“The GAO report confirms that not only is corruption still a problem, CBP still lacks adequate controls to detect corruption, such as post-employment polygraphing,” McCaul told FoxNews.com, adding that one CBP official has said that among those who become corrupt, the behavior sets in roughly 8.8 years into service.
A government watchdog report has identified a dramatic increase in documented corruption cases among U.S. border and immigration agents, finding nearly 150 have been arrested or indicted since 2005.
In a trend one top lawmaker said puts national security “in jeopardy,” the Government Accountability Office tracked the rise in corruption cases among Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The report, issued last month, found spotty standards in screening new applicants and keeping tabs on agents after they’re hired.
It found the trend was tied in part to the demand to beef up security, particularly along the southwest border, by hiring more agents, and has raised red flags in Congress.
“Just one employee collaborating with a drug smuggler or terrorist can put our entire nation at risk,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
McCaul, who along with Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., requested the report, said one problem is that while the CBP now polygraphs all new hires, it does not follow up and test employees after they join.
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