Homeland Security USA
By Melissa Camacho,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
National security docu shares a little too much detail.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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What's the Story?
HOMELAND SECURITY USA offers an inside look at the different ways the titular government department attempts to keep America safe. Each episode zeroes in on the different security measures taken by various federal organizations, including U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the Coast Guard. Cameras follow officers and agents as they attempt to stop illegal drug smuggling, intercept undocumented workers, and check for potential terrorist threats. Through it all, the Homeland Security employees offer their thoughts about their work and the impact they hope it has on America's overall safety.
Is It Any Good?
The series is full of interesting and disturbing moments, with situations that range from the very serious to the rather absurd. Security incidents include everything from arresting drug smugglers and seizing kilos of illegal narcotics at the border to dealing with frustrated airline passengers at security checkpoints. Many of the featured incidents are also troubling, especially when ethnic profiling clearly factors into the security precautions and innocent people are unapologetically harassed and/or held at gunpoint (sometimes in front of small, clearly traumatized children) thanks to "glitches" the system.
While the show may offer a realistic portrayal of the day-to-day efforts to keep America safe, it offers almost too much detail about the different ways that people and contraband can be smuggled into the country -- including close-up images showing where and how various items can be hidden in order to make it across the border undetected. You also have to wonder whether the decision to share some of the ways the government is trying to keep the public safe, no matter how simplistic they may appear, is really a good idea. Bottom line? Watching this show may not make you feel safer, but it certainly has the potential to make you feel conflicted.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the media typically portrays threats to national security. How does that tie into issues like racial/ethnic stereotyping? Families can also discuss what wit would be like to work for the Department of Homeland Security. What kind of training must agents have in order to work for the department? What kind of dangers do people who work for its agencies face on the job?
TV Details
- Premiere date: January 6, 2009
- Cast: Phil Crowley
- Network: ABC
- Genre: Reality TV
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: February 24, 2022
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