www.oig.dhs.gov
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OIG-24-33
LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE
LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Appendix A
Objective, Scope, and Methodology
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General was established by the
Homeland Security Act of 2002
(Pub. L. No. 107−296) by amendment to the
Inspector General Act
of 1978
.
We issued this management alert as part of an ongoing audit: 24-011-AUD-CBP –
“CBP’s
Screening of Visa Holders That Received Waivers from Department of State
.” The objective of our
ongoing audit is to determine (1) the extent to which CBP was aware of DoS’ policy changes to
grant certain categories of visas without in-person interviews and biometrics; and (2) the extent
to which CBP can identify and fully screen visa holders with waivers upon arrival at U.S. ports of
entry. As part of our audit, from January 30, 2024, to May 16, 2024, we:
• Conducted site visits at four different ports of entry in Texas and New Mexico in CBP’s El
Paso, Texas, Field Office area of responsibility. We observed the pedestrian and vehicle
and processes, interviewed CBP officers, and met with field
office and port leadership.
• Interviewed 16 port directors at land ports of entry across the United States representing
each CBP field office with land border crossing responsibilities.
• Interviewed officials from CBP OFO; DHS’ Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans; and CBP’s
Office of Planning, Program Analysis, and Evaluation.
• Reviewed interagency correspondence between DHS and DoS; DoS visa application
policies; and CBP OFO operational policies, directives, and training documents. We
analyzed aggregate data obtained from DoS regarding visa populations and interview and
fingerprint waivers.
We conducted this work pursuant to the
Inspector General Act of 1978,
5 U.S.C. §§ 401-424, and in
connection with an ongoing audit being performed according to generally accepted government
auditing standards. Those standards require we plan and perform our audit work to obtain
sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions
based on our audit objectives.
Additional information and recommendations related to the issue addressed in this
management alert may be included in the report resulting from our audit.
DHS OIG’s Access to DHS Information
During this audit, CBP provided responses to our requests for information and did not delay or
deny access to information we requested.