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Audit of Department of Homeland Security's Fiscal Year 2016 Conference Spending
From the Highlights: "Public Law (P.L.) 114-113, 'Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016' requires the Department of Homeland Security to report event-related spending. Our audit objective was to determine whether DHS' spending on selected hosted or sponsored conferences for fiscal year 2016 was appropriate, reasonable, necessary, and in compliance with the 'Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016.'"
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-07-13
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ICE's Inspections and Monitoring of Detention Facilities Do Not Lead to Sustained Compliance or Systemic Improvements
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) inspects and monitors just over 200 detention facilities where removable aliens are held. In this review we sought to determine whether ICE's immigration detention inspections ensure adequate oversight and compliance with detention standards. We also evaluated whether ICE's post-inspection follow-up processes result in correction of identified deficiencies."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-06-26
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Sandy Recovery Improvement Act Review
"As part of the Sandy Recovery Improvement Act (SRIA), Congress tasked the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General with preparing a report assessing the effectiveness of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) program's alternative procedures pilot program."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-06-01
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Special Report - Certain Findings Relating to the OIG's Investigation of Allegations Involving FLETC Senior Officials
From the Highlights: "Beginning in early January 2016, DHS OIG [Office of Inspector General] received dozens of allegations involving a variety of issues at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) facility in Glynco, Georgia. Following extensive investigation by DHS OIG investigators, the DHS OIG Special Reviews Group reviewed and evaluated the findings of the investigative team and identified certain findings that warranted public reporting. [...] DHS OIG made four recommendations aimed at ensuring that all FLETC employees, including those who comprise the senior leadership, comply with the policies, procedures, and ethical standards that govern the conduct of all DHS employees."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-05-22
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Cache County, Utah, Needs Additional Assistance and Monitoring to Ensure Proper Management of Its FEMA Grant
"The accounting policies, procedures, and business practices for Cache County, Utah (County) appear adequate to account for grant funds according to Federal regulations and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines. However, the County does not have adequate procurement policies, procedures, and business practices that comply fully with all Federal standards for its planned procurements, totaling approximately $500,000. This exists primarily because the State of Utah, Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management (Utah), as a FEMA recipient, did not ensure the County was fully aware of Federal procurement standards. In addition, FEMA needs to improve monitoring of Utah's grant management activities to ensure compliance with Federal regulations, FEMA's policies, and the FEMA-State Agreement. At the time of our fieldwork, FEMA had not completed project worksheets to define the scope of disaster work. At this early stage in the grant process, Utah needs to provide the County with additional technical assistance and increased monitoring. Doing so should provide FEMA reasonable, but not absolute, assurance that the County will spend the $2.7 million in total estimated disaster-related costs according to Federal requirements."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-05-11
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FEMA Should Recover $20.4 Million in Grant Funds Awarded to Diamondhead Water and Sewer District, Mississippi
From the Highlights: "The Diamondhead Water and Sewer District (District), received a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant award of $49.3 million from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (Mississippi) for damage resulting from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. We had concerns because it took the District about 10 years to break ground on its new wastewater treatment plant. We also wanted to determine whether FEMA accurately applied its '50 Percent Rule.'"
