GAO-20-680T, Accessible Version, SOUTHWEST BORDER: CBP Should Improve Oversight of Funds, Medical Care, and Reporting of Deaths

In the context of CBP’s appropriation, the term “consumable” refers to goods that are exhausted by use, and the phrase “medical care” includes goods and services used to provide assistance related to the diagnosis and treatment of disease or injury and maintaining health. [...] For example, Border Patrol did not request obligation data on goods and services purchased by its canine office.11 DHS and CBP officials stated that the agency experienced challenges managing some aspects of the funds from the 2019 Emergency Supplemental due to a lack of experience with these line items and the large increase of apprehensions on the southwest border occurring at the time. [...] Our report recommended that CBP develop and implement oversight mechanisms for its policies and procedures relating to medical care; document what information it uses to assess whether to offer the influenza vaccine to individuals in custody; and develop and implement training on recognizing medical distress in children for all officers and agents who may come in contact with children. [...] In summary, CBP has taken some steps to improve its care and custody of adults and children, but the agency needs to increase oversight of the use of funds, medical care and reporting of deaths. [...] Order by Phone  The price of each GAO publication reflects GAO’s actual cost of production and distribution and depends on the number of pages in the publication and whether the publication is printed in color or black and white.