Border Patrol: Actions Needed to Improve Checkpoint Oversight and Data
Fast Facts
U.S. Border Patrol's immigration checkpoints operate 25 to 100 miles inland from the borders. At checkpoints, agents screen vehicles to identify people in the U.S. unlawfully and they may enforce U.S. criminal laws, such as by seizing illegal drugs.
Agents are required to collect data on checkpoint activity, including how many smuggled people are apprehended and how many drug seizures were made using canines. However, we found that agents at checkpoints inconsistently documented this data, which makes oversight of these checkpoints difficult.
We recommended that Border Patrol take several actions to strengthen checkpoint oversight and data.
Border Patrol Checkpoint Canine Team Inspects a Vehicle
Highlights
What GAO Found
U.S. Border Patrol operates immigration checkpoints at more than 110 locations on U.S. highways and secondary roads, generally 25 to 100 miles inland from the southwest and northern borders. According to Border Patrol data, from fiscal years 2016 through 2020, Border Patrol apprehended about 35,700 potentially removable people in about 17,500 events at checkpoints. During the same period, Border Patrol seized drugs in about 17,970 events at checkpoints. GAO found that most drug seizure events involved only U.S. citizens (91 percent), of which 75 percent involved the seizure of marijuana and no other drugs.
Border Patrol Checkpoint Events by Type, Fiscal Years 2016 through 2020
GAO found that while Border Patrol data on apprehensions and drug seizures were generally reliable, certain other checkpoint activity data, including on apprehensions of smuggled people and canine assists with drug seizures, were unreliable. For example, although sector officials said canines were integral to checkpoint drug seizures, there was wide variation across sectors in how often agents documented canine assists with such events. Additionally, Border Patrol developed a tool to collect information about outcomes of secondary inspections at checkpoints. However, because the agency did not require agents to use the tool, only about half of checkpoints did so. Without reliable checkpoint data, Border Patrol does not have the information it needs to assess checkpoint effectiveness, ensure proper resource allocation, or explain checkpoint operations.
Border Patrol established the Checkpoint Program Management Office (CPMO) in 2013 to oversee checkpoint operations. However, Border Patrol has not demonstrated a sustained commitment to ensuring that CPMO carries out its checkpoint oversight activities or held CPMO accountable for implementing these activities. For example, CPMO was not reviewing checkpoint resources and technology—an activity assigned to it by Border Patrol. Further, Border Patrol has not established clear roles and responsibilities for CPMO, consistently and adequately staffed it, or ensured that newly assigned staff have the information they need to carry out CPMO activities. For example, documentation for new staff did not include details on tasks or the past activities of the office. By addressing these program management weaknesses, Border Patrol could ensure that CPMO is better positioned to fulfill its checkpoint oversight mission.
Why GAO Did This Study
Border Patrol has primary responsibility for securing the border between U.S. ports of entry. As part of its border enforcement strategy, Border Patrol operates immigration checkpoints where Border Patrol agents screen vehicles to identify people of foreign nationality who are potentially removable and they may enforce U.S. criminal law, such as seizing illegal drugs and interdicting human smugglers. GAO was asked to review Border Patrol's use of immigration checkpoints.
This report examines: (1) available data about Border Patrol checkpoint activity, (2) the extent Border Patrol collects reliable data about checkpoint activity, and (3) how Border Patrol oversees checkpoint operations, among other objectives. GAO analyzed Border Patrol documents and data on checkpoint activity for fiscal years 2016 through 2020 (the most recent available); interviewed officials from Border Patrol headquarters, sectors, and 13 selected checkpoints; and reviewed prior GAO work on Border Patrol checkpoints.
Recommendations
GAO is making seven recommendations, including that Border Patrol take several actions to strengthen checkpoint oversight and data. DHS concurred with each of the recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Border Patrol | The Chief of Border Patrol should ensure that sectors and the Checkpoint Program Management Office (CPMO) are overseeing that checkpoint activity data are consistently and accurately recorded. This should include (but not be limited to) overseeing data on apprehensions of smuggled people, canine assists with drug seizures, seizures of trace amounts of marijuana, non-drug property seizures, and attempted checkpoint circumventions. (Recommendation 1) | Border Patrol agreed with this recommendation. As of January 2025, Border Patrol officials told us that there were three ongoing efforts related to the oversight of checkpoint data. First, Border Patrol officials told us CPMO plans to complete an assessment of checkpoints in each sector by mid-2025. Officials said these assessments will allow Border Patrol to understand the totality of challenges associated with checkpoint activity data across all checkpoints and will assist Border Patrol's development of a path forward for reliable checkpoint data collection and oversight of that data collection. Second, in November 2023, Border Patrol established a checkpoint integrated planning team.... Border Patrol officials told us that this team will work toward addressing checkpoint data governance, management, and integrity, among other issues. To support these efforts, CPMO plans to hold a checkpoint data and technology workshop in 2025. Finally, officials said that checkpoint data integrity issues are complicated by the limited connectivity and infrastructure at checkpoints and that prior investments in technology systems, in some cases, were not feasible for the field to use. They are exploring data solutions for checkpoints, to include options such as leveraging CBP Office of Field Operations' secondary screening system. Border Patrol's vision is to ultimately implement one single system that integrates the license plate reader, the results of secondary inspections, and any enforcement actions or seizures. As of February 2025, development of that system was underway, but experiencing funding delays and shortfalls with an estimated completion date in 2027. We will continue to monitor the steps Border Patrol is taking to ensure that checkpoint data are consistently and accurately recorded.
