A recent audit by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has revealed significant deficiencies in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) processes for screening and vetting asylum seekers and noncitizens applying for admission into the United States.
The report, dated June 7, 2024, highlights technological, procedural, and coordination gaps that could pose serious risks to national security as the U.S. continues to experience record levels of illegal immigration.
The audit identified that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have struggled to fully implement effective screening measures.
The OIG found that although CBP has deployed new technologies like “Simplified Arrival” to enhance traveler screening, these systems still cannot access all federal data necessary for comprehensive vetting.
“CBP could not access all biometric data held in the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS),” the report states.
The disconnect between federal screening systems and federal databases suggests what little vetting that does occur for border-crossers is largely security theater.
The report also noted inconsistencies in CBP’s inspection procedures at land ports of entry (POE).
In some locations, officers only queried drivers rather than all vehicle occupants, leaving potential security threats unchecked.
“Officers at those POEs said port management frequently directed officers working vehicle primary inspection lanes to query only drivers,” according to the OIG, highlighting a practice that could allow individuals with derogatory information to enter the country undetected.
USCIS also faced scrutiny for its administration of the asylum process — a process DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently said was being “gamed” by illegal aliens who were not actually eligible for asylum status.
The agency did not consistently perform timely screenings for over 400,000 affirmative asylum applicants between October 2017 and March 2023. Furthermore, there is no dedicated procedure or technology for interim screening of these applicants during extended adjudication periods. “USCIS did not always complete timely screenings of more than 400,000 affirmative asylum applicants,” the report emphasizes, pointing to a backlog that could allow individuals with new derogatory information, such as criminal records or ties to transnational organized crime, to remain in the U.S. without detection.
Without effective capabilities to screen and vet noncitizens, DHS is at risk of admitting dangerous persons into the country, the OIG said.
The report underscores that the inability to access complete biometric data, inconsistent inspection practices, and the lack of interim screening for asylum seekers are significant vulnerabilities.
“Until the Department addresses these challenges, DHS will remain at risk of admitting dangerous persons into the country or enabling asylum seekers who may pose significant threats to public safety and national security to continue to reside in the United States,” the OIG concluded.
The OIG made five recommendations to address these issues, including improving data access with the DoD, standardizing inspection procedures at POEs, and enhancing USCIS’s interim screening capabilities. DHS has concurred with all recommendations and is working on plans to implement them.
For instance, CBP’s Office of Field Operations will update its directives to ensure comprehensive biographic queries of all travelers, while USCIS is enhancing its continuous vetting processes for asylum applicants.
Days after the report was released, federal law enforcement announced that eight Tajikistan nationals were arrested in Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia due to their connections with the terror group ISIS.
The eight men are just the latest illegal aliens with known ties to terror groups who have been released into the interior of the country.
On purpose
Nice to see the OIG made recommendations to help fix this problem. Doubtful any of them will be implemented effectively. Success along those lines would thwart the open border policy that is in force now. The ruination of America.