Eight former officials of the Department of Homeland Security are asking how to improve security here in the United States.

NPR: Assessing Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security alerted 128 flights that were then en route to the United States from Europe and told them to take security precautions, CNN's Jeanne Meserve reported.

CNN: Feinstein wants reversal of policy on no-fly list

It is rare but possible for the Department of Homeland Security to "parole'' a foreign national into the United States in extraordinary cases, for individuals of special interest to the United States, when a walk-in is in immediate danger, or when the case is "politically sensitive, '' the cable states.

WSJ: U.S. Saw Chongqing Top Cop as Risky Asylum Candidate