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Inspection of the Secure Electronic Network
for Travelers' Rapid Inspection

Report Number I-2000-019
June 2000


APPENDIX XIII

Office of the Inspector General's
Analysis of Management's Response

On April 14, 2000, the Inspections Division sent copies of the draft report to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) with a request for written comments. INS responded by memorandum from the Commissioner dated June 2, 2000 (Appendix XII).

INS concurred with all eight of our recommendations.

Recommendation Number:

  1. Resolved-Open. INS agrees that the INS, the U.S. Customs Service (USCS), and the Justice Management Division (JMD) should work together to develop and implement a long range plan that will transition the SENTRI project from a reinvention laboratory to a co-managed INS/USCS program. INS, USCS, and JMD will develop a plan that will include the management structure for the program, a cost recovery strategy, and a revised framework for future site selection. INS states that the final implementation of this plan will coincide with the end of the current Justice Performance Review laboratory period in August, 2001.

    Please provide us with a status report on the completion of the long-range plan as well as with a copy of this plan once it is developed.

  2. Resolved-Open. INS concurred with our finding that INS should develop and implement a funding plan for SENTRI that will cover the operation of SENTRI at all sites and address current funding shortfalls. INS has drafted a proposed rule that sets a user fee recovering the operating costs of the SENTRI program. INS expects the regulation to be published by January 2001.

    Please notify us when the regulation has been published and provide us with a copy of this regulation.

  3. Resolved-Open. INS agreed to issue a memorandum, with USCS, instructing the field and regional personnel assigned to SENTRI that existing audit procedures are to be followed. Adherence to these procedures will be monitored through local first line supervision, site visits by Headquarters and Regional Program Managers, as well as through semi-annual evaluations. These evaluations will be incorporated into the INS's INSpect review and the USCS Management Inspection Division (MID) process.

    Please provide us with a copy of the INS-USCS memorandum to field and regional personnel assigned to SENTRI instructing that existing audit procedures are to be followed. In addition, please provide us with documentation that monitoring of these procedures has been included in INS's INSpect review guide.

  4. Resolved-Open. INS agreed to instruct the field managers and Inspection personnel assigned to the SENTRI program of the existing enrollment and renewal procedures of the SENTRI program. INS will monitor adherence to these procedures through local first-line supervision, site visits by Headquarters and Regional Program Managers, as well as through semi-annual evaluations.

    Please provide us with documentation that field and Inspection personnel have been instructed on enrollment and renewal procedures. In addition, please provide us with documentation that these procedures have been monitored by local first-line supervision, site visits by Headquarters and Regional Program Managers, and semi-annual evaluations.

  5. Resolved-Open. INS agreed to evaluate the SENTRI program and its performance measurement process and report its findings to Congress, the Department of Justice, and to the Commissioner in INS' annual performance report and in the quarterly priority review. INS also agreed to revise the 1994 Memorandum of Understanding along with the USCS to reflect the on-going evaluation of the SENTRI program.

    Please provide us with these evaluations when they are completed along with any revisions that are made to the 1994 Memorandum of Understanding.

  6. Resolved-Open. INS and USCS agreed to reassess the existing performance goals and measures developed for the SENTRI program as well as develop separate performance goals and benchmarks for the northern border sites. INS stated that this will be completed by January 2001.

    Please provide us with documentation regarding your reassessment of the existing performance goals and measures for the SENTRI program, as well as the performance goals and benchmarks developed for the northern border sites when these have been completed.

  7. Resolved-Open. INS and USCS agreed to strengthen current methods for projecting enrollment at proposed sites through data validation, continued analysis of available crossing data, and a review of the available historical data.

    Please provide us with a status report on your progress in strengthening methods for projecting enrollment at proposed sites.

  8. Resolved-Open. INS agreed that the current framework for evaluating and selecting proposed sites should be revised. INS responded that the long range plan, as discussed in its response to Recommendation 1, will include a revised framework for future site selection that will include a quantitative analysis of commuter wait times, traffic volume, and incidences of border violations, as well as analysis of other factors, including physical infrastructure, congressional and community support, growth patterns, and potential commuter population.

    Please provide us with the revised framework for evaluating and selecting proposed sites.