The federal agency responsible for protecting the nation’s borders — now under pressure for its transparency and use of force — has been granted authority to launch its own criminal investigations of its employees.
The Obama administration announced on Friday that U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson delegated that power to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Also Friday, Customs and Border Protection officials disclosed they had tapped Karen Tandy, former administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and William Bratton, New York City’s police commissioner, to lead an “integrity advisory panel.”
“Since my confirmation, I’ve been committed to increasing transparency and making changes to improve accountability of the CBP work force,” said Customs and Border Protection Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske, who was sworn into office this year to oversee an agency with 60,000 employees and a $12.4 billion budget.
“This announcement is part of a larger effort to hold the workforce accountable for maintaining a high standard of integrity and aligning CBP with law enforcement best practices throughout the country.”
Kerlikowske's agency came under criticism in a May report from the American Immigration Council, a Washington-based nonprofit group. Based on records obtained from the federal government, the report says 809 complaints of alleged abuse were lodged against U.S. Border Patrol agents between 2009 and 2012. Among the cases in which a formal decision was issued, according to the report, 97 percent resulted in "no action." And 40 percent of all the complaints were identified as still "pending investigation."
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