文章基本信息

标题：Justice Dept. Faulted on Oversight of INS Computer Systems
作者：Brian Krebs
期刊名称：Washingtonpost.com
出版年度：2002
卷号：Nov 25, 2002
出版社：The Washington Post

Justice Dept. Faulted on Oversight of INS Computer Systems

Brian Krebs

Byline: Brian Krebs

The U.S. Justice Department has done a poor job of overseeing key information technology programs used to track immigrants and other foreigners who visit the United States, government investigators said today.

In a report to the House Judiciary Committee, the General Accounting Office said the Justice Department failed to monitor important IT projects at the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), including the system that issues "green cards" that allow immigrants to work in the United States.

The committee's chairman, James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), said that INS programs are crucial to screening out potential terrorists and foreigners with criminal records.

According to the GAO, the Justice Department assigned just one staff member to oversee the management of more than 107 INS information technology programs.

The GAO reported a severe lack of oversight for the agency's now-defunct "I-94" system, which captured and screened names listed on arrival and departure manifests at airports around the country.

The report also identified problems with the INS' automatic biometric ID system, a program that screens immigrant photos and fingerprints against a database of aliens that have previously been deported for illegal activity.

Justice Department officials could not be immediately reached for comment. In written comments on the GAO report, the agency said it recognizes the need to bolster oversight of its IT projects.

Sensenbrenner said he is worried about what the GAO report bodes for oversight of other Justice Department IT projects. The agency spends roughly $2 billion each year on information technology, and earmarked $459 million last year to the INS -- which has one of the largest IT budgets in the federal government.

"With the INS moving to the Department of Homeland Security, I hope that the Chief Information Officer of that department takes note of this report and puts oversight in place before more INS systems failures take place and more public money is mismanaged," the chairman said in a statement.