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-05-04
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Verification Review: Better Safeguards Are Needed in USCIS Green Card Issuance (OIG-17-11)
"We conducted a verification review to determine the adequacy, effectiveness, and timeliness of USCIS' corrective actions to address the seven report recommendations in 'Better Safeguards Are Needed in USCIS Green Card Issuance,' OIG-17-11, November 16, 2016. In our 2016 report, we discussed numerous challenges U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) faces to ensure secure and accurate processing and delivery of Green Cards to applicants. Specifically, we reported that USCIS produced at least 19,000 Green Cards that included incorrect information or were issued in duplicate between July 2013 and May 2016. Most card issuance errors during this period were due to design and functionality problems in the Electronic Immigration System (ELIS), a new system intended to automate benefits processing for certain USCIS products and services, including Green Cards. At the time of our audit fieldwork in spring 2016, USCIS' efforts to address the errors were inadequate. USCIS conducted a number of efforts to recover the inappropriately issued cards; however, these efforts also were not fully successful."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-04-10
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City of Waterloo, Iowa, Jeopardizes $1.9 Million in Estimated FEMA Grant Funding
"At the time of our audit, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated that the City of Waterloo, Iowa (City), sustained approximately $1.9 million in damages from severe storms and flooding from September 21 through October 3, 2016. We conducted our review early in the grant process to identify areas in which the City may need additional technical assistance or monitoring to ensure compliance with Federal requirements. [...] We made three recommendations to FEMA that, when implemented, will prevent the City from jeopardizing $1.9 million in estimated FEMA grant funds and protect taxpayers' dollars. [...] City officials did not provide all requested information and explanations necessary to perform our review. Because the City did not provide supporting documentation for its disaster transactions, we were unable to assess whether the City's policies, procedures, and business practices were adequate to account for FEMA Public Assistance grant funds properly. The City's failure to cooperate with a Federal audit put approximately $1.9 million dollars in potential FEMA grant funding at risk of being deobligated or not funded. Based on the City's actions, FEMA lacks assurance that the City can properly account for disaster-related costs or that those costs are eligible and allowable. FEMA also cannot ensure that the City followed Federal procurement regulations and FEMA guidelines for disaster-related costs."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-04-09
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Evaluation of DHS' Compliance with Federal Information Security Modernization Act Requirements for Intelligence Systems (Fiscal Year 2017)
From the Unclassified Summary: "We evaluated the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) enterprise-wide security program for Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information intelligence systems. Pursuant to the 'Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014,' we reviewed the Department's security program, including its policies, procedures, and system security controls for the enterprise-wide intelligence system. Since our FY 2016 evaluation, the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has continued to provide effective oversight of the department-wide intelligence system and has implemented programs to monitor ongoing security practices. In addition, the United States Coast Guard is in the process of migrating its intelligence users to a system that is jointly managed by the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial Agency. However, we determined that DHS' information security program for intelligence systems is not effective, based on the maturity model included in this year's reporting instructions. Specifically, DHS' continuous monitoring tools for its intelligence system are not interoperable. DHS has not documented procedures, established formal training, and instituted qualitative and quantitative measures for continuous monitoring of its intelligence systems. Lastly, the United States Secret Service (USSS) has not developed a process to ensure its employees and contractors complete the required annual security awareness training. We are making three recommendations to I&A and one recommendation to USSS to address identified deficiencies in DHS' information security program for intelligence systems. I&A concurred with all three recommendations and USSS concurred with its one recommendation. We conducted our fieldwork between May and November 2017."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-03-12
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USCIS Has Unclear Website Information and Unrealistic Time Goals for Adjudicating Green Card Applications
"USCIS [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] regularly posts information on its website about the time it takes field offices to adjudicate green card applications (processing time). Yet, the information is unclear and not helpful to USCIS' customers because it does not reflect the actual amount of time it takes field offices, on average, to complete green card applications. In addition, the actual average time it takes USCIS to complete green card applications has lengthened, and USCIS is not meeting its goal of adjudicating applications in 120 days. In fact, since fiscal year 2011, the overall average number of days it takes to complete applications has risen to more than twice the goal. Although USCIS has tried to help field offices stay close to the 120-day goal, we believe the time goal is unrealistic, given the number of factors that can slow the process and the importance of continuing to thoroughly vet green card applicants."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-03-09
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[Letter from John E. McCoy II to Jeff Byard Regarding Office of Inspector General Emergency Management Oversight Team Deployment Audits, March 8, 2018]
From the Document: "After completing an internal review of our audits related to multiple Emergency Management Oversight Team (EMOT) projects, we have decided to permanently remove the subject reports from our public website. Our internal review found the subject reports may not have adequately answered objectives and, in some cases, may have lacked sufficient and appropriate evidence to support conclusions. Answering objectives with sufficient and appropriate evidence is required under Government Auditing Standards or Quality Standards for Inspection and Evaluation. In an abundance of caution, we believe it best to recall the reports and not re-issue them."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
McCoy, II, John E.
