Attorneys filed whistleblower statements with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights claiming that CBP and Border Patrol leadership participated in a massive cover-up of the 2010 killing of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas, an unarmed and detained migrant.
Tag: Oversight
January 29, 2021
DHS has failed to effectively implement prompt asylum programs including the Prompt Asylum Claim Review (PACR) and Humanitarian Asylum Review Process (HARP), according to reports released by the DHS Inspector General and U.S. Government Accountability Office. These programs were developed to quickly process migrants with claims of credible fear, and raise very troubling due process concerns.
October 14, 2020
- Department of Homeland Security employees were told to report colleagues they suspected of sharing sensitive internal information, along with those who requested information that fell out of their day-to-day duties, according to an email obtained by BuzzFeed News.
Fixing a Culture that Protects and Rewards Abuse at U.S. Border Agencies

Published by WOLA on October 14, 2020.
Voices strong concerns about where a culture of cruelty and impunity is leading U.S. border agencies, and points to ways out.
CBP Did Not Adequately Oversee FY 2019 Appropriated Humanitarian Funding

Published by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector-General on September 28, 2020.
Looks at how CBP misspent much of $192 million that Congress had appropriated to attend to the humanitarian needs of migrants in custody. (Link at oig.dhs.gov)
The Trump Administration’s Mistreatment of Detained Immigrants: Deaths and Deficient Medical Care by For-Profit Detention Contractors

A 14-month investigation by House committee staff finds poor conditions and urgent health risks for migrants in ICE’s network of privatized detention centers. (Link at oversight.house.gov)
ICE Detention Facilities: Failing to Meet Basic Standards of Care

Published by the House Committee on Homeland Security on September 21, 2020.
A year-long study based on site visits to eight ICE detention centers finds deficient medical care, abuse of solitary confinement, challenges accessing legal services, and unsanitary conditions. (Link at homeland.house.gov)
Early Experiences with COVID-19 at CBP Border Patrol Stations and OFO Ports of Entry

Published by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector-General on September 4, 2020.
“Overall, the majority of respondents reported their facilities were prepared to address COVID-19.” The report makes no recommendations. (Link at oig.dhs.gov)
Five Laredo and San Antonio Area CBP Facilities Generally Complied with the National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search

Published by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector-General on September 1, 2020.
The result of congressionally mandated unannounced inspections of CBP holding facilities. (Link at oig.dhs.gov)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Compliance with Use of Force Policy for Incidents on November 25, 2018 and January 1, 2019

Published by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector-General on August 24, 2020.
Examines two incidents of cross-border use of tear gas and other crowd control measures during the arrival of a “migrant caravan” in Tijuana, and finds only minor wrongdoing. (Link at oig.dhs.gov)
Evaluation of the United States Military Support of Department of Homeland Security Southern Border Security Operations Under Title 10 Authority

Published by the Department of Defense Inspector-General on August 18, 2020.
A detailed look at the funding, management, and legal authority for the Trump administration’s deployments of military personnel to the U.S.-Mexico border. (Link at dodig.mil)
7 Humane, Effective Border and Migration Measures in the House’s 2021 Homeland Security Appropriation

Published by the Washington Office on Latin America on July 27, 2020.
An overview of key measures in the House of Representatives’ version of the 2021 DHS appropriation, including cutting border wall spending, defunding “Remain in Mexico,” reducing ICE detention, and others.
Southwest Border: CBP Needs to Increase Oversight of Funds, Medical Care, and Reporting of Deaths

Published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office on July 15, 2020.
Finds serious fault with CBP’s handling of the health of children in custody and its use of funds designated by Congress for humanitarian purposes. (Link at gao.gov)
CBP Has Not Demonstrated Acquisition Capabilities Needed to Secure the Southern Border

Published by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General on July 14, 2020.
Finds major, basic shortcomings in CBP’s planning and purchasing as it built Donald Trump’s border wall.
Hearing: CBP Oversight: Examining the Evolving Challenges Facing the Agency
June 5, 2020
- The Project on Government Oversight publishes an analysis of the Trump administration’s conduct in pursuit of the border wall since 2017. It tracks the waiving of vital laws that protect taxpayers, the environment, and indigenous groups, and how continued construction during the pandemic places workers, families, and border town residents at risk.
Reforming the Department of Homeland Security Through Enhanced Oversight & Accountability

Published by the Center for a New American Security on May 12, 2020.
Noting that “the functions of border security and immigration enforcement…have grown disproportionately large in size and broad in scope, without the necessary oversight and accountability structures,” the security think-tank proposes a series of reforms.
February 19, 2020
- U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, threatens to subpoena CBP for failing to provide proof of significant discipline for the employees found to be a part of the inappropriate, private Facebook group discovered in July of 2019. Rep. Maloney states that CBP has declined to produce any information about the punishments and has not been available for interview. While CBP revealed at least 62 current employees were involved, a recent report shows that the agency converted many of the recommended 30-day suspensions without pay into letters of reprimand. Overall, only 3 officers have been fired.
January 31, 2020
- In an internal memo, CBP’s Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan announces the designation of CBP as a “Security Agency,” with the same highly secretive intelligence and law enforcement classifications as the FBI and Secret Service. Irvin McCullough, a national security analyst with the Government Accountability Project, tells The Nation that this designation will result in less transparency, as it grants CBP more liberty to exempt certain records from public disclosure.
How Democrats Abetted Trump’s Bloated Border Regime

Published by The New Republic on January 7, 2020.
A look at continual growth in Homeland Security budgeting and capabilities in the pre-Trump years.