Department of Homeland Security 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Coast Guard is establishing a permanent special local regulation for certain waters of Henderson Bay in Henderson Harbor, NY, in support of the Christmas in July festival. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters near Henderson Bay, Henderson Harbor, NY, during a boat parade. This rulemaking will prohibit persons and vessels from entering, transiting through, anchoring, blocking, or loitering within the event area adjacent to the city of Henderson Harbor, unless authorized by the Captain of the Port Buffalo or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard announces that the Chief of the Prevention Division, Fifth Coast Guard District, has issued a certificate of alternative compliance from the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS), for the USAV BRANDY STATION, O.N. CG1045736. We are issuing this notice because its publication is required by statute. Due to the construction and placement of the forward masthead light, USAV BRANDY STATION cannot fully comply with the light, shape, or sound signal provisions of the 72 COLREGS without interfering with the vessel's design and construction. This notification of issuance of a certificate of alternative compliance promotes the Coast Guard's marine safety mission.

The Coast Guard will enforce certain safety zones located in the federal regulations for Annual Events in the Captain of the Port Buffalo Zone. This action is necessary and intended to protect the safety of life and property on navigable waters prior to, during, and immediately after these events. During each enforcement period, no person or vessel may enter the respective safety zone without the permission of the Captain of the Port Buffalo or their designated representative.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its regulations to create a framework under which the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) may, as an optional alternative to the in- person physical document examination method that employers have followed as part of the Form I-9 process set forth in current regulations, authorize alternative document examination procedures. The Secretary may authorize such alternative procedures with respect to some or all employers as part of a pilot program, upon the Secretary's determination that such procedures offer an equivalent level of security, or as a temporary measure to address a public health emergency declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, or a national emergency declared by the President pursuant to sections 201 and 301 of the National Emergencies Act. In addition, in a separate document published in this edition of the Federal Register, DHS is announcing the Secretary's authorization of an alternative document examination procedure and the conditions for participation.

On December 2, 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing a National Customs Automation Program Test concerning the submission of unique entity identifiers for the Global Business Identifier (GBI) Evaluative Proof of Concept (EPoC). This document republishes and supersedes the notice published on December 2, 2022, extends the test period from July 21, 2023, through February 14, 2024, provides the correct web address for interested parties to use to obtain the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), clarifies that CBP will allow participants to transmit one or more of the three entity identifiers, and makes additional minor technical and conforming corrections.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary moving safety zone around the M/V ZHEN HUA 23 while it transits through the Port of Los Angeles to Fenix Marine Services (FMS), Pier LA 302. This safety zone is necessary to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards associated with oversized cargo transfer operations of two quay cranes and equipment, which will extend more than 200 feet out from the transiting vessel. Entry of persons or vessels into this safety zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port (COTP) Los Angeles-Long Beach, or their designated representative.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) invites public comment on one currently approved Information Collection Request (ICR), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 1652-0003, abstracted below that we will submit to OMB for a revision in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected burden. Aircraft operators must provide certain information to TSA and adopt and implement a TSA-approved security program. These programs require aircraft operators to maintain and update records to ensure compliance with security provisions set forth in 49 CFR part 1544.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requests that qualified individuals interested in serving on a subcommittee of the FEMA National Advisory Council (NAC) to provide advice regarding Preliminary Damage Assessments, apply for appointment as identified in this notice. Appointed members will serve on the subcommittee only and will not be members of the NAC.

The Coast Guard is establishing three temporary, 500-yard radius, moving security zones for certain vessels carrying Certain Dangerous Cargoes (CDC) within the Corpus Christi Ship Channel and the La Quinta Channel. The temporary security zones are needed to protect the vessels, the CDC cargo, and the surrounding waterway from terrorist acts, sabotage, or other subversive acts, accidents, or other events of a similar nature. Entry of vessels or persons into these zones is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Corpus Christi or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone for the Hemingway Paddleboard Race, Key West, Florida to provide for the safety of life on the navigable waterways during this event. This action is necessary to ensure the safety of event participants and spectators. During the enforcement period, no person or vessel may enter, transit through, anchor in, or remain within the regulated area without approval from the Captain of the Port Key West or a designated representative.

The Coast Guard will enforce a safety zone that encompasses certain navigable waters in the Cleveland Inner Harbor West Basin on Lake Erie, for the Whiskey Island Paddlefest in Cleveland, OH. This action is necessary and intended for the safety of life and property on navigable waters during this event. During the enforcement period, no person or vessel may enter the respective safety zone without the permission of the Captain of the Port Buffalo or a designated representative.

