CBP ramps up surveillance tech without much-needed IT personnel, GAO says
Customs and Border Protection has increased deployments of surveillance technology along the northern border over the past five years despite sluggish hiring levels of IT personnel needed to monitor the tech, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office published Thursday.
The staffing rate for information systems specialists has remained below target levels for half a decade but the gap has widened since 2023. CBP officials pointed to low pay, a lengthy background investigation process, a limited local applicant pool, high cost of living and minimal career advancement opportunities as drivers of attrition and the inability to fill open positions.
GAO conducted the audit over a nearly two-year period, starting in April 2024 and concluding this month. In examining CBP’s northern border facilities, the watchdog found that CBP did not have a strategy to address the critical staffing gap. A senior Border Patrol official in charge of workforce planning said Border Patrol expects those in the information systems specialist role to “leave the agency and look for better career opportunities,” according to the report.
The lack of needed IT personnel is to the detriment of CBP, the auditors found.
“Developing a plan with strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of Law Enforcement Information Systems Specialists would help Border Patrol ensure that it has sufficient personnel with appropriate skills to effectively use northern border surveillance technology,” GAO said in its report.
While low rates of key IT support staff presents a critical roadblock for CBP, the Department of Homeland Security division faces other challenges as well.
Some of the surveillance technology, such as automated sensors, aren’t built for cold weather, GAO found. With the ground near the northern border remaining frozen for a significant part of the year, officials said agents aren’t able to receive or access that data. CBP is also dealing with weak communications technology and infrastructure, making it more difficult to deploy surveillance tech.
CBP officials cited challenges with information and data sharing across facilities and other law enforcement agencies as another hindrance limiting operations.
The auditors provided DHS with a draft of the report for review prior to its publication. DHS agreed with the recommendation to develop a recruitment and retention strategy for its key IT support staff. GAO said the agency identified steps it plans to take to ameliorate the situation.
“For example, DHS noted that Border Patrol is offering training opportunities to existing Border Patrol processing coordinators so they can fill Law Enforcement Information System Specialist positions, and that Border Patrol is planning to analyze the feasibility of retention incentives for this position,” GAO said in its report.
