Twenty-three years after the tragic 9/11 attacks, the federal agency created to protect the United States from national security threats is under scrutiny for failing to prevent high-risk noncitizens from entering the country and boarding domestic flights without proper identification.
The Center Square reports that according to a recent report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its subagencies—including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—have significant gaps in their vetting and screening processes that pose public safety risks.
The OIG report highlights concerns about noncitizens, potentially including high-risk individuals, being allowed to travel on domestic flights without identification. Released with sensitive security information redacted, the report underscores the national security risks created by the policies of the Biden-Harris administration and highlights weaknesses in DHS procedures.
“Under current processes, CBP and ICE cannot ensure they are keeping high-risk noncitizens without identification from entering the country,” the OIG report stated. “Additionally, TSA cannot ensure its vetting and screening procedures prevent high-risk noncitizens who may pose a threat to the flying public from boarding domestic flights.”
The report points out that neither CBP nor ICE has conducted comprehensive risk assessments for noncitizens entering without identification. Immigration officers rely on self-reported biographical information to issue immigration forms, which are then accepted by TSA as valid documentation for domestic air travel. The OIG warns that these practices do not adequately mitigate the risk of allowing individuals who may pose a national security threat to fly within the United States.
The report further criticizes the agencies for not tracking how many noncitizens entered the country without identification between fiscal years 2021 and 2023. The OIG obtained incomplete data, partly because immigration officers are not required to document whether a noncitizen presented identification in their databases.
CBP and ICE are tasked with verifying the identities of noncitizens seeking entry into the U.S. However, the OIG report reveals that the agencies’ current processes are insufficient in screening those entering the country without identification. Border Patrol officials have confirmed that many illegal border crossers are not fully vetted before being released with DHS documents, a practice corroborated by the OIG. Once released, these noncitizens are permitted to board domestic flights.
According to the report, TSA performs additional screening, such as pat-downs and running information through DHS systems, for noncitizens without traditional identification. However, these procedures, the OIG warns, do not eliminate the risk that high-risk individuals could board flights.
The OIG’s latest findings are part of a pattern of reports detailing failures within CBP and ICE’s screening processes. In previous investigations, the OIG identified similar lapses, including allowing high-risk individuals on the terrorist watchlist to enter the U.S. These ongoing issues highlight a growing concern about the country’s national security as immigration enforcement weakens.
One of the latest concerns involves the CBP One app, which has reportedly fast-tracked over 813,000 inadmissible noncitizens into the country. Security weaknesses related to the app were redacted in the OIG’s report, leaving open questions about its effectiveness in preventing high-risk individuals from entering the U.S.
Despite the OIG’s warnings, CBP and ICE did not agree with the report’s findings. Nevertheless, the OIG, following DHS directives, has given the agencies 90 days to respond with corrective actions and a timeline for addressing the identified risks.
