Napolitano Stresses Security

American citizens must work with the federal government to keep America safe in an increasingly technologically complex, globalized world, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said at a Forum at the Institute of Politics last night.

At the event—cosponsored by the Kennedy School’s Women & Public Policy Program, National Security Program, and Women & Gender Caucus—Napolitano focused her remarks on combatting terrorist threats. But the audience, echoing the sentiments of a group of protestors outside, concentrated on immigration issues during the question-and-answer session.

Napolitano, whose name has been floated as a possible nominee to the Supreme Court, said that the federal government is working to share intelligence with international allies to combat foreign terrorism, and with local officials to prevent home-based threats. She also emphasized the importance of staying ahead of the Internet and new technology in modern terrorism.

Napolitano called on American citizens to work with the government to strengthen security.

“We can’t put a glass dome over our country. We can’t guarantee there won’t be another attack,” Napolitano said. “But making a habit out of preparedness, making it a part of our culture, will ultimately draw on the innovation and civic spirit of the American people.”

Audience members asked Napolitano, who served as Arizona’s governor before taking the helm of the Department of Homeland Security, to comment on immigration policies and the recent passage of anti-illegal immigrant legislation in Arizona. When questioned about the federal government’s plans to remedy problems in the enforcement of immigration laws, Napolitano stressed the need for comprehensive immigration reform.

“We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws,” Napolitano said.

Dimple J. Rana, a co-founder of the Massachusetts-based non-profit Deported Diaspora, said she thought Napolitano did not directly answer several questions about problems with current immigration policy and enforcement.

“As the head of the largest enforcement agency in the world, it’s not enough to say that we need reform now.” Rana said. “She has the power of the executive order.”

Rosa M. Robles, a community organizer in San Diego who is at Harvard as part of a week-long program with the National Hispana Leadership Institute, agreed that waiting is not an option.

“We live in fear. I can’t cross the border, and I have family in Mexico,” she said. “I feel like a prisoner in my own backyard.”

—Staff writer Stephanie B. Garlock can be reached at sgarlock@college.harvard.edu.