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IV. Agency Budget Summaries

IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE


  1. RESOURCE SUMMARY

  2. METHODOLOGY

    • The percentage used to develop the drug budget for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) reflects estimated workyears devoted to INS' drug missions. The two largest components of the INS drug program, in terms of total resources, are the Border Patrol program and Detention and Deportation program activities. The INS calculates 15 percent of the Border Patrol's and 25 percent of the Detention and Deportation's resources as drug-related. In addition, INS includes resources for Investigations (24 percent), Inspections (15 percent), Intelligence (26 percent), Training (15 percent), Data and Communications (2 percent), and Research and Development (73 percent) in support of its border and interior enforcement mission. In addition, beginning with FY 1998, INS began scoring its Breached Bond Detention Fund as being a drug-related account. This reflects the merger of the Immigration Detention Account, authorized in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, P.L. 104-208, with the Breached Bond Detention Fund.

  3. PROGRAM SUMMARY

    • The INS is responsible for the admission, control, and removal of aliens within the United States. As an ancillary activity, the INS detects and apprehends drug smugglers and illegal aliens used to transport drugs at or near the border between ports-of-entry. The INS also cooperates with other federal agencies in locating, apprehending, and removing alien drug traffickers at ports-of-entry and within the interior of the United States, and in escorting alien witnesses in the United States to testify in drug trials.

  4. BUDGET SUMMARY

    1998 Program

    • The FY 1998 drug control program level is $400.3 million, 2,883 FTEs. This level will enable INS to increase its interdiction and its detention program activities, as well as maintain its baseline activities in most other program areas. The following provides a breakdown of FY 1998 resources by Strategy goal:

    Goal 2: Increase the safety of America's citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence.

    • The FY 1998 resource level is $164.8 million and 707 FTEs for the Detention and Deportation program will allow the Service to identify, detain and remove record numbers of illegal aliens in FY 1998.

    Goal 4: Shield America's air, land, and sea frontiers from the drug threat.

    • The FY 1998 resource level is $170.9 million and 1,541 FTEs. Included in this funding are resources to allow the Border Patrol to expand a strategy of "prevention through deterrence" along the southwest border, with increased agents and force-multiplying technology. Also, included in the FY 1998 program is funding for the Inspections program to sustain facilitation and control admissions at all ports-of-entry, especially the southwest border.

    Goal 5: Break foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.

    • The FY 1998 drug control resources of $64.7 million and 635 FTEs for the Investigations program will allow the Service to continue the investigation and apprehension of aliens who commit major criminal offenses, as well as interview and identify deportable aliens that are incarcerated in local and county jails. These resources will also allow INS to establish an enforcement presence in select county and city jails that contain deportable criminal aliens.

    • In addition, INS anticipates receiving $10.4 million in reimbursable funding for its OCDETF activities.

    1999 Request

    • The FY 1999 drug control budget request for the INS totals $439.1 million and 3,127 FTEs, an increase of $38.8 million and 244 FTEs over the FY 1998 level. The drug control enhancements requested by Strategy goal, include the following:

    Goal 2: Increase the safety of America's citizens by substantially reducing drug-related crime and violence.

    • The total funding requested for Goal 2 includes $173.6 million, a net increase of $8.7 million over the FY 1998 level. Included in this increase is a program enhancement for removal of criminal and non-criminal deportable aliens and increased program support in the areas of interior deterrence.

    Goal 4: Shield America's air, land, and sea frontiers from the drug threat.

    • The total funding requested for Goal 4 includes $192.1 million, a net increase of $21.3 million over the FY 1998 level. Included in this net increase are program enhancements totaling $25.7 million offset by non recurring expenses of $4.4 million. Program enhancements include:

    • $163.2 million and 1,000 new border patrol agents (drug attribution: $24.5 million and 150 agents). Also included is funding to continue deployment of the Integrated Surveillance Intelligence System and Remote Video Surveillance equipment and construction projects for the Border Patrol. Most of these new agents will be assigned to the Southwest Border region.

    • $8 million and 100 land border inspectors (drug attribution: $1.2 million and 15 inspectors) to sustain facilitation and control of admissions at land ports-of-entry.

    Goal 5: Break foreign and domestic drug sources of supply.

    • The total funding requested for Goal 5 includes $73.4 million, an $8.8 million net increase over the FY 1998 level. Included in this increase is an enhancement for the Investigations program to identify and interview deportable aliens that are incarcerated in local and county jails.

    • In addition, INS anticipates receiving $10.7 million in reimbursable funding for its OCDETF activities.

  5. PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS

    • In the last three years, INS has launched Operation Hold the Line in El Paso, Texas; Operation Gatekeeper in San Diego, California; and Operation Safeguard in Arizona. These operations are strategies to regain control of areas of the border that have historically been the major corridors for illegal immigration. As part of these efforts, the overall size of the Border Patrol has been increased by over 40 percent, and agents have been provided with force-multiplying technological tools to track and apprehend illegal crossers, and thwart alien smuggling.

    • In the first six months of FY 1997, the Border Patrol seized 388,847 pounds of marijuana and 7,077 pounds of cocaine. The estimated value of all drugs seized in the first six months of FY 1997 was more than $495 million.

    • Border Patrol traffic checkpoint operations along the Southwest land border are vital in stopping the transportation of illegal drugs into the country as evidenced by a 1997 seizure of cocaine in the Deming, New Mexico area. Two separate carloads of cocaine were intercepted by Border Patrol agents within thirty minutes of the other during an immigration inspection at the checkpoint. As a result, over 300 pounds of cocaine were seized, valued at nearly $10 million.