From the Desk of Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D.
It is my pleasure to share the July 2024 DHS OIG Congressional Bulletin, which provides a snapshot of published DHS OIG audit and inspection reports, new projects initiated, and investigative outcomes, during the period April 1 through June 30, 2024.
DHS OIG audits and inspections teams continue receiving positive feedback from stakeholders for their excellent oversight work. Recent examples, OIG-24-27, DHS Needs to Improve Its Screening and Vetting of Asylum Seekers and Noncitizens Applying for Admission into the United States (REDACTED); OIG-24-30, CBP and ICE Did Not Have an Effective Process for Detaining and Removing Inadmissible Travelers at an International Airport - (REDACTED); and OIG-24-33, Management Alert - CBP Has Limited Information to Assess Interview-Waived Nonimmigrant Visa Holders - (REDACTED), highlight our findings and recommendations to improve the national security of the United States.
DHS OIG Investigations teams continue to produce impactful work, with significant involvement in three recent cases which led to indictments, convictions, and sentencings in high-profile cases of border corruption. We have also been busy tackling pandemic fraud, with work resulting in guilty pleas and sentencing.
Our Semiannual Report to Congress (SAR) for the period of October 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024, is pending transmittal by the Department. The SAR notes our participation in the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). The magnitude of the government’s response following the start of the pandemic in 2020 made it clear that it would become a cornerstone of our work in years to come, and we’ve continued to focus on it ever since. From that point through the end of this SAR reporting period, DHS OIG has done tremendous work on pandemic accountability, including:
- $21.52 million in recoveries, restitutions, and fines.
- 562 high-impact investigations.
- 130 indictments, 31 criminal informations, and 88 convictions.
The SAR also includes summaries of DHS’s delays and denials of DHS OIG’s access to information, as mandated by Congress. Our latest SAR includes seven instances where data access issues negatively impacted our ability to meet our statutory obligations. DHS OIG remains committed to the DHS mission. While I am heartened by progress the Department has made in providing information to my office - which we need to do our jobs and to which we are entitled consistent with the law - there is still work to be done.
Finally, following the tragic events in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, I have announced three new projects to review U.S. Secret Service (USSS) programs and operations. My team and I will continue to consider other reviews that may arise.
I remain grateful for the hard-working staff at DHS OIG for their continued dedication to our mission of providing independent oversight and promoting excellence, integrity, and accountability within the Department of Homeland Security.
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