Title: Border Patrol Efforts to Reduce Migrant Deaths and Assist Those
in Distress

Description: Migrants crossing the Southwest border of the United States
can encounter remote, rugged stretches of land and harsh, hot
conditions. While U.S. Border Patrol responds to reports of migrants
unlawfully crossing the border, they also respond to those who are in
distress or even missing. What are these efforts and how does U.S.
Border Patrol help those who are often trying to go undetected? We find
out more from GAO's Rebecca Gambler.

Related GAO Work: GAO-22-105053, Southwest Border: CBP Should Improve
Data Collection, Reporting, and Evaluation for the Missing Migrant
Program

Released: April 2022

[Rebecca Gambler:] The agency needs to do a better job at collecting,
reporting and reporting more complete data on migrant deaths.

[Holly Hobbs:] Hi, and welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report--your source for
news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. I'm
your host Holly Hobbs. Migrants crossing the Southwest border of the
United States can encounter remote, rugged stretches of land in harsh,
hot conditions. And while U.S. Border Patrol responds to reports of
migrants unlawfully crossing the border, they also respond to those who
are in distress or even missing. What are these efforts and how does
Border Patrol help those who are often trying to go undetected? Today,
we'll find out from Rebecca Gambler, an expert on immigration and border
security and a director in our Homeland Security and Justice Team.
Thanks for joining us.

[Rebecca Gambler:] Thank you, Holly. I'm pleased to be here. 

[Holly Hobbs:] So, Rebecca, maybe you can help set the scene for us. Can
we talk a little bit about the risks migrants face when crossing the
southwest border and then the challenges Border Patrol also face in
trying to identify those who might be missing or distressed? 

[Rebecca Gambler:] Migrants certainly face risks crossing the border.
The Southwest border spans almost 2,000 miles and comprise is some
really wildly different types of terrain-- including mountains, rugged
canyons, rivers, deserts. And this fact can challenge border patrol
efforts as some people may attempt to cross the border in pretty remote
areas. So there is a risk of injury or even death. According to a recent
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (or CBP) report, more than 4,900
individuals were rescued and about 300 deceased migrants were found
along the southwest border in fiscal year 2019. 

[Holly Hobbs:] So what is Border Patrol doing to help?

[Rebecca Gambler:] To help reduce the number of migrant deaths, Border
Patrol has done things like warned migrants of the dangers of crossing
the border unlawfully. The agency has also established search and rescue
units, and coordinated with different external entities like medical
examiner offices and state and local law enforcement agencies. And
Border Patrol has placed rescue beacons and 9-1-1 placards in remote
areas along the border. As of January 2022, Border Patrol had deployed
165 rescue beacons and placed over 2,500 9-1-1 placards across the
southwest border.

[Holly Hobbs:] So Border Patrol created a specific program in 2017 to
help with these efforts. Do we know if their efforts have worked to help
reduce migrant deaths? 

[Rebecca Gambler:] Yes. Border Patrol initiated what's called the
Missing Migrant Program to help rescue migrants in distress and reduce
migrant deaths along the border. In the fall of 2021, Border Patrol
issued a nationwide operating procedure for this program to standardize
things like how Border Patrol agents in the field respond to inquiries
of missing migrants from external entities, and how agents record data
on migrant deaths and Border Patrol's data system. 

[Holly Hobbs:] So what do we think of these efforts?

[Rebecca Gambler:] These are positive steps. But we identified two areas
of improvement within the missing migrant program. First, CBP and Border
Patrol have not collected and recorded or reported to Congress complete
data on migrant deaths. And secondly, Border Patrol does not have a plan
to evaluate the overall program. This really makes it difficult for the
agency to assess the impact of the program on helping to reduce the
frequency of migrant deaths, and the impact on strengthening efforts to
respond to migrants who may be in distress.

[Holly Hobbs:] What does it mean that Border Patrol doesn't have
complete data? 

[Rebecca Gambler:] Border Patrol does have a policy for recording
information on migrant deaths in its data system. But Border Patrol
field units, which are also called sectors, have not entered all
available information on migrant deaths into that system, consistent
with border patrols policy. So to provide some more specifics, their
Border Patrol sectors are supposed to record the death of a suspected
migrant, whether or not Border Patrol was directly involved and the
discovery of remains. However, sectors have not been recording all
migrant deaths in instances where an external entity--like a state or
local law enforcement agency or a medical examiner's office--first
discovered the remains. So this makes Border Patrol data incomplete. And
we think this is really important because, among other things, Border
Patrol and CBP have been reporting these incomplete data to Congress.

{MUSIC}

[Holly Hobbs:] So Rebecca just told us that Border Patrol's Missing
Migrant Program aims to help rescue migrants in distress and reduce
migrant deaths along the southwest border. But that the agency isn't
collecting and recording the information needed to tell it whether its
efforts are actually helping. So Rebecca, what do we think Border Patrol
needs to be doing to improve its efforts to help missing or distressed
migrants at the southwest border?

[Rebecca Gambler:] We made three recommendations to Border Patrol.
First, we recommended that Border Patrol take steps to ensure that it
collects and records available information on migrant deaths, including
those identified by external entities. Second, we recommended that
Border Patrol include known migrant deaths, including those reported by
external entities, and any data limitations in the agency's public and
congressional reports. And finally, we recommended that Border Patrol
develop a plan to evaluate the missing migrant program. 

[Holly Hobbs:] And last question, what's the bottom line of our report? 

[Rebecca Gambler:] The main message of our report is that Border Patrol
has taken a number of positive actions to help reduce the frequency of
migrant deaths and assist migrants who may be missing or in distress.
However, the agency needs to do a better job at collecting, recording
and reporting more complete data on migrant deaths; and Border Patrol
needs to develop a plan for evaluating its missing migrant program.
Doing so would help provide more insights into migrant deaths along the
border and also help Border Patrol better know the extent to which the
program is meeting its goals. 

[Holly Hobbs:] That was Rebecca Gambler discussing our new report on
U.S. Border Patrol and missing migrants. Thanks for your time, Rebecca. 

[Rebecca Gambler:] Thank you so much, Holly. 

[Holly Hobbs:] And thank you for listening to The Watchdog Report. To
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