The Department of Justice
Office of Inspector General found that because of inadequate resources, faulty
computer data and insufficient training, the INS’ inspectors at the United
States’ 220 designated airports of entry did not properly screen the 70
million visitors they inspected last year.
Immigration inspectors are
charged with inspecting all travelers at ports of entry to determine they may
enter the
United States
. At airports, the inspection consist of a primary inspection and when required
a secondary inspection. The aim of this report was to evaluate the procedures
for referring persons to secondary inspection. Of the 70 million inspections
last year at the nation's air ports of entry, INS inspectors denied admission to
208,000 travelers .
The report stated that these
primary inspections are critically important in protecting the nation’s border
from terrorists, illegal entries, foreign smugglers, and other illegal
activities. The Inspector General’s report has been forwarded to the new
immigration bureaus in the Department of Homeland Security.
The Inspector General
identified three key problems:
- The
capability of INS staff at airports of entry to analyze advance passenger
information to identify high-risk and inadmissible travelers and monitor the
results of such targeting was limited due to the lack of adequate resources.
Such information is critical in identifying travelers who should be referred
for more detailed inspections.
- The
INS' computer database system, known as the "lookout system," did
not always provide inspectors critical information known to the INS that
could enable them to identify high-risk and inadmissible travelers. In
addition, inspectors were not always querying lookout databases as required,
and controls were not sufficient to ensure that all inspectors and
supervisors could access backup information systems in case of computer
outages.
- Inadequate
training increases the risk that inspectors could admit inadmissible
travelers. The computer training provided to new inspectors was insufficient
to allow them to capably use the systems that provide lookouts and other
critical information about travelers seeking entry into the
United States
. The INS invested more than $19 million in fiscal year 2002 to train 1,000
new immigration inspectors. The report found that the basic training course
does provide a good foundation for newly hired inspectors, but needs to
sufficiently improve terrorism awareness.
Commercial
airlines are required to submit detailed passenger manifests before arriving or
departing the
United
States
,
including the names and dates of birth for each passenger, their citizenship,
passport numbers and information on their
U.S.
visas as well as an address in the
United
States
.
The inspector general stated the need to expeditiously improve the capability to
perform passenger analyses prior to flight arrival. The report contains 27
recommendations to improve the primary inspections at the airports of entry.
