Miller Declines to Confirm Proper Vetting of Unvetted Migrants at Southern Border

The acting Commissioner for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Troy Miller, declined to confirm whether migrants entering the US illegally via its southern border are being properly vetted by federal law enforcement agencies before release. During a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday morning, Republican congressmen raised concerns that CBP was not adequately verifying identities of those crossing without identification documents beyond their self-reported names and birth dates. Rep Andy Harris (R-MD) asked whether individuals could be admitted into the country simply based upon their provided details, while Miller maintained they were conducting thorough identity checks through various systems. However, when questioned by Rep John Rutherford (R-FL), regarding a Honduran immigrant who claimed to be 17 years old but was later found out and released despite being vetted by Border Patrol, Miller explained that CBP has agreements with several countries in South and Central America for information sharing on biometric data and personal details. He also noted their goal of removing individuals without asylum claims from the system quickly once they enter between ports of entry. Rutherford further pressed Miller about what would happen if an individual’s identity could not be confirmed through these methods, to which he responded that CBP does not have long-term detention facilities and can only hold those for whom no identification is found while awaiting confirmation from other agencies or sources. When questioned by Rep Andy Harris (R-MD) about whether a person coming in without any identifiable details would be admitted into the country, Miller claimed they could instead receive a Notice to Appear document ordering them to appear before an immigration court at some point in future months or years. However, Harris countered that if no red flags arise from their information sharing systems regarding migrants travelling through countries such as Iran without cooperation with US law enforcement agencies and intelligence bodies on biometrics data collection or criminal records verification then these individuals could be admitted into the country. Miller insisted they would not be formally allowed in but rather released under a Notice to Appear document, pending further confirmation from other sources before their case is adjudicated at immigration court. It should be noted that as an acting official appointed by President Biden during Senate confirmations gridlock for CBP leadership roles since early 2021.