Summary

The flood of illegal aliens and illicit drugs across the United States-Mexico border continues. Federal agencies responsible for law enforcement along the border operate almost independently--little consideration is given for each other's missions. These separate yet similar lines of effort are diluting border coverage and control.

Although Federal expenditures to improve border control have nearly doubled since 1971, costly overlapping and poorly coordinated enforcement continues to exist. Border forces do not intercept significant quantities of heroin and cocaine. Border drug apprehensions primarily involve the small-time operator or carrier and seldom lead to the identification or conviction of important drug traffickers. The Government believes that for each illegal alien caught, at least two others pass the border.