“High-risk” migrants were permitted to enter the US at the border without appropriate ID and now wander the country, a damning new report by the Homeland Security inspector alleges.
As a result of inadequate monitoring by immigration officials and the Transportation Safety Administration, the 37-page study indicates that in many cases, the migrants were trusted to give their own personal information before being let in, and that they are now free to fly on domestic planes without identification.
According to the study, "the risk that noncitizens who may pose a threat to fellow passengers could board domestic flights is not eliminated by the TSA's vetting and screening procedures."
"Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are unable to guarantee that high-risk noncitizens lacking identification are prevented from entering the country under the current procedures."
The information became public a day after the DHS issued a warning, stating that immigrants with "terrorism ties" will contribute to the increased level of threat in the US, which is expected to "remain high" in the upcoming year.
According to the inspector general's report, the office saw immigration officers processing 53 individuals who were entering the nation in april 2023 at border posts in Chula Vista and Imperial Beach, California; Nogales, Arizona; and San Ysidro, California.
The inspectors observed the agents going over paperwork, taking dna samples, interviewing the migrants, and entering the migrants' personal information into an immigration database.
However, seven of the migrants—or 13% of the entire group—had no identity.
The IG investigation concluded, "The data we obtained may be incomplete because immigration officers are not required to document whether a noncitizen presented identification in the databases."
Because of this, the study stated, "neither CBP nor ICE could determine whose self-reported biographic information was accepted among the millions of noncitizens seeking entry in the united states each year and how many entered without identification."
It stated that although neither agency "conducted a comprehensive risk assessment," the immigration officials "acknowledged the risks of allowing noncitizens without identification into the country."
However, the study stated that in order to do "requisite background checks" at the country's airports, transportation safety agents mostly rely on data from the two immigration agencies.
As a result of inadequate monitoring by immigration officials and the Transportation Safety Administration, the 37-page study indicates that in many cases, the migrants were trusted to give their own personal information before being let in, and that they are now free to fly on domestic planes without identification.
According to the study, "the risk that noncitizens who may pose a threat to fellow passengers could board domestic flights is not eliminated by the TSA's vetting and screening procedures."
"Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are unable to guarantee that high-risk noncitizens lacking identification are prevented from entering the country under the current procedures."
The information became public a day after the DHS issued a warning, stating that immigrants with "terrorism ties" will contribute to the increased level of threat in the US, which is expected to "remain high" in the upcoming year.
According to the inspector general's report, the office saw immigration officers processing 53 individuals who were entering the nation in april 2023 at border posts in Chula Vista and Imperial Beach, California; Nogales, Arizona; and San Ysidro, California.
The inspectors observed the agents going over paperwork, taking dna samples, interviewing the migrants, and entering the migrants' personal information into an immigration database.
However, seven of the migrants—or 13% of the entire group—had no identity.
The IG investigation concluded, "The data we obtained may be incomplete because immigration officers are not required to document whether a noncitizen presented identification in the databases."
Because of this, the study stated, "neither CBP nor ICE could determine whose self-reported biographic information was accepted among the millions of noncitizens seeking entry in the united states each year and how many entered without identification."
It stated that although neither agency "conducted a comprehensive risk assessment," the immigration officials "acknowledged the risks of allowing noncitizens without identification into the country."
However, the study stated that in order to do "requisite background checks" at the country's airports, transportation safety agents mostly rely on data from the two immigration agencies.
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