a phenomenal job in a short period of time," said Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University. "He was part of the start-up team and the vision team and I think it's a positive legacy." Crystal Williams, deputy director of programs at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said Hutchinson was effective. "He's walked a very delicate line and walked it well between the demands of protecting the borders and the economy, keeping the lines of trade open and keeping a humanitarian view of refugees," Williams said. "While we haven't always agreed with his decisions, he's made them in a fair and open way," she said. But Michael Greenberger, director of the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, said big problems remain. "The border control issues have been a lingering, serious problem for the agency," Greenberger said. "There is a consensus that the Southwest border is a de facto sieve which can readily be crossed at various locations without having to confront checkpoints. "And I think a lot of the problems in this regard fall at Hutchinson's feet," he said. Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution, echoed Greenberger's assessment. "We've been slow to improve the protection of borders," O'Hanlon said. "The rigor with which we monitor people coming through our land borders hasn't increased that much." US-VISIT also has come under some criticism. The Government Accountability Office released a report on Feb. 23 saying the Department of Homeland Security has been slow to staff the program. "I didn't read the report as critical," Hutchinson said. "They've always called it a risky endeavor." While he did not single out a possible successor, Hutchinson said his replacement should be someone with a strong law enforcement background. Betty Guhman, Hutchinson's chief of staff and a confidante who also is leaving the Department of Homeland Security, said now was a good time for Hutchinson to move on. Hutchinson "focused on the stand up of this department," she said. "That's a different role from where we are now. "He enjoyed his time in Congress and he enjoyed campaigning and getting out around the state and he has probably missed that since he's been up here," Guhman said. "He didn't come up here to settle down in Washington," Guhman said. "He's always got a foot back in Arkansas." -- 30 -- |