2018-03-08
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Fiscal Year 2016 Audit of the DHS Bankcard Program Indicates Moderate Risk Remains
"During fiscal year 2016, DHS reported spending approximately $1.2 billion in purchase, travel, and fleet card transactions. Although the Department has established internal controls for its charge card programs, the components we reviewed did not always follow DHS' procedures. Our testing results of purchase, travel, and fleet card transactions revealed internal control weaknesses. Specifically, we found major internal control weaknesses that persisted at the United States Coast Guard and some control weaknesses within CBP's [U.S. Customs and Border Patrol] Fleet Card Program. As a result, there is moderate risk that DHS' internal controls over its charge card programs may not prevent illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases and payments."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-03-06
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Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General: Semiannual Report to the Congress, October 1, 2017 - March 31, 2018
"During this reporting period, the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) completed audits, inspections, and investigations to promote economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity in the Department's programs and operations."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-03
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Evaluation of DHS' Information Security Program for FY 2017
"We reviewed DHS' information security program in accordance with the 'Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014' (FISMA). Our objective was to determine whether DHS' information security program and practices were adequate and effective in protecting the information and information systems that supported DHS' operations and assets in fiscal year 2017. We are making five recommendations to the Chief Information Security Officer to enhance oversight of DHS' information security program in the areas of plans of action and milestones, security authorization, continuous monitoring, and configuration management."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-03-01
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Special Review: Swearing-In Ceremony of David J. Glawe, DHS Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis
"Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis (USIA) David J. Glawe used a personal email account to send an invitation to his ceremonial swearing-in event to staff members of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Because the invitation came from a non-DHS email account and resembled a phishing email, Senator Claire McCaskill asked the DHS Office of Inspector General to review the circumstances surrounding the invitation. DHS should develop policies governing when and how to support events involving DHS employees, and ensure that government resources are not used to support unofficial, personal events."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-02-28
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Management Alert - Inadequate FEMA Progress in Addressing Open Recommendations from our 2015 Report, 'FEMA Faces Challenges in Managing Information Technology' (OIG-16-10)
"In November 2015, we reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) information technology (IT) management approach did not adequately address technology planning, governance, and system support challenges to effectively support its mission. We issued five recommendations to the FEMA Chief Information Officer (CIO) aimed at improving the agency's management of IT. Specifically, we recommended the CIO finalize key planning documents related to IT modernization; execute against those planning documents; fully implement an IT governance board; improve integration and functionality of existing systems; and implement agency-wide acquisition, development, and operation and maintenance standards. Since the publication of our report, FEMA has provided six compliance updates on its steps to address our five report recommendations. However, we have closed only recommendation 3 based on FEMA's implementation of an IT governance board charter. Congressional interest, as well as our analysis of the compliance updates, indicated a need for further review to determine the adequacy of FEMA's efforts to resolve our open recommendations."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-02-26
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OIG-18-53: Immigration and Customs Enforcement Did Not Follow Federal Procurement Guidelines When Contracting for Detention Services
"U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill asked us to review ICE's [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] modification of its intergovernmental service agreement (IGSA) with the City of Eloy in Arizona to procure family detention space in Dilley, Texas. We also reviewed other selected IGSAs to determine whether they complied with applicable laws and regulations. [...] ICE should 1) establish procedures for IGSAs that implement Federal purchasing guidelines; and 2) discontinue modifying the Eloy IGSA to procure family detention space at the South Texas Family Residential Center."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-02-21
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Special Review: DHS Executive Travel Review
"In light of the heightened public and congressional interest in the misuse of government-owned, government-leased, and chartered aircraft, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a special review of the use of government aircraft by the heads of the Department and several of DHS's operational components. DHS OIG's review also included a review of other-than-coach-class travel by this same group of senior officials."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-02-16
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Department-Wide Management of the HSPD-12 Program Needs Improvement
"Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 12 requires that Federal agencies implement a government-wide standard for secure, reliable identification for their employees and contractors to access facilities and systems. Our objective was to assess DHS' progress in implementing and managing the HSPD-12 program since our prior audits in 2007 and 2010."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-02-14
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TSA SSI Program Office's Identification and Redaction of Sensitive Security Information
"The TSA SSI [Sensitive Security Information] Program office has policies and procedures to identify and redact SSI. In addition, the office uses SSI Identification (ID) guides to help TSA and Department of Homeland Security personnel identify SSI. Yet, several ID guides are outdated, which could lead to improperly identifying and marking SSI. We examined 80 reviews processed by the SSI Program office and determined that the office follows policies and procedures, but the existing controls are not always effective. We identified errors in marking information for redaction. The SSI Program office resolves most challenges by stakeholders to its redactions through informal, program-level discussions, but we did not observe documentation verifying resolution of these challenges. Further, because the office does not consistently track them, the total number of challenges to redactions is unknown. TSA could improve its review and redaction process by updating the ID guides, documenting justifications for changing redactions, and tracking challenges to redactions."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-02-08
