United States Department of Homeland Security

United States Department of Homeland Security
	Seal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
	Flag of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
	; Nebraska Avenue Complex, DHS headquarters
Agency overview
Formed	November 25, 2002
Jurisdiction	United States
Headquarters	Nebraska Avenue Complex, Washington, D.C., U.S.; 38°56′20″N 77°4′59″W / 38.93889°N 77.08306°W
Employees	229,000 (2017)
Annual budget	$40.6 billion (2017)
Agency executives	Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary; TBD, Deputy Secretary;
Child agencies	United States Citizenship and Immigration Services; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Federal Emergency Management Agency; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Transportation Security Administration; United States Coast Guard (during times of peace); National Protection and Programs Directorate; United States Secret Service; Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; Federal Protective Service; Citizenship & Immigration Services Ombudsmen; Domestic Nuclear Detection Office; Management Directorate; Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties; Office of General Counsel; Office of Health Affairs; Office of Intelligence & Analysis; Office of Legislative Affairs; Office of Operations Coordination; Office of Partnership & Engagement; Office of Policy; Office of Public Affairs; Office of the Inspector General; Privacy Office; Science & Technology Directorate;
Website	www.dhs.gov
	; "The DHS March"

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known in the United States as "Homeland Security", is a Cabinet department of the U.S. federal government with the duty of protecting the U.S. from terrorist attacks and helping when there is a natural disaster.

In 2002, because of the September 11 attacks in 2001, Congress passed a bill called the Homeland Security Act, which created the Department of Homeland Security. Tom Ridge was the first leader of the Department of Homeland Security. This was the biggest change to the federal government in 50 years.^[3]