HSI officials unveil new task force for border security

Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, fourth from left, poses for a group photo with Homeland Security Investigations Honolulu special agent-in-charge John F. Tobon, third from left, and HSI assistant director Jerry Templet, fifth from left, after a meeting at Apatang’s office Friday. Also in the photo are acting secretary Tracy B. Norita and Customs director Jose Mafnas, fourth from right, and several other officials. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang met with visiting Homeland Security Investigations officials Friday during which they talked about the new Mariana Islands Border Enforcement Security Task Force in cooperation with the CNMI and Guam.

Apatang, is his capacity as acting governor, met with HSI assistant director Jerry Templet and HSI Honolulu special-agent-in-charge John F. Tobon, who were accompanied by Mark D. Yamanaka, resident agent in charge of the Immigration & Customs Enforcement Saipan Office, CNMI Customs director Jose Mafnas, and HSI assistant special agent John Duenas.

Acting Finance secretary Tracy B. Norita was among those who joined the meeting.

Templet said it is his first time to visit the CNMI and that their office covers this area and that he felt it was important to come out and actually see it here.

Templet said their agency considers relationships with state and local agencies important in order to complete their mission. “Certainly, we understand the value of having everybody working on the same team in order to protect the community, specifically protect Saipan from emerging threats, threats that we know about,” he said.

Templet said one of their goals this year is expanding into cyber intrusion.

“We have some really smart people, and our technology section specifically is growing out exponentially. So we’re definitely involved in those investigations that can do some really good forensic work,” he said.

Tobon said one of the good things that happened at the end of the last U.S. Congress is that the Border Enforcement Security Task Force, or BEST, got codified into law. Tobon said that’s going to allow them to reimburse departments for the salaries of the personnel that they assign to the BEST.

“So it really becomes a force multiplier in situations where we may not be able to give you money, but we may able to reimburse you for money you’ve already spent. That promotes the benefits of all the agencies, the state agencies as well as our agency,” he said.

Tobon said it allows them to give access to all of the personnel that are assigned as task force officers all of their resources.

Tobon said they just had a conversation about this is how to create pathways to give opportunities for individuals who are graduating from local colleges to go into federal law enforcement as well.

Tobon said this will allow their office on Saipan have people from this community.

He said this creates great opportunity for those students, and also creates great opportunity for HSI because it gives them consistency in terms of the personnel that are here.

“We want the personnel that are here to come from this community and so that’s another opportunity through BEST and through this collective partnership that we can do that we’re starting out as a pilot project,” Tobon said.

He said they are calling it the pathways internship program. Tobon said Honolulu is one of five or six offices that are piloting it, and once they get through that pilot project, then they are going to expand it nationwide.

Apatang said it’s a very good project as he is sure that a lot of the youth who are graduating from college will be interested in those careers.

“A lot of them are joining the military also, but I guess they’re not aware that we have this opportunity,” Apatang said.

Mafnas said they work closely with HSI here and has an officer assigned to the task force.

“And we are partners with them, helping with border enforcement for whatever information. We’ve been doing it for a long time,” Mafnas said.