According to a recent report released by the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection administration was under pressure to let lorries mix Mexico without proper examination.
According to Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari’s report from June 7, bosses at various area ports of entry pushed Border Patrol agents to even question the individuals of vehicles entering the country and not the passengers. Officers were instructed not to use” Simplified Arrival”, a biometric tool used by the DHS to “identify criminal warrants, national security concerns, or border crossing history, before admitting]individuals ] into the country”. Additionally, according to the report,” Government will continue to be at risk of welcoming risky individuals into the state who may pose risks to public health and national security.”
Following the difficulties encountered while screening and vetting immigrants, particularly those from Afghanistan, the report sought to assess the effectiveness of DHS procedures to display and animal asylum applicants and noncitizens seeking admission to the United States.
Another important findings in the report included twenty- nine supervisors” constantly” instructing subordinate officers to question just persons driving vehicles, never passengers, in crossing vehicles. Over 150 officials admitted to querying just drivers, with 104 doing but “monthly or more often”. Moreover, two officers added that” to speed up traffic flow, travelers were allowed into the country either without recognition or with expired documents.”
With the increase of border crossings all along the southern borders, officials have often said they’re overwhelmed. According to a CBP plan, “its land POE processing policy permits exceptions when nearby port management does not consider full inspections to be technically possible.” In fact, the company considers factors such as manpower, mix- border events, and visitors volume as reasons never to enforce rigorous identification review. To speed up processing, port management directed “primary examination paths to query only drivers.”
According to the same statement, this behavior “untangles soldiers with potentially offensive information about people driving.” Even though they believed all people should be checked before allowing them to enter the United States, officers were pressured to launch vehicles against their will.
Almost 900, 000 persons enter the country through POEs every day. According to the report, CBP runs the risk of allowing thieves, suspected terrorists, or another malicious actors into the country without conducting” an inquiry into all noncitizens entering the country.”
Arianna Villarreal is a summer intern at The Federalist.