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| U.S. Border Patrol | The Chief of Border Patrol should ensure that Border Patrol uses its data system to document information about all people for whom a checkpoint encounter leads to a subsequent enforcement action. (Recommendation 2) | Border Patrol agreed with this recommendation. As of January 2025, Border Patrol officials told us that there were three ongoing efforts related to collecting reliable checkpoint data. First, Border Patrol officials told us that CPMO plans to complete sector checkpoint assessments by mid-2025. Officials said these assessments will allow Border Patrol to understand the totality of challenges associated with checkpoint activity data across all checkpoints and will assist Border Patrol's development of a path forward for reliable checkpoint data collection and oversight of that data collection. Second, in November 2023, Border Patrol established a checkpoint integrated planning team. Border...
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| U.S. Border Patrol | The Chief of Border Patrol should require checkpoints with license plate readers to document secondary inspections by using the Border Enforcement Secondary Tool as intended. (Recommendation 3) | Border Patrol agreed with this recommendation. As of June 2023, Border Patrol officials told us that the Checkpoint Program Management Office (CPMO) had completed site visits and meetings with nearly 80 percent of southwest border checkpoints to establish a baseline of checkpoint performance. These site visits found consistent problems with checkpoints using the Border Enforcement Secondary Tool. As of January 2025, Border Patrol officials said that checkpoint data integrity issues are complicated by the limited connectivity and infrastructure at checkpoints and that prior investments in technology systems, including the Border Enforcement Secondary Tool, were not feasible for the field...
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| U.S. Border Patrol | The Chief of Border Patrol should provide sustained oversight of CPMO and hold it accountable for implementing its checkpoint oversight activities. (Recommendation 4) | Border Patrol agreed with this recommendation. In October 2023, Border Patrol developed and distributed a memorandum updating CPMO's roles and responsibilities. In November 2023, Border Patrol established a checkpoint integrated planning team. In October 2024, Border Patrol moved CPMO to the Systems Planning and Analysis Directorate, which is better aligned with their activities. Specifically, according to Border Patrol officials, this move will allow CPMO to leverage additional resources needed to support checkpoint safety, efficiency, and oversight activities. Border Patrol officials said that, in addition to moving CPMO to a new directorate, the agency assigned more staff to CPMO. As...
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| U.S. Border Patrol | The Chief of Border Patrol should ensure that CPMO is consistently and adequately staffed. (Recommendation 5) | Border Patrol agreed with this recommendation. In July 2024, Border Patrol provided documentation showing that CPMO has been consistently staffed with two Border Patrol agents for more than two years. Border Patrol officials told us that these CPMO program manager positions are full-time with no duties outside of CPMO roles and responsibilities. Further, in October 2023, Border Patrol developed and distributed a memorandum updating CPMO's roles and responsibilities and in November 2023, Border Patrol established a cross-functional checkpoint integrated planning team led by CPMO. As of October 2024, Border Patrol officials told us that CMPO had convened the cross-functional team for a...
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| U.S. Border Patrol | The Chief of Border Patrol should update CPMO's roles and responsibilities and communicate them across Border Patrol, including to sectors. (Recommendation 6) | Border Patrol agreed with this recommendation. In October 2023, Border Patrol issued a memorandum updating CPMO's roles and responsibilities and distributed it to Border Patrol sectors and headquarters offices. The memorandum, U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint Management Office Reintroduction, designated CPMO as the headquarters focal point for all checkpoint-related activities and noted that its mission is to coordinate across Border Patrol sectors, headquarters, and external stakeholders to improve checkpoint governance, performance, and safety. The memorandum described CPMO responsibilities and authorities related to administering the program office as well as overseeing checkpoint data...
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| U.S. Border Patrol | The Chief of Border Patrol should develop policies and procedures for CPMO's checkpoint oversight activities. (Recommendation 7) | Border Patrol agreed with this recommendation. In October 2023, Border Patrol developed and distributed a memorandum updating CPMO's roles and responsibilities and distributed it to Border Patrol sectors and headquarters offices. In November 2023, Border Patrol established a checkpoint integrated planning team led by CPMO. Border Patrol developed guidance describing the team's purpose, authority and scope, structure, membership, responsibilities, and procedures. In the future, Border Patrol plans for the team to work toward addressing a variety of checkpoint oversight-related issues, including data governance, management and integrity; checkpoint health and safety; checkpoint...
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