Ryan McSeveney, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DSS Miami Field Office

The work that the U.S. Government does on its home soil to fight transnational criminal organizations is only one aspect of its efforts. The less heard about Diplomatic Security Service is another arm of government that operates in every country where a U.S. Embassy is established. They work to ensure that criminal actors or those with connections to criminal organizations are prevented from getting U.S. visas. The Diplomatic Security Service also works with local authorities in these countries to combat illicit drug trafficking and human trafficking. The Acting Assistant Special Agent in Charge at D.S.S. told us more.

 

Ryan McSeveney, Acting Assistant Special Agent, D.S.S.

“Our Foreign Service Officers and DSS Agents abroad are the first line of security. When we see folks on TV running around, jumping out of helicopters, green suits, that is outstanding. But we also have to mention that our folks at embassies and consulates are making sure that the wrong people do not get into the United States, they don’t get the visa if they don’t deserve or if they don’t prove that they deserve that Visa. We also come in contact with a lot of foreign governments, police officers and we are able to get information, share information and train together to make sure that we are preventing transnational criminal organizations from using U.S. passports, travel documents and things like that. We do see quite a bit of huma trafficking. We have the statuory authority to investigate these crimes. In the Caribbean for example we see a lot of people getting legitimate B2/B1 Visas, coming to the United States, and once they are here they are either labor trafficked or worse, unfortunately, sex trafficked. A lot of times people come here believing they are going to go to Disney World, they are going to work for a corporation or a company that is legitimate that probably has ties to transnational criminal organization and they are exploited for their labor, sometimes their passports are held. So, we want to stop that.”