Summary

GAO assessed how effectively the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) managed its information resources to support its mission, focusing on information needed by headquarters and field officials to adequately carry out their missions.

GAO found that: (1) INS managers and field officials did not have adequate, reliable, and timely information to effectively carry out its mission; (2) INS information resources management (IRM) problems included incomplete and inaccurate program and management data, a loose collection of automated information systems, and ad hoc, labor-intensive, manual systems that were inaccessible; (3) individual office autonomy resulted in regional and central offices developing redundant systems; (4) INS lacked information needed to effectively deal with criminal aliens, process applications, and account for or collect fees, which increased its risk of admitting illegal aliens and granting benefits to ineligible aliens; (5) INS could not collect millions of dollars in breached surety bonds and other penalties; (6) the INS IRM plan offered conceptually sound goals but provided little direction on how to meet them; (7) INS did not implement policies to promote information sharing and standardized system development; and (8) INS took steps to correct information problems by enhancing systems' capabilities and improving its IRM planning process.