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Reaction To 9/11

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Homeland Security 319 Initial Reaction to 9/11: USA PATRIOT Act After the smoke had settled at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in rural Pennsylvania, the Bush administration and the US Congress needed to regain the confidence of America. The first two responses were the US-led invasion of Afghanistan on 7 October 2001 and the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, signed by President George W. Bush on 26 October 2001 (Congressional Research Service, 2002). The former was a proactive response after the Taliban failed to hand over Osama bin Laden, while the latter gave federal officials greater ability to monitor communications and prevent future terrorist acts. The USA PATRIOT Act traded off personal freedoms for collective security – a trade-off …show more content…

A second aspect encourages collaboration among foreign and domestic law enforcement agencies – for example, the FBI and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). A third provision augments anti-­ money laundering activities by mandating greater regulation of money transfers through actions at home and with counterparts abroad. The act also provides for augmented border protection – for example, biometric identification, a foreign-student monitoring program, machine-readable passports, and other measures. Another freedom-limiting provision increases the investigative powers of law enforcement agencies. Under this provision, the US attorney general and the US secretary of state have expanded powers to pay rewards to capture terrorists. A sixth set of provisions provides relief and compensation not only for the victims of terrorist attacks but also for safety officers injured or killed in the line of duty. Another provision increases criminal penalties against terrorists and greatly limits the statute of limitations on various terrorist acts. Penalties are also increased for those who aid terrorists. Penalties are extended to apply to acts of

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