The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General has stated in a report that DHS has not been effectively screening and checking non-citizens and asylum seekers who are coming to the United States.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are unable to access all the federal data needed to thoroughly screen and check people trying to enter the U.S., DHS said.
The department reported that without the ability to fully screen and vet non-citizens, CBP is unable to properly conduct screening at air and land ports of entry.
"DHS will remain at risk of admitting dangerous persons into the country or enabling asylum seekers who may pose significant threats to public safety and national security to continue to reside in the United States until these challenges are addressed," the department said in the report, according to Fox News.
The department agreed with all five recommendations from the Office of Inspector General to help fix the problem. The recommendations include improving data access, creating new policies for name checks, updating technology, changing screening rules for certain individuals, and automating security checks for asylum seekers.
The report came amid growing concerns about border security, especially after a recent case where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) along with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested eight Tajikistan nationals with ties to ISIS in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
"Just in the time that I've been FBI director, we've disrupted multiple terrorist attacks and cities and communities around the country. We need funding to continue protecting America from terrorism," FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee last year.
President Joe Biden last week signed an executive order to temporarily shut down asylum requests at the southern U.S. border when the number of daily claimants rose above 2,500. As per the new executive order, the government will discontinue this restriction after the daily average of migrants crossing the border falls below 1,500 for a week.
However, it looks like there are limitations to implementing Biden's new asylum ban policy, as it spares some nationalities because deportation flights are scarce.
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