The Great Lakes Pilotage Advisory Committee (Committee) will meet in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan to discuss matters relating to Great Lakes Pilotage, including review of proposed Great Lakes Pilotage regulations and policies. The meeting will be open to the public.

The Coast Guard is proposing to establish a safety zone to be enforced in the event of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Sector North Carolina Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone. This action is necessary to ensure the safety of the waters of the Sector North Carolina COTP Zone. This proposed rulemaking would establish actions to be completed by industry and vessels in the COTP Zone prior to landfall of hurricanes and tropical storms threatening the State of North Carolina. We invite your comments on this proposed rulemaking.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 days for public comments.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment upon this proposed extension of a currently approved collection of information. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the information collection notice is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments regarding the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort, and resources used by the respondents to respond), the estimated cost to the respondent, and the actual information collection instruments.

This notice announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is amending the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List by adding eight qualifying fields of study and a corresponding Department of Education Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code for each. No CIP codes from the existing list are being removed. The list is used to determine whether a degree obtained by certain F-1 nonimmigrant students following the completion of a program of study qualifies as a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) degree as determined by DHS, as required for the F-1 student to be eligible to apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion optional practical training (OPT).

The Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council (HSAPC) will hold a public meeting on Monday, August 7, 2023. The meeting will be open to the public via web conference.

This notice lists communities where the addition or modification of Base Flood Elevations (BFEs), base flood depths, Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) boundaries or zone designations, or the regulatory floodway (hereinafter referred to as flood hazard determinations), as shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs), and where applicable, in the supporting Flood Insurance Study (FIS) reports, prepared by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for each community, is appropriate because of new scientific or technical data. The FIRM, and where applicable, portions of the FIS report, have been revised to reflect these flood hazard determinations through issuance of a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR), in accordance with Federal Regulations. The currently effective community number is shown in the table below and must be used for all new policies and renewals.

This notice announces the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) creation and implementation of a family reunification parole process (FRP) for Salvadorans. Under this process, certain Salvadoran principal beneficiaries of an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, and their immediate family members, will be issued advance authorization to travel to the United States to seek a discretionary grant of parole into the United States for a period of up to three years, rather than remain outside the United States while awaiting availability of their immigrant visas. This process will allow family members to reunite in the United States while they wait for their immigrant visas to become available. This process is voluntary and intended to provide an additional lawful, safe, and orderly avenue for migration from El Salvador to the United States as an alternative to irregular migration to help relieve pressure at the Southwest Border (SWB) and reunite families, consistent with U.S. national security interests and foreign policy priorities. The process complements other efforts to collaboratively manage migration in the Western Hemisphere and at the SWB as the U.S. Government (USG) continues to implement its broader, multi-pronged, and regional strategy to address the challenges posed by irregular migration.

This notice announces the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) creation and implementation of a family reunification parole process (FRP) for Guatemalans. Under this process, certain Guatemalan principal beneficiaries of an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, and their immediate family members, will be issued advance authorization to travel to the United States to seek a discretionary grant of parole into the United States for a period of up to three years, rather than remain outside the United States while awaiting availability of their immigrant visas. This process will allow family members to reunite in the United States while they wait for their immigrant visas to become available. This process is voluntary and intended to provide an additional lawful, safe, and orderly avenue for migration from Guatemala to the United States as an alternative to irregular migration to help relieve pressure at the Southwest Border (SWB) and reunite families, consistent with U.S. national security interests and foreign policy priorities. The process complements other efforts to collaboratively manage migration in the Western Hemisphere and at the SWB as the U.S. Government (USG) continues to implement its broader, multi-pronged, and regional strategy to address the challenges posed by irregular migration.

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

Each year, the tariff-rate quota for tuna described in subheading 1604.14.22, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), is calculated as a percentage of the tuna in airtight containers entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption during the preceding calendar year. This document sets forth the tariff-rate quota for Calendar Year 2023.

The Coast Guard will enforce special local regulations at various locations in Captain of the Port Charleston from July 14, 2023, to July 22, 2023. Our regulation for marine events within the Captain of the Port (COTP) Charleston identifies the regulated areas for these annual events in South Carolina. This action is necessary to provide for the safety of life on these navigable waters during marine events. During the enforcement periods, if you are the operator of a vessel in the regulated area you must comply with directions from the COTP Charleston or designated representative.

The Coast Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone for certain navigable waters in the Corpus Christi Bay. The safety zone is needed to protect personnel, vessels, and the marine environment from potential hazards created by a fireworks display launched from a barge in the Corpus Christi Bay in Corpus Christi, Texas. Entry of vessels or persons into this zone is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Captain of the Port Sector Corpus Christi or a designated representative.