As of September 13, 1995, INS had hired and finished training 530 Border Patrol agents and had an additional 369 agents in training. To identify the contributions of the Border Patrol to the districts’ enforcement activities, we interviewed 15 INS district directors to obtain their views on how their districts would be affected if Border Patrol agents’ enforcement activities were redirected into border enforcement at the border. To identify some factors that could affect decisions related to hiring or relocating agents to the Southwest Border, we analyzed the Border Patrol’s locations and activities. Most of the Border Patrol’s Agents Were Within 25 Miles of the Border

As shown in table 1, 3,088 (79 percent) of the Border Patrol’s agents and 85 stations (59 percent) were located within 25 miles of the border—zone I—at the end of fiscal year 1994. The average number of agents at each station was 6, and 22 of the 36 stations had fewer than 6 agents. Some Border Patrol Activities Paralleled Investigations and Inspections and Were of Lower Priority Than Investigations

When not patrolling the border, the Border Patrol, along with Investigations and Inspections, is responsible for carrying out four parallel enforcement activities: (1) identifying criminal and illegal aliens, (2) reviewing employers’ records to ensure that only authorized workers are employed, (3) investigating alien smuggling, and (4) inspecting crewmen and passengers aboard ships. For fiscal year 1994, 136 of the Border Patrol’s 145 stations apprehended 888,994 illegal aliens. In comparison, the budget data showed that the cost to hire, train, and equip one agent in fiscal year 1995 ranged from $107,840 to $115,716, depending on the agent’s grade level. Conversely, the agents on the Southwest Border spent 17 percent of their time (or 562,926 hours) apprehending illegal aliens after entry. INS’ fiscal year 1996 Continuing Resolution provided funding to relocate 200 Border Patrol agent positions to the front lines of the border and directs INS to restaff interior offices with criminal investigators. The focus of our review was on the activities and location of Border Patrol agents.
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO examined the U.S. Border Patrol's enforcement activities, focusing on the: (1) locations of Border Patrol enforcement activities; (2) number of Border Patrol staff and non-administrative enforcement activities at each station; (3) Border Patrol's contribution to district stations enforcement activities; and (4) factors that influence the hiring or relocation of Border Patrol agents to the Southwest Border.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) the Border Patrol assigned 3,911 of its 4,260 agents to 145 stations; (2) as of September 1995, the Border Patrol had hired and trained 530 new agents and had an additional 369 agents in training; (3) 79 percent of the agents were located at stations within 25 miles of the nation's borders; (4) Border Patrol agents spent 63 percent of their enforcement time patrolling borders and 37 percent of their time apprehending illegal aliens entering the U.S. illegally or who had violated their visas; (5) Border Patrol enforcement activities include identifying criminal and illegal aliens, reviewing employers' records to see if authorized workers were being employed, and investigating alien smuggling; (6) a Continuing Resolution for fiscal year 1996 has provided INS with funds to relocate 200 of its agent positions to the Southwest Border; (7) INS district directors depend on Border Patrol agents to randomly check traffic on public transportation and freight trains for illegal aliens; and (8) the average cost of hiring, training, and equipping new Border Patrol agents ranges from $107,804 to $115,716.