INTERPOL Washington Addresses World Border Security Congress in North Macedonia

This week, INTERPOL Washington participated in the World Border Security Conference in Skopje, North Macedonia, to highlight INTERPOL’S unique role in border security and to enhance critical law enforcement partnerships.

“The transnational criminal and terrorist threats we face today are increasingly lethal, diverse, invasive, and present in communities of all sizes across the world,” said INTERPOL Washington Director Michael A. Hughes. “Our efforts at home and abroad rely on international partnerships to dismantle the transnational criminal organizations that exploit border security vulnerabilities to commit heinous acts. At INTERPOL Washington, we are committed to working with our foreign and domestic law enforcement partners on programs that increase the security of American communities and build a safer world.”

The World Border Security Congress is a high-level, three-day forum for discussion and debate on current and future border policies, implementation issues, and other related challenges. Attendees also discuss new and developing border security technologies and share best practices. The conference provides a unique platform for sharing information and promoting cooperation among border management and security professionals from around the world. An INTERPOL Washington delegation spoke at the event, emphasizing the agency’s work in strengthening domestic and international border security.

INTERPOL Washington maintains numerous programs that strengthen border security at home and abroad. In the United States, INTERPOL Washington shares global criminal investigative data with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and more than 18,000 other domestic law enforcement agencies to ensure the frontline officers know the criminal history of foreign nationals they may encounter. Through Project Terminus, INTERPOL Washington also extends secure police communications systems to select nations, delivering solid, actionable criminal intelligence in a secure manner around the world.

A component of the U.S. Department of Justice co-managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, INTERPOL Washington—the U.S. National Central Bureau (USNCB)—is the designated U.S. representative to INTERPOL. It serves as the national point of contact and coordination for all INTERPOL matters, coordinating international investigative efforts among member countries and the more than 18,000 local, state, federal, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.