Agents fake their way through border checkpoints

Aug 24, 2006 12:16 PM

Agents for the Government Accountability Office (GAO) successfully entered the United States using fictitious driver's licenses and other bogus documentation through nine land ports of entry on the northern and southern borders.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers never questioned the authenticity of the counterfeit documents presented at any of the nine crossings, the GAO reports. On three occasions -- in California, Texas, and Arizona -- agents crossed the border on foot.

At two of these locations -- Texas and Arizona -- CBP allowed the agents entry into the United States without asking for or inspecting any identification documents. "Congress requested that we assess the current status of security at the nation's borders," the report says. "Specifically, Congress requested that we conduct a follow-up investigation to determine whether the vulnerabilities exposed in our prior work continue to exist."

CBP agrees that its officers are not able to identify all forms of counterfeit identification presented at land border crossings and fully supports a new initiative that will require all travelers to present a passport before entering the United States.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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