In October 2023, we conducted on-site, unannounced inspections at five U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities in the ElPaso area, specifically three U.S. Border Patrol (Border Patrol) facilities and two Office of Field Operations ports of entry. At the time of our on-site inspection, CBP held 1,426 detainees in custody in the five facilities. We found that Border Patrol held some detainees in both the El Paso Hardened Facility and Santa Teresa station longer than specified in the National Standards on Transport, Escort, Detention, and Search, which generally limits detention to 72 hours. Additionally, Border Patrol experienced challenges staffing El Paso sector centralized processing centersduring migrant surges. Overall, CBP generally met other applicable standards related to food, water, hygiene items, and availability of bedding, toilets, sinks, showers, and medical support to detainees. However, we found a few instances of non-compliance related to medical support, hygiene, and bedding. For example, at the Santa Teresa station, we found Border Patrol did not always refer detainees to onsite contract medical staff, make hygiene items available, or provide clean sleeping mats. In addition, we found data integrity issues with information in Border Patrol’s electronic system of record, e3.
Date Issued
Submitting OIG
Department of Homeland Security OIG
Other Participating OIGs
Department of Homeland Security OIG
Agencies Reviewed/Investigated
Department of Homeland Security
Report Number
OIG-24-39
Report Description
Report Type
Inspection / Evaluation
Agency Wide
Yes
Number of Recommendations
3
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
Open Recommendations
This report has 3 open recommendations.
| Recommendation Number | Significant Recommendation | Recommended Questioned Costs | Recommended Funds for Better Use | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No | $0 | $0 | ||
| Review El Paso sector staffing levels, determine staffing requirements, and develop and implement additional strategies for staffing centralized processing centers during migrant surges. | |||||
| 2 | No | $0 | $0 | ||
| Develop, implement, and regularly monitor quality assurance mechanisms at the Santa Teresa station to ensure compliance with standards related to providing hygiene items, sleeping mats, and medical care to detainees. | |||||
| 3 | No | $0 | $0 | ||
| Oversee a data integrity review at the El Paso Hardened Facility to verify that staff are accurately recording custodial actions. If the problem we identified persists, implement a quality assurance plan, and continue to monitor data integrity. | |||||
