Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the border control activities and funding of the Coast Guard, Customs Service, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).

GAO found that: (1) 12 agencies are responsible for controlling legal and illegal entry into the United States; (2) border control programs are fragmented and duplicative; and (3) border control obligations for the Coast Guard, Customs, and INS rose from $1.3 billion in fiscal year (FY) 1983 to $1.9 billion in FY 1987. In a recent report and testimony, GAO recommended that the administration: (1) develop a comprehensive border management policy; (2) place all responsibility for primary inspection functions into one agency; and (3) assign the authority and responsibility for planning and coordinating federal antidrug efforts to a single individual, who would receive strong support from the President and Congress.