Illegal Immigration: Border-Crossing Deaths Have Doubled Since 1995; Border Patrol's Efforts to Prevent Deaths Have Not Been Fully Evaluated.

In August 2006, we reported on trends in deaths among migrants that attempt to cross the border illegally and the extent to which existing data allow for an evaluation of Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) efforts to prevent border-crossing deaths through its Border Safety Initiative (BSI) (GAO-06 770). In the report, we noted that not all BSI sector coordinators consistently implemented the established guidelines for collecting and recording data on migrant deaths and that these differences can contribute to incomplete counts of deaths. As a result, we recommended that CBP ensure that BSI sector coordinators follow consistent protocols for collecting migrant death data from local authorities. CBP agreed with this recommendation and in October 2007, CBP officials reported that they established a working group that reviewed the BSI protocol for collecting, recording, and reporting border-crossing deaths. According to written documents provided by CBP, officials also revised the BSI Methodology to prevent inconsistencies in the data collection process and to outline roles and responsibilities across organizational lines. Specifically, the BSI Methodology now requires the BSI sector coordinator to establish liaison with local officials to obtain information on those undocumented migrant deaths in which the Border Patrol was not involved. The Methodology further states that each BSI sector coordinator must document their contact with state, local, and tribal officials to ensure that the reporting and documentation of all BSI related deaths in their sector are accurately recorded. The revised protocol is consistent with our recommendation and should help CBP to improve its methods for collecting data in order to more accurately record deaths as changes occur in the locations where migrants attempt to cross the border and consequently where migrants die. As a result of this improved data collection, CBP will be able to better make accurate planning and resource allocation decisions relative to the Border Safety Initiative and their ongoing search and rescue efforts.