Statement of Allan I Mendelowitz, Director, International Trade and Finance Issues, General Government Division, United States General Accounting Office on April 8, 1992 Concerning U.S. Customs Service: Concerns About Coordination and Inspection Staffing on the Southwest Border, to the Senate Commi

• NCJ Number: 154356
• Author(s): A I Mendelowitz
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 15 pages
• Corporate Author: US Government Accountability Office
• Sale Source: Azimuth Inc.; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Presentation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: DCC

Annotation

This discussion of border operations along the United States-Mexico border notes that inadequate coordination among Federal agencies, State and local governments, and Mexico has led to staffing imbalances between Customs and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and insufficient inspector staff for existing and planned facilities.

Abstract

The shortage of inspectors has been the main cause of long waits to cross the border into the United States. Although Customs and INS share equal responsibility for primary inspections at the border, these agencies have not received comparable increases in inspection staff in recent years. Therefore, increasing the number of Customs inspectors will not necessarily reduce the waiting times for primary vehicle inspections unless INS receives corresponding staff increases. However, the General Accounting Office determined that neither Customs nor INS has an adequate method for determining staffing needs. In addition, difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff along the border have intensified the Customs staffing problems. Customs also reported a need for more administrative and support staff, as in addition to more inspectors. Footnotes and appended table