Previous GAO Work

We have previously reported on topics related to the defense in depth  strategy, and specifically on checkpoints. Border Patrol Deploys Agents Based on Availability and Geography, Among Other Factors, and Agent Activity Schedules Vary By Sector

		Border Patrol Assigns Agents Based on Factors Such As Availability, Geography, and Illegal Traffic Patterns

According to sector officials, decisions about agent deployment in terms  of location and activity are based on multiple factors, including the  availability of agents for a given shift, the geography in a station’s area of  responsibility, and illegal traffic patterns. Officials from all  nine southwest border sectors cited current staffing levels and the  availability of agents as a challenge for optimal deployment. Nationwide,  as of May 2017, Border Patrol had nearly 1,900 fewer agents than  authorized and has faced hiring and retention challenges in recent years. Our analysis included time that agents were scheduled to be off duty or  on scheduled leave because scheduled time off can affect supervisors’  deployment decisions by reducing the number of agents available on a  particular day. Sector officials generally stated that stations prioritize  deployment to areas along the immediate border. Apprehensions Occurred Closer to the Border in Fiscal Year 2016 Compared to Fiscal Year 2012, While Seizure Locations Remained Relatively Unchanged

		Apprehensions

From fiscal years 2012 through 2016, 33 percent of southwest border  apprehensions were made one-half mile or less from the border, and over  this time period apprehensions increasingly occurred closer to the border,  as shown in figure 8. According to Border Patrol officials and apprehension data, one key driver  for apprehensions occurring closer to the border is the increasing number  of apprehensions of children (either unaccompanied or as part of family  units) from countries other than Mexico. Long-Standing Data Quality Issues Make It Difficult to Precisely Measure Checkpoints’ Contributions to Apprehensions and Seizures

		Checkpoints’ Role in Apprehensions and Seizures Is Difficult to Measure with Precision Because Of Long- Standing Data Quality Issues

According to our analysis of Border Patrol data, checkpoints accounted  for about 2 percent of apprehensions and almost half of seizures in  southwest border sectors. However, determining the extent to which  apprehensions and seizures farther from the border are attributable to  checkpoints is difficult because of data quality issues that have persisted  since we previously reported on checkpoints in August 2009. We therefore recommended, among  other things, that Border Patrol establish internal controls for  management oversight of the accuracy, consistency, and completeness  of checkpoint performance data. However, for the 19,759 apprehensions and 1,182 seizures in category  2—which are not included in Border Patrol’s reporting—it is unknown  what proportion should be considered “at a checkpoint.” This is because  for each of these apprehensions and seizures, the associated landmark  does not correspond to the nearest checkpoint landmark, even though the  GPS coordinates indicate that these apprehensions and seizures  occurred one-half mile or less from a checkpoint location. In  doing so, Border Patrol’s reporting does not differentiate between  apprehensions that occurred at versus around a checkpoint. Almost Half of Seizures that Occurred at Checkpoints Were One Ounce or Less of Marijuana from U.S. Citizens

In addition to analyzing where apprehensions and seizures occurred, we  analyzed marijuana seizure data to determine how seizures that occurred  at checkpoints compared to those that occurred at other locations. In contrast, seizures occurring at  non-checkpoint locations were more often higher-quantities seized from  aliens. However, Border Patrol’s defense in depth deployment strategy may also  result in communities ranging up to 100 miles from the border  experiencing effects associated with Border Patrol enforcement actions to  interdict illicit cross-border activity. Border Patrol agreed with the recommendations but has not yet fully  implemented them. Apprehensions by Sector

From fiscal years 2012 through 2016, Border Patrol apprehended a total  of almost 2 million individuals in southwest border sectors. Appendix III: Trends in Southwest Border Seizures, Fiscal Years 2012 through 2016

This appendix contains additional detail about trends in southwest border  seizures from fiscal years 2012 through 2016, including trends in the: number of seizures by type of contraband seized, number of seizures by sector, distribution of seizures by sector and by distance from the border,  seizures related to Border Patrol checkpoints each available year by  sector, and marijuana seizures at checkpoints by quantity seized.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Border Patrol has primary responsibility for securing the border between U.S. ports of entry. On the southwest border, Border Patrol deploys agents along the immediate border and in areas up to 100 miles from the border as part of a layered approach known as the defense in depth strategy. Immigration checkpoints, generally located between 25 and 100 miles from the border, are one element of this strategy. GAO was asked to review the defense in depth strategy.
This report addresses: (1) the factors Border Patrol considers in deploying agents, (2) where apprehensions of illegal crossers and seizures of contraband are occurring, and (3) what data show about how checkpoints contribute to apprehensions and seizures, among other objectives. To answer these questions, GAO analyzed Border Patrol documents and data on apprehensions and seizures from fiscal year 2012 through 2016, visited two southwest border sectors, interviewed officials from the other seven southwest border sectors and Border Patrol headquarters, and reviewed prior GAO work on border security.

What GAO Found

According to U.S. Border Patrol (Border Patrol), agent deployment decisions are based on factors such as staffing levels and the availability of agents, among other things. As of May 2017, nationwide, Border Patrol had about 1,900 fewer agents than authorized, which officials cited as a key challenge for optimal agent deployment. In recent years, attrition has exceeded hiring (an average of 904 agents compared to 523 agents) according to officials. GAO analyzed scheduling data, including time that agents were scheduled to be not working (for example, off duty or on leave) because these activities can affect deployment decisions by reducing the number of agents available on a particular day. GAO found that agents were available for deployment about 43 percent of the time.
From fiscal years 2012 through 2016, Border Patrol apprehended a total of almost 2 million individuals along the southwest border, and these apprehensions increasingly occurred closer to the border, with 42 percent of apprehensions occurring one-half mile or less from the border in fiscal year 2016 compared to 24 percent in fiscal year 2012. One driver for this change is the increasing number of apprehensions of children, whom officials report may turn themselves in to Border Patrol without attempting to evade detection. Meanwhile, over this period, the locations where seizures of contraband occurred remained roughly the same, with the majority occurring 10 or more miles from the border.
For fiscal years 2013 through 2016, GAO found that 2 percent of apprehensions and 43 percent of seizures occurred at checkpoints; however, determining the extent to which apprehensions and seizures are attributable to checkpoints is difficult because of long-standing data issues. More apprehensions and seizures may be attributable to checkpoints, but Border Patrol's reporting does not distinguish apprehensions that occurred “at” versus “around” a checkpoint. Border Patrol is drafting guidance to clarify how checkpoint apprehension and seizure data are to be recorded that would respond to a 2009 GAO recommendation to improve the internal controls for management oversight of checkpoint data. GAO also determined that seizures at checkpoints differed from those at other locations. Specifically, 40 percent of seizures at checkpoints were 1 ounce or less of marijuana from U.S. citizens. In contrast, seizures at other locations were more often higher quantities of marijuana seized from aliens.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making any new recommendations at this time but has previously recommended that Border Patrol establish internal controls for checkpoint data, among other things. DHS concurred with this recommendation and has taken some steps to improve the quality of checkpoint data, but additional actions are needed to fully implement the recommendation.