CBP Outbound Inspections Disrupt Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Operations (REDACTED)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) does not consistently conduct outbound inspections of personal vehicles and pedestrians at land border crossings on the Southwest and northern borders to prevent the illegal exportation of currency, firearms, explosives, ammunition, and narcotics. During our audit, we visited 108 of 167 land border crossings on the Southwest and northern borders. We found the frequency of outbound inspections, inspection techniques, technology, and infrastructure in outbound inspection areas varied significantly between the two borders and among land border crossings. These inconsistencies occurred because there is no structured outbound inspection program with oversight from OFO headquarters. Field office and port of entry (POE) leadership often use professional judgment and other strategies to determine the frequency of inspections because they have wide discretion regarding when and how to conduct outbound inspections. Additionally, OFO does not have performance metrics to measure the impact of outbound inspections or a comprehensive outbound inspection policy.