Fact Sheet 

The President’s Fiscal 2002 Immigration Budget 

4/9/01 

Border Management

The FY 2002 budget includes $171.6 million and 1,206 new positions to support 

INS’ border management strategy, preventing the illegal entry of people and 

contraband while facilitating the flow of legal immigration. The FY 2002 budget 

strengthens the enforcement and facilitation efforts of the Border Patrol, Inspections 

and Intelligence programs. 

The FY 2002 budget includes an additional 570 Border Patrol agents to support 

the border control strategy. These resources will be primarily directed to the eastern 

California, Arizona and Texas borders. The FY 2002 budget also requests $20 million 

for continuing deployment of intrusion detection technology, including high-resolution 

color and infrared cameras and state-of-the-art command centers. This technology acts 

as a force multiplier through continuous monitoring of the border from remote sites. 

This combination of intrusion detection technology and the increased number of Border 

Patrol Agents will permit INS to strengthen border enforcement efforts. 

INS must both deter those who attempt to illegally enter the United States and 

facilitate legal travel across the border. The FY 2002 budget provides for 417 additional 

Immigration Inspectors to staff high-growth and understaffed air and sea ports. With 

these resources, INS will decrease wait times and streamline and automate manual 

processes, improve data integrity and support enforcement requirements. The budget 

also provides significant investments in carrier affairs and automation and technology 

initiatives, as well as 200 additional detention beds to support growing air and seaport 

operations. To finance these initiatives, the FY 2002 budget includes language that will 

increase the current immigration passenger fee from $6 to $7 for arriving international 

air passengers. It would also phase in lifting of the cruise ship fee exemption, 

instituting a $3 fee for those passengers currently exempt. 

The FY 2002 budget provides additional Intelligence resources primarily directed 

at interdicting criminal activities in alien smuggling. The INS Intelligence program 

provides strategic and tactical intelligence support to INS officers and assists other 

federal agencies in addressing national security issues. Intelligence program activities 

help prevent the entry of illegal aliens, terrorists and narcotics traffickers; identify alien 

smuggling operations; detect fraudulent documents and false claims to U.S. citizenship; 

and detect other individuals or organizations involved in the manufacture and sale of 

counterfeit documents, in application and benefit fraud schemes, and other related 

criminal activity. 

Border Control 

The FY 2002 budget provides 570 additional Border Patrol agents in each of fiscal 

years 2002 and 2003. With these 1,140 additional agents, the total increase of 5,000 

Border Patrol agents authorized by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant 

Responsibility Act of 1996 will be achieved.. This increase will strengthen INS’ multiyear border enforcement efforts. ($75 million) 

Prepared by the Office of Public Affairs • Immigration & Naturalization Service • (202) 514-2648
FY 2002 INS Budget – Border Management 

Page 2 

In addition to the increase in Border Patrol agents, additional Integrated 

Surveillance Intelligence System (ISIS) sites will provide INS and the Border Patrol with 

an enhanced capability to effectively monitor the integrity of the nation’s borders with 

Mexico and Canada. ISIS is a surveillance and intelligence system that uses cameras, 

monitors and ground sensors to improve detection and tracking capabilities along the 

border from remote sites, thus increasing agent’s efficiency and safety. ($20 million) 

Air and Sea Ports of Entry 

The budget requests a total of 417 new Immigration Inspectors to staff newly 

activated air and sea port terminals, high-growth understaffed ports, as well as joint 

INS/U.S. Customs passenger analysis units. Also requested are 122 inspection 

assistants and clerks, three attorneys and one legal assistant to support the significant 

increases in workloads at high-growth air and sea ports of entry. Resources are also 

provided for an expansion of the Carrier Consultant Program and for the increased 

workload anticipated with the 2002 Winter Olympics. ($43.7 Million) 

In addition, the FY 2002 budget invests significant resources in information 

technology initiatives. Resources are provided to update the National Automated 

Inspections Lookout System (NAILS) and study technology for automated airport 

inspection alternatives to improve detection and identification of individuals who are 

inadmissible to the United States or in violation of U.S. law. The FY 2002 budget will 

also provide the initial planning and development of technology options for an 

automated entry/exit system called for in the INS Data Management Improvement Act 

of 2000. ($26.3 Million) 

Border Intelligence 

INS is requesting 78 positions to disrupt alien-smuggling activities along the 

northern border and southern borders. These positions include 50 Intelligence Research 

Specialists and 28 Intelligence Aides that will support a National Anti-Smuggling 

Strategy to disrupt alien smuggling activities. ($6.6 Million) 

FY 2002 Initiatives 

($ in millions) 

Initiative S&E User Fee Total 

Border Control $95.0 $ $95.0 

Air & Sea Ports of Entry – 70.0 $70.0 

Border Intelligence $6.6 – $6.6 

TOTAL $101.6 $70.0 $171.6 

–