{ "id": "RL32399", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL32399", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 307472, "date": "2005-01-19", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:57:01.623029", "title": "Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues", "summary": "The United States now has a unified inspections operation at the borders; a single inspector is\ncharged with examining people, animals, plants, goods, and cargo upon entry to the country. The\ntransfer of these functions to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) marks a significant policy\nshift for all of these functions, clarifying that -- although there are important commercial, economic,\nhealth, humanitarian, and immigration responsibilities -- ensuring the security of our borders is the\ntop priority. The decision by DHS officials to further integrate the inspection duties so that there is\n\"one face at the border\" now means that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspectors are\nessentially interchangeable and responsible for all primary inspections. A range of legal,\nadministrative, and policy issues have emerged with unified border inspections. Legislation\nimplementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations -- the National Intelligence Reform Act of\n2004 ( P.L. 108-458 ) -- had various provisions affecting border inspections.\n CBP inspectors are charged with enforcing a host of laws. Immigration law requires the\ninspection of all aliens who seek entry into the United States, and every person is inspected to\ndetermine citizenship status and admissibility. All goods being imported into the United States are\nsubject to a customs inspection, but an actual physical inspection of all goods is not required. There\nalso are laws that subject animals and plants to border inspections. This report provides a discussion\nof these various laws and the procedural differences in what constitutes an \"inspection.\"\n Border inspections conducted each year number in the hundreds of millions. Prior to the\ncreation of CBP, the Department of Justice's immigration inspectors did most passenger inspections\n-- peaking at 534 million in FY2000 -- since all foreign nationals seeking entry into the United States\nmust be inspected. In terms of customs inspections, approximately 22.6% of rail containers; 5.2%\nof sea containers; and 15.1% of trucks entering the United States were physically inspected. Unlike\ncustoms and immigration inspections data, animal and plant health inspections data enumerate only\nthose passengers referred to secondary inspections for the purpose of an agricultural inspection. \nThere were 44 million animal and plant inspections in FY2002.\n Border inspections are funded through a combination of federal discretionary appropriations\nand user fees. In FY2004, CBP was given budget authority of $2,496 million for border security,\ninspections, and trade facilitation at ports of entry. Historic funding data for inspections are not\ncomparable across the \"legacy\" agencies as the budget data often included activities in addition to\nthe inspection functions.\n Some argue that this reorganization of border inspections has been long needed and is resulting\nin a more streamlined and efficient set of procedures at the border with a clear, single, chain of\ncommand. Others warn that the different types of inspections are quite complex in their own right\nand that the reorganization is exacerbating the conflicting priorities at the border, ultimately resulting\nin many more people and goods being sent to secondary inspections.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL32399", "sha1": "dcb912e21bb8cb625008a197748c74855a7cbfc1", "filename": "files/20050119_RL32399_dcb912e21bb8cb625008a197748c74855a7cbfc1.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL32399", "sha1": "a04e9f1fa3bf3164c08074d1298234138dbc5e80", "filename": "files/20050119_RL32399_a04e9f1fa3bf3164c08074d1298234138dbc5e80.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5826/", "id": "RL32399 2004-10-13", "date": "2004-10-13", "retrieved": "2005-06-11T05:04:19", "title": "Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues", "summary": "Some argue that this reorganization of border inspections has been long needed and is resulting in a more streamlined and efficient set of procedures at the border with a clear, single, chain of command. Others warn that the different types of inspections are quite complex in their own right and that the reorganization is exacerbating the conflicting priorities at the border, ultimately resulting in many more people and goods being sent to secondary inspections. This report, discusses a range of legal, administrative, and policy issues that are emerging with the implementation of the unified border inspections.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20041013_RL32399_255fcbba87964fc421d0c2d474ad3c3e2a601577.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20041013_RL32399_255fcbba87964fc421d0c2d474ad3c3e2a601577.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Immigration - Security measures - U.S.", "name": "Immigration - Security measures - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Emigration - Security measures - U.S.", "name": "Emigration - Security measures - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "National security - U.S.", "name": "National security - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Immigration", "name": "Immigration" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5825/", "id": "RL32399 2004-05-26", "date": "2004-05-26", "retrieved": "2005-06-11T05:02:58", "title": "Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues", "summary": "Some argue that this reorganization of border inspections has been long needed and is resulting in a more streamlined and efficient set of procedures at the border with a clear, single, chain of command. Others warn that the different types of inspections are quite complex in their own right and that the reorganization is exacerbating the conflicting priorities at the border, ultimately resulting in many more people and goods being sent to secondary inspections. This report, which will not be updated, discusses a range of legal, administrative, and policy issues that are emerging with the implementation of the unified border inspections.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20040526_RL32399_b489a2149597be03ce1677176d014ddabf6b452f.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20040526_RL32399_b489a2149597be03ce1677176d014ddabf6b452f.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Defense policy", "name": "Defense policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Immigration - Security measures - U.S.", "name": "Immigration - Security measures - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Emigration - Security measures - U.S.", "name": "Emigration - Security measures - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "National security - U.S.", "name": "National security - U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Immigration", "name": "Immigration" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Foreign Affairs", "Immigration Policy", "Intelligence and National Security" ] }