Steve Neavling

The federal government has no way to determine whether foreign exchange students are in the U.S. legally, New York Congressman Peter King told CNN.

CNN reports that Border Patrol and ICE monitor different parts of the visa – one confirms a student has a visa, the other checks to see whether the visa is in compliance. 

There’s no technology to link both agencies’ records.

The Department of Homeland Security ordered CBP to verify that students entering the U.S. have valid student visas.

Steve Neavling

Federal agencies are increasingly relying on polygraphs for suspects despite concerns about the tests’ reliability, reports Center for Investigative Reporting. 

Although Congress banned the exam in most of the private sector 25 years ago, 17 federal agencies, including CBP, use polygraph tests, CIR wrote.

The National Center for Credibility Assessment trains polygraphers, an overwhelming majority of whom are for federal agencies, CIR reported.

The tests are most accurate during criminal probes, CIR reported.

“The further you get away from the ‘did you do it’ question, the weaker the polygraph is going to be. It’s easier to get errors,” said Charles Honts, a Boise State University psychology professor and polygrapher.

OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST

• FBI Lends Hand in Investigation of Potential Threat at Ohio State University 
• Investigation of Corruption at Police Department in Utah Heats Up As FBI Lends Hand
• Suspect Accused of Firing at Border Patrol Agents is Captured in Canada
• Hackers Claim to Have Leaked Personal Information about Obama Appointee for Secret Service
• Homeland Security Head Napolitano Visits Houston to Discuss Immigration

Steve Neavling

Detained immigrants were forced to sit in freezing holding cells without toilets and beds while their lips turned blue and cracked because of the cold, according to a series of lawsuits that makes numerous allegations of abuse against Border Patrol, the USA Today reports.

The suits were filed on behalf of 10 plaintiffs by advocacy groups that says the abuse is all too common.

“I don’t think these are isolated cases,” Melissa Crow, who is representing one of the plaintiffs and is the director of the Legal Action Center at the American Immigration Council, an immigration advocacy organization, told . “The spectrum of cases we’re presenting exemplifies the culture of impunity that has taken hold at CBP.”

CBP declined to comment on the suit but said allegations of abuse are taken seriously.

“We do not tolerate misconduct or abuse within our ranks and we fully cooperate with all investigations of alleged unlawful conduct, on or off duty, by any of our CBP employees and contractors,” Burke said in a statement.

istock photo

CPB employees will be furloughed for up to 14 days each because of the spending cuts known as the sequester, the Washington Post reports.

Employees will be issued official notices beginning Thursday, the Post wrote.

Union leaders of warned a serious impact.

“The smuggling organizations are keenly aware of what our operational capabilities are,” said Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, representing 17,000 non-supervisory agents, the Standard Examiner reported. “Once they see that we don’t have the manpower we had out on the border previously, they will take advantage.”Federal agencies are required to give 30-day notices before given unpaid leave.

CBP Deputy Protection Director David V. Aguilar said the agency would implement “only the absolute minimum number of furlough days required.”

CBP also plans to reduce overtime and halt hiring, the Post reported.

OTHER STORIES OF INTEREST

• FBI Keeps Watch over Federal Money Intended Rebuild Following Superstorm Sandy 
• FBI Agents Raided Northern Illinois University As Part of Criminal Investigation
• Justice Department Affirms the Public Has Right to Photograph Police 
• Federal Cuts to Cause Long Delays at Airports Across Nation
• Want a Homeland Security Degree? It’s Offered At Law School in Michigan

Steve Neavling

CBP officials warned Congress that failing to prevent the planned sequester Friday would force the agency to cut hours by the equivalent of a quarter of its workforce – or 5,000 full-time workers, the Arizona Republic reports.

That will mean reduced border security and longer waits at airports and border entries, the CBP cautioned.

For now, the CBP plans to give 14 furlough days for every agent, the Arizona Republic reported.

Overtime hours also will be cut.

Union leaders told the Arizona Republican that agents and their families are encouraged to call Congress about the reductions.

Border fence along Juarez-El Paso border/istock photo

Technology glitches have delayed the federal government’s plan to place sensors along the Mexican border, Wired reports.

The plan by the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection was to saturate the border with a new generation of unattended ground sensors, or UGS.

Now the feds are backing down from spending the money, saying now there are no plans “release a solicitation for this specific requirement in the near future.”

The problems are related to frequency and bandwidth, Wired reported

We’ve determined that we need to resolve issues with saturated radio frequencies, limited bandwidth and system integration with the existing CBP infrastructure,” Jenny Burke, a public affairs officer with CBP, told Wired.

Steve Neavling

The federal government spends more money on immigrant enforcement than all other law enforcement agencies combined, the Huffington Post reports.

The U.S. spent nearly $18 billion in the 2012 fiscal year on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and US-Visit, an effort to help local authorities identify undocumented immigrants, the Huffington Post wrote.

That’s compared to $14.4 billion spent on the federal governments other prime law enforcement agencies – the FBI, DEA, Secret Services, U.S. Marshal Service and ATF, according to the Huffington Post.

It’s no surprise because ICE and CBP handled more suspects than the other agencies combined.

The federal government’s focus on immigration enforcement has increased steadily since the mid-1980s.

Steve Neavling

A CBP officer who bought guns at local sporting goods stores for other people and then lied about it was sentenced Monday to fives years on probation, the Associated Press reports.

Manuel Eduardo Pena had faced up to five years in prison after prosecutors say he bought hunting rifles for other people and lied to authorities when asked about it, the AP reported.

A federal jury convicted Pena in August of two counts of making a false statement on a firearms record and one count of making a false statement to a federal authority.

The AP wrote that Pena is on unpaid leave.