U.S. Customs and Border Protections broke the law by misusing money meant for medical care and food for those in immigration detention, a government watchdog says. Instead, the agency spent the funds on dirt bikes, dog food and leashes, boats and other nonrelated items, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Thursday.
The discovery was made during an audit of CBP's treatment of adults and children in immigration custody last year during a significant increase in the number of migrant families and children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Many were detained in crowded CBP facilities, resulting in a humanitarian crisis. Several children died in federal custody, most falling ill in the temporary holding areas.
In response, Congress advanced CBP $4.6 billion, a large proportion of it intended for the care of children and families on the southern border.
Within the bill, Congress provided several line item appropriations, including an estimated $112 million specifically for "consumables and medical care" for adults and children in custody and $708 million for "establishing and operating migrant care and processing facilities."
CBP officials spent some of the $112 million on items that did not qualify, the GAO report said. The agency spent it on "CBP's canine program; the CBP-wide vaccine program for CBP personnel; computer network upgrades; transportation-related items such as boats, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and dirt bikes; and building equipment and services such as HVAC upgrades, sewer system upgrades, and janitorial services," the report stated.
Department of Homeland Security officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
CBP did not say how many of these items relate to the "consumables and medical care" line item appropriation, the report stated.
"Therefore, we conclude that CBP violated the purpose statute when it obligated the consumables and medical care line item appropriation for these purposes and should adjust its accounts," according to the report.
Congressional Democrats immediately pounced on the report.
"Instead of helping migrants and improving conditions on the ground, CBP then broke the law by spending this taxpayer money on things that were not authorized _ such as ATVs, dirt bikes and computer systems," Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, chairman of the House Security Committee, said in a prepared statement. "This callous disregard for the law is yet another example of this administration's continuing failure to carry out its duty to provide humane conditions and medical care for migrants in its care."
