CBP Faces Limitations Detecting and Preventing Aliens' Use of Fraudulent Documents to Enter the United States

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) faces limitations detecting and preventing entry of aliens carrying fraudulent documents, increasing the risk that criminals, terrorists, and other national security threat actors may enter the United States.  Although CBP has capabilities to help officers identify fraudulent documents, unclear training requirements and unresolved technology gaps hinder detection, especially at land port of entry vehicle lanes where CBP has not fully implemented facial comparison technology.   We found that CBP officers did not consistently report incidents of aliens using fraudulent documents.  In some cases, officers allowed individuals presenting fraudulent documents to enter into the United States, although aliens who present fraudulent documents are inadmissible and subject to detention and removal. • We reviewed a sample of 60 immigration files and found 28 (47 percent) were missing available information about the use of fraudulent documents, which precludes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from having necessary information to properly adjudicate immigration cases. • We reviewed 60 cases where aliens encountered at and between ports of entry were suspected of having fraudulent documents and, although inadmissible, 47 (78 percent) of aliens were allowed to enter the United States. Data Access: CBP denied OIG’s request for direct, read-only access to its BorderStat application and ACADIS training database and administrative website, instead only providing data extracts.