INS struggling with airport security WASHINGTON (AP) =97 The Immigration and Naturalization Service has failed to= =20 correct significant security deficiencies at airports despite renewed=20 attention since the Sept. 11 attacks, Justice Department investigators said= =20 in a report released Thursday. The Transportation Security Administration=20 is responsible for overall security at commercial airports, but the INS has= =20 oversight of foreign travelers. An audit by Justice Department Inspector=20 General Glen A. Fine found U.S. airports remain vulnerable to illegal=20 entries by foreign travelers; smuggling of aliens, drugs and other illegal= =20 substances; and escapes by people detained for questioning. Illustrating=20 the national security sensitivity, the public version of the audit was=20 heavily edited to remove all references to specific airports, even deleting= =20 broader percentages of airports where various deficiencies were found. Fine said the INS has largely failed to implement recommendations aimed at= =20 fixing problems first identified in a 1999 audit. These include badly=20 located or inoperable surveillance cameras, inability to videotape=20 interviews with detainees, alarms that don't work and other security=20 features never installed. "We found that the INS had not even advised its own airport staff of the=20 results of the prior audit," the report said. "Significant and ongoing=20 deficiencies continue to exist at INS airport inspection facilities." The=20 INS inspected 43.1 million foreign passengers at 159 U.S. airports during=20 the 2001 fiscal year. The audit focused on 12 unidentified U.S. airports=20 that handle international flights. The INS issued no formal response to the= =20 audit and officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment=20 Thursday. Justice Department auditors, however, said they were told by INS= =20 officials that the immigration agency would lose a battle with airlines and= =20 airport authorities if it attempted to use its powers to impose sanctions = =97=20 such as prohibiting an airline from deplaning passengers =97 in a bid to=20 force improvements. Another problem is a high attrition rate among INS=20 inspectors. The audit found an attrition rate of 17% in 2002 among INS=20 airport inspectors, with individual airports reporting rates as high as=20 41%. The audit makes seven major recommendations, urging the INS to set a=20 deadline for security reviews at all airports, start periodic tests of=20 systems and begin working with airlines and airports to make sure action is= =20 taken to deal with the problems. Auditors said the INS agreed with most of= =20 the recommendations. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: www.pichemas.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************