GAO Says CBP's FY 2011 Border Security Spending Plan Incomplete
The Government Accountability Office has found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure and Technology (BSFIT) expenditure plan for fiscal year 2011 only satisfied 3 out of 10 legislative conditions that were laid out for the plan in the FY 2010 DHS Appropriations Act. While the plan satisfied conditions related to the northern border and funding priorities, it only partially satisfied or did not satisfy other conditions related to CBP's Secure Border Initiative (SBI)1.
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3 conditions satisfied. The plan satisfied legislative conditions by providing a description of how it addresses security needs at the northern border and ports of entry, including infrastructure, technology, design and operations requirements; specific locations where funding would be used; and priorities for northern border activities. The plan also described how specific BSFIT projects would further SBI objectives and how the plan allocated funding to the highest priority border security needs.
5 conditions partially satisfied. The plan partially satisfied five legislative conditions, which, among other things, required the plan to provide a detailed accounting of the BSFIT program's implementation to date for all investments related to the SBI program or any successor program and that it report on the progress made by BSFIT on obtaining operational control of the entire U.S. border.
2 conditions not satisfied. Lastly, the plan did not satisfy two legislative conditions related to certification that the BSFIT program has risk management processes, information systems, and other staff and resources in place.
1In November 2005, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched SBI to secure U.S. borders and reduce illegal immigration. Under the SBI, CBP implemented four programs: (i) the SBI Network (SBInet) for Arizona’s border with Mexico; (ii) the Northern Border Program; (iii) Tactical Communications (TACCOM) Modernization to upgrade CBP communications systems; and (iv) Tactical Infrastructure (TI) for the southwest border. DHS received approximately $573 million for BSFIT programs for FY 2011.
DHS ended SBInet in January 2011 because it did not meet cost-effectiveness and viability standards, but DHS is developing a successor plan to secure the southwest border called the Alternative (SW) Border Technology plan. (See ITT's Online Archives 11011802 for summary.)
(GAO-12-106R, dated 11/17/11)