October 2, 2024 – Heavily redacted DHS IG report: “CBP, ICE, and TSA did not fully assess risks associated w/ releasing noncitizens without ID into the U.S.”

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In a new, heavily redacted DHS Inspector General report, the IG finds that “CBP, ICE, and TSA did not fully assess risks associated w/ releasing noncitizens without ID into the U.S. and allowing them to travel on domestic flights.”

Key finding: “Under current processes, CBP and ICE cannot ensure they are keeping high-risk noncitizens without identification from entering the country. Additionally, TSA cannot ensure its vetting and screening procedures prevent high-risk noncitizens who may pose a threat to the flying public from boarding domestic flights.”

More highlights below 👇🏻

The IG says that according to federal law, “noncitizens without ID are not admissible into the country and “shall be detained,” but that CBP and ICE are permitted to release noncitizens into the U.S. based on various circumstances.

The report says CBP and ICE accept “self reported biographical information, which they use to give migrants immigration forms, who are then able to get on domestic flights, even if they don’t have ID.

The IG says he asked DHS for data on the number of noncitizens who did not have ID and were released into the U.S. between fiscal years 2021-2023, but CBP and ICE were unable to provide the data because they don’t log whether a noncitizen had ID in their databases. The OIG adds that “immigration officers we interviewed acknowledged the risks of allowing noncitizens without ID into the country.”

The report finds that the TSA relies on data and background checks on noncitizens from CBP and ICE to determine if someone is a threat, but if that data is incomplete, “TSA’s methods to screen individuals who pose a threat would not necessarily prevent these individuals from boarding flights.”

Additionally, there are heavily redacted portions of the report where TSA conducted assessments on the risks of using the CBP One cell phone app as a screening tool – but the results are not disclosed.

The IG report goes on to say they identified “similar weaknesses” in CBP’s screening processes that allowed “high risk individuals into the country”, including someone who was released while being on the FBI Terror Watchlist in 2022 and two Afghans paroled into the U.S. as part of Operation Allies Welcome who may have posed a threat to national security.

The report concludes: “If CBP and ICE continue to allow noncitizens – whose identities immigration officers cannot confirm – to enter the country, they may inadvertently increase national security risks.”

DHS did NOT concur with the IG’s findings, with both ICE and CBP pushing back.

DHS says they “cannot detain all individuals subject to detention, including inadmissible noncitizens without ID, due to several reasons including a lack of resources (bed space).

ICE said their currently funded detention capacity of 41,500 beds doesn’t allow them to detain every noncitizen who doesn’t have ID and valid documents.

CBP said their detention facilities are for “short term” detention, and they can’t legally hold noncitizens longer than the law allows, even to mitigate potential risks.

TSA said the report doesn’t reflect their current policies.

Read the full report here: