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Open Recommendations

Border Security: Assessment of the Department of Homeland Security's Border Security Improvement Plan
GAO-21-303R
Apr 12, 2021
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1 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Homeland Security The Secretary of Homeland Security should expeditiously provide Congress with the required information that was missing from the <i>Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Border Security Improvement Plan</i>.
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Coast Guard: More Information Needed to Assess Efficacy and Costs of Vessel Survival Craft Requirements
GAO-21-247
Mar 31, 2021
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should ensure that the Director of Inspections and Compliance revises its vessel accident investigations guidance to require Coast Guard investigators to collect date of birth, known disability, and use of lifesaving equipment of people in vessel accidents who were casualties due to water immersion, or who used lifesaving equipment. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should ensure that the Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards fully implements OMB and GAO cost and benefit estimate best practices in developing future estimates of the implementation costs for out-of-water survival craft requirements, including relying on the most current inflation information and discounting future costs and benefits for cost effectiveness projections, and documenting its methods for calculating acquisition costs. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should ensure that the Director of Inspections and Compliance analyzes its cold water determinations using the best available long-term water temperature data and, if appropriate, update its cold water areas determination guidance for certain lifesaving equipment requirements on commercial vessels. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
United States Coast Guard The Commandant of the Coast Guard should ensure that the Director of Inspections and Compliance establishes a process to routinely review and update, if appropriate, its cold water areas determination guidance for certain lifesaving equipment requirements on commercial vessels using the best available temperature data. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Aviation Security Technology: TSA Lacks Outcome-oriented Performance Measures and Data to Help Reach Objectives to Diversify its Marketplace
GAO-21-146
Mar 03, 2021
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2 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Transportation Security Administration The TSA Administrator should develop outcome-oriented performance measures to help TSA assess the effectiveness of its strategic initiatives in diversifying its marketplace. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Transportation Security Administration The TSA Administrator should collect data, where appropriate, on small businesses' progress across its acquisition phases to determine how, where, and when it can better target its strategic initiatives or if other initiatives should be considered. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Immigration Enforcement: ICE Can Further Enhance Its Planning and Oversight of State and Local Agreements
GAO-21-186
Feb 26, 2021
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3 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement The Director of ICE should establish performance goals and related performance measures to assess and manage the performance of the 287(g) program. (Recommendation 1)
Open
In January 2021, we reported on ICE's oversight and management of the 287(g) program. We found that ICE has not established performance goals that cover all program activities, such as ICE's oversight of its law enforcement agency (LEA) partners, or measures to assess the program's performance, such as the percentage of LEA partners in compliance with annual training requirements. As a result, ICE is not well-positioned to determine the extent to which the program is achieving intended results. We recommended that ICE should establish performance goals and related performance measures to assess and manage the performance of the 287(g) program. ICE agreed with this recommendation, stating that ICE is developing a 287(g) strategic plan that will outline the program's goals, objectives, and performance measures. As part of this effort, ICE plans to develop a mechanism to measure progress towards achieving the 287(g) program mission and identify any strategic areas that may require adjustments or revisions. We will continue to monitor ICE's efforts to address this recommendation.
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement The Director of ICE should assess 287(g) program composition to help leverage program resources, optimize program benefits, and guide 287(g) expansion efforts. (Recommendation 2)
Open
In January 2021, we reported on ICE's oversight and management of the 287(g) program. We found that ICE considers a number of factors, such as a law enforcement agency's capability to act as an ICE force multiplier, when reviewing their suitability to join the program; however, ICE has not assessed how to optimize the use of its resources and program benefits to guide its recruitment of future 287(g) participants. By assessing how to leverage its program resources and optimize benefits received, ICE could approach recruitment more strategically and optimize program benefits. We recommended that ICE should assess 287(g) program composition to help leverage program resources, optimize program benefits, and guide 287(g) expansion efforts. ICE agreed with this recommendation, stating that it is developing a mechanism to review current and future 287(g) participants to determine the mix of state and local law enforcement agencies in the two models of the program to optimize program resources. We will continue to monitor ICE's efforts to address this recommendation.
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement The Director of ICE should develop and implement an oversight mechanism to monitor Warrant Service Officer participants' compliance with their Memorandum of Agreement with ICE. (Recommendation 3)
Open
In January 2021, we reported on ICE's oversight and management of the 287(g) program. We found that ICE uses a number of mechanisms to oversee 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model participants' compliance with their agreements, such as conducting inspections and reviewing reported complaints; however, ICE did not have an oversight mechanism for participants' in the Warrant Service Officer (WSO) model of the program. An oversight mechanism could help ICE ensure that WSO participants comply with their 287(g) agreement and other relevant ICE policies and procedures. We recommended that ICE develop and implement an oversight mechanism to monitor WSO participants' compliance with the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ICE. ICE agreed with this recommendation, stating that it was developing an internal oversight review mechanism to monitor and ensure WSO participants' compliance with their MOA. We will continue to monitor ICE's efforts to address this recommendation.
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