BORN AFTER 9/11. HOMELAND SECURITY TURNS 20 FACING NEW TASKS

A federal agency born in the aftermath of Sept. 11 when the primary concern was stopping terrorists from entering the U.S. is changing to meet new challenges, said the secretary of homeland security as he marked its 20-year anniversary during a ceremony Wednesday.

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Alejandro Mayorkas highlighted emerging threats such as cybersecurity attacks and lone offenders radicalized online, but the Department of Homeland Security is perhaps most in the spotlight for its role in the country’s immigration debate.

“We have adapted and built capabilities to address the threats and challenges as they have evolved,” Mayorkas told a crowd assembled at the agency’s Washington headquarters. “We were created 20 years ago in the largest restructuring of the federal government since World War II. Now we are a critical part of people’s lives, interacting with the American people on a daily basis more than any other department or agency in the federal government.”