Homeland Security Warning that Tech Limitations Could Allow Illegal Entries By Seafaring Workers

Foreign workers with criminal or terrorist connections onboard sea vessels could elude detection by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) because U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lacks the capability to electronically verify their admissibility to the United States using mobile technology at U.S. ports, congressional investigators warned January 18. CBP and the U.S. Coast Guard, along with the State Department, hold responsibility for screening seafaring workers traveling onboard boats to make certain they are not security risks, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in Maritime Security: Federal Agencies Have Taken Actions to Address Risks Posed by Seafarers, but Efforts Can Be Strengthened. The State Department screens seafaring workers who apply for nonimmigrant U.S. visas overseas, while DHS agencies screen seafarer manifests and inspect the admissibility of individual workers arriving at U.S. seaports. But, the GAO report observed, CBP conducts cargo vessel admissibility inspections on board the vessel without the benefit of tools to electronically verify a seafarer identity or immigration status because of a lack of available connectivity to network communications in the maritime environment. DHS has prioritized the acquisition of a mobile version of this technology capability, but expects it to take several years before the technology is developed and available. Without mobile identity verification technology, CBP faces increases risk of foreign seaworkers opting to become illegal immigrants in the United States, the report concluded. CBP has not formally conducted an assessment of risks associated with the lack in mobile verification capability.