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City of Cedar Falls, Iowa Has Policies, Procedures, and Business Practices to Manage Its FEMA Grant
From the Highlights: "At the time of our audit, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated that the City of Cedar Falls, Iowa (City), had sustained approximately $893,000 in damage caused by severe storms and flooding from September 21 through October 3, 2016. We audited early in the grant process to identify areas in which the City may need additional technical assistance or monitoring to ensure compliance with Federal procurement requirements."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-02-07
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Review of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Fiscal Year 2017 Detailed Accounting Submission for Drug Control Funds
From the Highlights: "The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Circular, 'Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary,' requires National Drug Control Program agencies to submit to the ONDCP Director, not later than February 1 of each year, a detailed accounting of all funds expended for National Drug Control Program activities during the previous fiscal year (FY). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is required to conduct a review of the agency's submission and provide a conclusion about the reliability of each assertion in the report."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-30
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Review of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Fiscal Year 2017 Drug Control Performance Summary Report
From the Highlights: "Williams, Adley & Company -DC, LLP, under contract with the Department of Homeland Security OIG [Office of Inspector General], issued an Independent Accountants' Report on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) FY 2017 Drug Control Performance Summary Report. CBP's management prepared the Performance Summary Report and the related disclosures in accordance with the requirements of the ONDCP [Office of National Drug Control Policy] Circular, 'Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary,' dated January 18, 2013 (Circular). Based on its review, nothing came to Williams Adley's attention that caused it to believe that CBP's FY 2017 Performance Summary Report is not presented in conformity with the criteria in the ONDCP Circular. Williams Adley did not make any recommendations as a result of its review."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-30
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Review of U.S. Coast Guard's Fiscal Year 2017 Drug Control Performance Summary Report
"The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Circular, 'Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary', requires National Drug Control Program agencies to submit to the ONDCP Director, not later than February 1 of each year, a detailed accounting of all funds expended for National Drug Control Program activities during the previous fiscal year (FY). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is required to conduct a review of the report and provide a conclusion about the reliability of each assertion made in the report."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-30
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Review of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Fiscal Year 2017 Drug Control Performance Summary Report
"The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Circular, 'Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary', requires National Drug Control Program agencies to submit to the ONDCP Director, not later than February 1 of each year, a detailed accounting of all funds expended for National Drug Control Program activities during the previous fiscal year (FY). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is required to conduct a review of the report and provide a conclusion about the reliability of each assertion made in the report."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-30
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Review of U.S. Coast Guard's Fiscal Year 2017 Detailed Accounting Submission for Drug Control Funds
"The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Circular, 'Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary', requires National Drug Control Program agencies to submit to the ONDCP Director, not later than February 1 of each year, a detailed accounting of all funds expended for National Drug Control Program activities during the previous fiscal year (FY). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is required to conduct a review of the agency's submission and provide a conclusion about the reliability of each assertion in the report."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-30
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Review of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Fiscal Year 2017 Detailed Accounting Submission for Drug Control Funds
"The Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) Circular, 'Accounting of Drug Control Funding and Performance Summary', requires National Drug Control Program agencies to submit to the ONDCP Director, not later than February 1 of each year, a detailed accounting of all funds expended for National Drug Control Program activities during the previous fiscal year (FY). The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is required to conduct a review of the agency's submission and provide a conclusion about the reliability of each assertion in the report."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-30
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Audit of FEMA Public Assistance Grant Funds Awarded to Volunteer Energy Cooperative, Tennessee, for February 2015 Severe Winter Storm
"Volunteer Energy Cooperative, Tennessee, (Volunteer) received an $8.3 million grant award from the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (Tennessee), a FEMA grantee, for damages resulting from a severe winter storm in February 2015. We audited one large project with an award totaling $8.3 million. Our audit objective was to determine whether Volunteer accounted for and expended FEMA funds according to Federal requirements."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-25
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Indiana Needs to Improve the Management of Its FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grants
"The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (Indiana) received $27.9 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) funds to disburse to eligible subgrantees for projects in 10 disasters declared from June 2004 to April 2014. Our objective was to determine whether Indiana administered the grant program in accordance with Federal regulations and ensured subgrantees properly accounted for and expended FEMA funds."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-25
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Management Alert -- ICE's Training Model Needs Further Evaluation
"This report is part of an ongoing audit to determine whether DHS has training strategies and capabilities in place to train the 15,000 new agents and officers the Department plans to hire. ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] plans to hire and train more than 10,000 agents and officers over the next 5 years. We recommend that the ICE Acting Director independently assess, in advance of any decentralization, the agency's training needs and requirements to provide an objective analysis on ICE's training approach."
United States. Department of Homeland Security. Office of Inspector General
2018-01-25
