India-US Homeland Security Dialogue Focuses On Combating Terror, Money Laundering

At the India-US homeland security conversation held here on Wednesday, both countries talked about how they are continuing to work together to fight terrorism and keep people safe. They especially talked about how they can work together to fight violent extremism, drug trafficking, organized crime, and make sure transportation is safe.

Ajay Bhalla, who is the home secretary of India, led the Indian side. Kristie Canaegallo, who is the acting deputy secretary for homeland security in the US, led the US group.

The US and India reaffirmed their commitment to fostering strong relationships between their people. They talked about ways to make migration safe and legal, fight illegal immigration, human trafficking, money laundering, and cyber crimes, and stop people from abusing the internet for illegal activities like funding terrorism.

It’s likely that the attacks on the Indian consulate in San Francisco last year came up during the talk about how to stop violent terrorism. It is being looked into by the NIA, while US agencies like the FBI “aggressively investigate the incidents” on their end.

On Wednesday, Bhalla and Canaegallo both said again how much they wanted to strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership between their own law enforcement agencies. They want to do this by exchanging information, building each other’s skills, providing technical help, and holding regular meetings of sub-groups set up as part of the Homeland Security Dialogue.

The homeland security conversation ended on Wednesday with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the US federal law enforcement center and the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy here. This will make it easier for law enforcement officers to share training.

The next meeting of the top officials to talk about homeland security was agreed to take place in Washington, DC, at a time that worked for everyone.