Homeland Security Doesn’t Electronically Verify Identity Documents of Foreign Seafarers at U.S. Ports, Says GAO
Friday, January 21, 2011
By Edwin Mora

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

(CNSNews.com) – The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, does not electronically verify the identity or immigration status of foreign seafarers aboard cargo vessels seeking to enter the United States, according to a government audit.
This lack of verification happens even though the State Department has warned that the visas they issue to foreign seafarers (maritime crew members) are vulnerable to exploitation by extremists seeking to enter America by fraudulent means, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which issued a Jan. 14 report on the topic.