THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2025 17 in the administration’s effort to clamp down on crime in the nation’s capital. In August, DSS officers were deployed on the streets of Washington, D.C. State confirmed in a statement that it is “actively partnering with the Metropolitan Police Department and other law enforcement to provide interagency support in the ongoing mission to deter and reduce crime in the District of Columbia.” The move has sparked controversy. Critics call the deployment a political show, pointing to cases like the August 19 arrest of a part-time delivery driver who was charged with having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle. A DSS officer was involved in the arrest, which later escalated into a resisting charge. One federal public defender described the case as a by-product of a “federal occupation of D.C.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended the effort, saying that as the “front porch” of the United States, Washington should be safe and welcoming to foreign leaders and citizens alike. DSS has more than 2,500 employees worldwide and a mandate that includes counterterrorism, counterespionage, and protection of senior officials. As it expands its domestic profile, critics question how far the agency’s traditional diplomatic security role can stretch. Passport Bill Raises Alarm A new Republican bill in the House, introduced by Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) the week of September 15, is drawing fire from civil liberties groups for giving the Secretary of State sweeping authority to revoke or deny U.S. passports. The proposal comes just months after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the visa of Turkish doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, based solely on an op-ed she co-wrote critical of Israel. This move was later overturned by a court. Critics say the bill would open the door to similar actions against U.S. citizens. The legislation claims to target “terrorists and traffickers,” but its vague reference to providing “material support” to terrorist organizations has alarmed watchdogs. Seth Stern of the Freedom of the Press Foundation warned it amounts to “thought policing at the hands of one individual,” giving the Secretary the power to designate people as terrorist supporters “based solely on what they think and say.” Opponents warn the law could chill dissent far beyond the current political climate. Where Is State Magazine? Have you seen State Magazine lately? We haven’t either—not since May 2025. State Magazine is the in-house publication of the State Department, with roots dating back to 1947, when the Foreign Service News Letter was first published to keep the Foreign Service community informed of developments affecting operations and personnel. Over the decades, the publication changed names—from Department of State News Letter in 1961 to State in 1981, and finally State Magazine in 1996. The magazine went all-digital in 2015 and moved to its current online platform in 2019. It had been published monthly until this past spring. Since then, no word
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