Briefly noted

Dems want DHS to target criminal illegal immigrants
DHS has been given an infusion of cash to carry out controversial immigration enforcement operations around the country, but the Democratic-controlled Congress wants the agency to prioritize finding and deporting the most dangerous illegal immigrants. Congress gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement about $5 billion in the department’s fiscal 2009 appropriations bill, which was signed into law Tuesday by President Bush as part of the continuing resolution to keep the federal government functioning in the new fiscal year.

“A delicate balance” between port security and business requirements
On any given day, thousands of steel containers full of millions of dollars of merchandise sit in red, orange and blue stacks at the Virginia Port Authority’s three international marine terminals in Hampton Roads. Each year, more than $52 billion worth of cargo passes through the terminals, which cover more than 1,000 acres along the waterfront.

Somalia: Pirate’s vital routes attacks cause shipping costs to soar
Somali pirates plying the Gulf of Aden in speedboats equipped with grenade launchers and scaling ladders have launched what the maritime industry calls the biggest surge of piracy in modern times, sending shipping costs soaring and the world’s navies scrambling to protect the main water route from Asia and the Middle East to Europe.