Illegal Entry at United States-Mexico Border

Multiagency Enforcement Efforts Have Not Been Effective in Stemming the Flow of Drugs and People Gao ID: GGD-78-17 December 2, 1977

The flood of illegal aliens and illicit drugs across the United States-Mexico border continues. Federal agencies responsible for law enforcement along the border operate almost independently--little consideration is given for each other's missions. These separate yet similar lines of effort are diluting border coverage and control.

Although Federal expenditures to improve border control have nearly doubled since 1971, costly overlapping and poorly coordinated enforcement continues to exist. Border forces do not intercept significant quantities of heroin and cocaine. Border drug apprehensions primarily involve the small-time operator or carrier and seldom lead to the identification or conviction of important drug traffickers. The Government believes that for each illegal alien caught, at least two others pass the border.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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