To provide information on whether the Border Patrol Academy has kept pace with increased hiring and has the capacity to meet the basic training needs associated with future growth, we visited the Border Patrol Academy and FLETC in Glynco, Georgia, and the Border Patrol’s temporary training facility in Charleston, South Carolina. INS Did Not Meet Its Fiscal Year 1999 Border Patrol Hiring Goal

INS was able to increase the onboard strength of the Border Patrol by more than 1,000 agents in the first 2 years of its 5-year hiring goal, but in the third year (fiscal year 1999) it was only able to increase its onboard strength by 369 agents. This resulted in a net shortfall of 594 agents for the 3-year period ending September 30, 1999. During fiscal year 1997, the first year of its goal to increase the Border Patrol’s onboard strength by 1,000 agents, INS actually hired 1,726 agents, which resulted in a net increase of 1,002 agents. INS Is Taking Steps to Address Recruiting and Hiring Problems

To improve its ability to identify and recruit applicants, INS has redirected $2.2 million to enhance its recruiting and hiring initiatives and said it is prepared to redirect additional funds, if needed. Since April 1999, INS has been asking applicants their reasons for declining offers to join the Border Patrol. However, INS does not have plans to collect data on why it is losing applicants at other stages later in the hiring process. For example, between fiscal years 1994 and 1998, the percentage of agents stationed along the southwest border with 2 years of experience or less almost tripled, from 14 percent to 39 percent, and the percentage of agents with 3 years of experience or less more than doubled, from 26 percent to 54 percent. For example, in Arizona’s Tucson sector, which experienced the greatest increase, the ratio of nonsupervisory agents to each supervisory agent rose from 8 to 1 in fiscal year 1994 to about 11 to 1 in fiscal year 1998. As of October 1999, the Academy was planning to train about 1,900 new agents in fiscal year 2000, although it may revise this estimate as the year progresses depending on the number of agents INS is able to hire.According to a Border Patrol official, this training projection should allow the Academy to train new agents hired in fiscal year 2000, any additional agents who must be hired to replace those who leave the Border Patrol during that year, and about 600 agents who must be hired if INS is to make up for the fiscal year 1999 hiring shortfall. In addition to surveying those applicants who do not show up for the written test and collecting information from those who decline a job offer, INS could find it informative and cost-effective to learn why some applicants drop out at other stages later in the hiring process. For example, INS could survey applicants, or a sample of applicants, who voluntarily withdraw from the process after passing the interview or the background investigation. INS’ Recruiting Efforts and Hiring Process

This appendix provides an overview of INS’ recruitment program, a summary of difficulties INS has faced in trying to meet its hiring goals, and a summary of new initiatives INS is implementing to improve its ability to recruit and hire agents. INS relies on an outside contractor for applicants’ medical examinations. The survey of applicants who do not report for testing will ask for the applicants’ reasons for not reporting. Table III.3 shows changes in the level of experience of agents assigned to the southwest border. Average Number of Agents Per Supervisor Increased

As a result of the increased hiring of Border Patrol agents, the ratio of nonsupervisory agents (GS-5 through GS-11) to one GS-12 supervisory agent increased across the Border Patrol—from 7 to 1 in fiscal year 1994 to 8 to 1 in fiscal year 1998. Map of Border Patrol Sectors Along the Southwest Border

New Border Patrol agents are sent to the Border Patrol Academy for a 19- week basic training program within days of reporting for duty at their assigned sectors.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on Border Patrol hiring, focusing on: (1) the Immigration and Naturalization Service's (INS) ability to meet its 5-year goal to increase the Border Patrol's onboard strength by 1,000 agents each year from fiscal years (FY) 1997 through 2001; (2) INS' efforts to improve its recruiting efforts and hiring process; (3) changes in the years of experience and level of supervision of Border Patrol agents during INS' increased hiring; and (4) the ability of INS' basic training program to support the pace at which Border Patrol agents have been hired, including whether the Border Patrol Academy anticipates having the capacity to meet future growth.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) INS' recruitment program yielded a net increase of 1,002 Border Patrol agents in FY 1997 and a net increase of 1,035 agents in FY 1998 after accounting for attrition; (2) although INS succeeded in increasing the Border Patrol's onboard strength by 1,000 agents each year, it saw a net increase of only 369 agents in FY 1999 because it was unable to recruit enough qualified applicants and retain them through the hiring process; (3) for the 3-year period ending September 30, 1999, INS experienced a net hiring shortfall of 594 agents; (4) INS has had difficulties attracting and retaining qualified applicants; (5) few individuals who apply to the Border Patrol successfully complete the application process; (6) some fail to pass the rigorous entry examination, medical examination, or background investigation, while others withdraw from the process; (7) in FY 1999, failure and drop-out rates were higher than in the past; (8) to address its hiring problems, INS has redirected $2.2 million to enhance its recruitment program, which includes: (a) initiatives to increase Border Patrol agents' involvement in recruitment and fine-tuning INS' hiring process; (b) surveying applicants for reasons why they register for the written examination but do not report for testing to find out their reasons for not reporting, as well as those who do report for testing for their views on the initial part of the hiring process; and (c) asking applicants their reasons for declining Border Patrol job offers; (9) however, INS does not have plans to survey applicants who voluntarily withdraw at other stages later in the process; (10) as hiring has increased, the average experience level of Border Patrol agents has declined agencywide, as well as along the southwest border; (11) the percentage of agents along the southwest border with 2 years of experience or less almost tripled--from 14 percent to 39 percent--between FY 1994 and FY 1998; (12) during the same period, 7 southwest border sectors experienced some increase in the average number of nonsupervisory agents assigned to each supervisory agent; (13) the Tucson sector experienced the greatest increase, with its ratio of nonsupervisory agents to one supervisory agent rising from 8 to 1 in FY 1994 to about 11 to 1 in FY 1998; and (14) by relying on a temporary training facility in Charleston, South Carolina since 1996, the Border Patrol Academy has been able to provide newly hired agents with required training and, according to a Border Patrol official, is prepared to meet the training needs associated with future growth.