Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas gives remarks during the launch of the Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Photo courtesy of Sydney Phoenix.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas launched the Office of Homeland Security Statistics in a November ceremony that included Chief Statistician of the United States Karin Orvis, Office of Homeland Security Statistics Director Marc Rosenblum, and US Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans Robert Silvers. The office is an expansion of the statistical activities at DHS, where previously the Office of Immigration Statistics—the Office of Homeland Security Statistics predecessor—covered only immigration statistics. The new office’s purview will cover all DHS mission areas and, for the current fiscal year, plans data releases on law enforcement, international trade, cybersecurity, airport screening, emergency response to federal disasters, and maritime response operations. In addition, working with the department’s chief data officer, the office will oversee the development of department-wide data standards.

In his remarks, Mayorkas hailed the launch of the Office of Homeland Security Statistics, stating, “Data-driven decision-making is an integral part of everything we do, and this new office will inform our policymaking, enhance our law enforcement and investigative operations, and allow us to distribute resources—including grants—more effectively.” He added, “Our increased transparency will inform the American people as we work to fulfill our security and safety mission, while safeguarding privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.”

“Demand for immigration data governance, data processing, modeling, and reporting have exploded in the last few years,” Rosenblum said. “DHS does incredibly important work, and the OHSS team is 100 percent committed to our piece of the mission, which is to foster transparency and data-driven homeland security decision-making by analyzing and disseminating timely, objective DHS data and statistics.”

From left: Mary Jo Hoeksema, Population Association of America; Karin Orvis, chief statistician of the US; Marc Rosenblum, Office of Homeland Security Statistics; and Steve Pierson, American Statistical Association
Photo courtesy of Steve Pierson.

Furthering the elevation of the DHS statistics activities, the Office of Homeland Security Statistics will also pursue recognition as a federal statistical unit by the Office of Management and Budget. Currently, there are three recognized federal statistical units in addition to the 13 recognized federal statistical agencies. The Evidence Act of 2018 defines a statistical agency and unit as “an agency or organizational unit of the executive branch whose activities are predominantly the collection, compilation, processing, or analysis of information for statistical purpose.”

Silvers, who was instrumental in the creation of the office, addressed the OMB recognition in his prepared remarks:

In her remarks, Orvis expressed her hope “to see the OHSS become one of the first statistical units to become formally recognized as an ‘OMB Recognized Statistical Agency and Unit’ under the new procedures required by the Evidence Act.” She also noted “the amount of serious thought, dedication, and commitment that DHS has already shown in envisioning, creating, and supporting the OHSS.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (center) gathers with Chief Statistician of the United States Karin Orvis (left of Mayorkas), Office of Homeland Security Statistics Director Marc Rosenblum (right of Mayorkas), and Office of Homeland Security Statistics staff. Photo courtesy of Sydney Phoenix.

A recording of the launch is available on YouTube.