An Office of Inspector General audit has found that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may increase the risk of dangerous goods being admitted into the United States due to shortcomings at International Mail Facilities (IMFs).
CBP plays a critical role in interdicting illegal drugs entering the United States through international mail. In 2018, Congress passed the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act (STOP Act). This law requires the U.S. Postal Service to send CBP data about packages coming from countries outside the United States to help CBP identify mail that may contain opioids and other illicit goods.
OIG said IMFs faced challenges targeting mail and examining packages identified as potential threats, and CBP did not evaluate whether its screening was effective or refer problems to stakeholders for resolution. Additionally, OIG found CBP did not fully meet the requirements of the STOP Act for exempting countries from sending advance electronic data with waivers and evaluating the imposition of penalties on the U.S. Postal Service for accepting mail without required advance electronic data.
These issues occurred, OIG believes, because CBP did not assign responsibility for STOP Act implementation and monitoring, provide updated guidance or training on targeting, collect data to evaluate mail screening, or develop a process for issuing and reporting waivers.
CBP also uses various manual screening methods, such as x-ray scans of mail from certain countries, canine inspections, or officer knowledge, to identify mail that may pose a threat. During site visits, inspectors observed IMF officers examining non-targeted mail and seizing it, referring it to Federal partner government agencies, or returning it to the sender. OIG found that officers did not formally record their actions in a system of record unless they seized an item.
OIG has made several recommendations, including ensuring adherence to the Stop Act, improving training and updating processes. CBP concurred with the majority of the recommendations. It is also worth noting that CBP is currently updating the International Mail Operations and Enforcement Handbook to include clearly defined roles and responsibilities for monitoring performance across the IMFs.
This is OIG’s second report on IMFs this month. Earlier, the watchdog announced its findings into IMF officer safety and said CBP did not ensure prompt resolution of serious issues, including critical maintenance and life safety deficiencies, at six IMFs.
Read the partially redacted report at OIG
