Efforts to detect and deter fraud committed by Immigration Service Officers

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services processes immigration benefit applications and petitions. Immigration Services Officers, who process benefit requests, sometimes commit fraudulent activities, such as accepting bribes or other favors in exchange for immigration benefits. The Office of Security and Integrity, created in 2007, leads the effort to detect and deter employee misconduct. We evaluated current programs that detect and deter Immigration Services Officer malfeasance. Through numerous interviews with all levels of employees, and an online survey of 292 adjudicators selected at random, we gathered a wide variety of observations and suggestions regarding employee misconduct. As we examined the office's current practices, we identified ways to enhance training and promote the Office of Security and Integrity mission. Although the current training program has emphasized employees' ethical responsibilities, a renewed directive from the uppermost managers on the existing requirement to report possible misconduct would further strengthen the effort. Greater interaction between the Office of Security and Integrity and the offices that process benefit applications would provide new perspectives on preventing employee fraud. We are making six recommendations to improve the Office of Security and Integrity's overall efforts to counter employee misconduct.