Infrastructure, Immigration, & Security Operations Program (IISO)

Officers with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations, process international arrivals of passenger flights at Boston.

The RAND Homeland Security Research Division’s Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations Program (IISO) conducts research to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) achieving its strategic priorities and missions through its public activities and operations.

IISO analysis supports the development and execution of homeland security policies and operations with particular attention to cyber and physical infrastructure security and resilience, immigration policy and border security enforcement, terrorism and radicalization, crimes of exploitation, Arctic and maritime security, and the impacts of mis/disinformation. IISO research identifies solutions to address the risks posed by emergent threats and hazards, including physical, criminal, economic, environmental, and cyber-enabled threats.

Sponsors of IISO work include:

  • Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
  • U. S. Coast Guard (USCG)
  • U.S. Secret Service
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
  • U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
  • Office of Homeland Security Statistics
  • Federal Protective Service

In addition to its direct support to DHS components, IISO supports U.S. and international government, private-sector, and non-governmental organizations across the Homeland Security Enterprise.

IISO assists decision-makers by:

  • evaluating emerging issues that impact critical infrastructure and homeland security
  • identifying best practices and developing policy frameworks to increase security and reduce violence against schools and soft targets
  • conducting workshops and tabletop exercises to determine future homeland threats and recommending responses and resource allocation
  • modeling and assessing climate hazard impacts on critical infrastructure
  • assessing methods to support more effective, efficient, and equitable screening at airports, seaports, and borders
  • assisting in the formation, evaluation, and improvement of immigration policies and assessing the implementation and effectiveness of immigration enforcement and border security approaches
  • modeling the drivers of migration and the impacts of immigration policies on individuals and communities

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See also: critical infrastructure protection, school safety, transportation security