Department of Homeland Security

Office of Inspector General 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's 


Management of 2005 Gulf Coast 


Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding
 

OIG-09-22 February 2009 
Office of Inspector General 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Washington, DC 20528 

February 4, 2009 

Preface 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) was established by 

the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) by amendment to the Inspector General 

Act of 1978. This is one of a series of audit, inspection, and special reports prepared as part of our 

oversight responsibilities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within the department. 

This report addresses the strengths and weaknesses of the United States Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement’s (ICE’s) management of mission assignment funding from the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency (FEMA). It is based on interviews with employees and officials of relevant 

agencies and institutions, direct observations, and a review of applicable documents. 

We contracted with the independent public accounting firm of Regis & Associates, PC, to perform 

the review. The contract required that Regis & Associates, PC, perform its review according to 

guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and the Government Accountability Office. 

Regis & Associates, PC, identified five areas where ICE’s management of the mission assignments 

and funds could be improved. Specifically, ICE needs to: (1) enhance its procurement and contract 

monitoring processes; (2) enhance its funds control processes; (3) ensure completeness and 

availability of documentation supporting expenditures; (4) improve its management of accountable 

property; and (5) improve its mission assignment reimbursement billing processes. Regis & 

Associates, PC, is responsible for the attached, independent accountants’ report, and the conclusions 

expressed therein. 

The recommendations herein have been developed to the best knowledge available to our office, and 

have been discussed in draft with those responsible for implementation. We trust that this report will 

result in more effective, efficient, and economical operations. We express our appreciation to all of 

those who contributed to the preparation of this report. 

Richard L. Skinner 


Inspector General 

MANAGEMENTCONSULTANTS&

CERTIFIEDPUBLICACCOUNTANTS

Independent Accountants’ Report on Applying Agreed Upon Procedures 

Office of Inspector General 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Washington, D.C. 

We have performed certain agreed-upon procedures (the Procedures), as summarized in the 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology section of this report, related to mission assignment funding to 

the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These funds were allocated to ICE by the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes. This 

engagement consisted of reviewing selected management activities for the 76 mission assignments to 

ICE for Hurricanes Katrina (August 2005), Rita (September 2005), and Wilma (October 2005) 

issued through March 31, 2006. 

The Procedures, which were agreed to by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector 

General, Office of Emergency Management Oversight, were performed to examine the expenditures 

made in executing the mission assignments, and to evaluate the management of the mission 

assignment process from origination to closeout. 

This agreed-upon procedures engagement was performed according to standards established by the 

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and guidance from the Office of Management 

and Budget and the Government Accountability Office. The sufficiency of the Procedures is solely 

the responsibility of the specified users of the report. Consequently, we make no representations 

regarding the sufficiency of the Procedures, either for the purpose for which this report has been 

requested, or for any other purpose. Our test procedures revealed internal control weaknesses in five 

areas. These findings and the associated recommendations are presented in the Results of Review 

section of this report. 

We were not engaged to and did not perform an audit, the objective of which would be the 

expression of an opinion on the specified elements, accounts, or items. Accordingly, we do not 

express such an opinion. Had we performed additional procedures, other matters might have come 

to our attention that would have been reported to you. 

This report is intended solely for the use of the Department of Homeland Security Office of 

Inspector General, Office of Emergency Management Oversight, and should not be used by those 

who have not agreed to the Procedures and taken responsibility for the sufficiency of the Procedures 

for their purposes. 

Regis & Associates, PC 

1400 Eye Street, NW, Suite 425, Washington, D.C. 20005 Tel 202-296-7101 Fax 202-296-7284 
Table of Contents/Abbreviations 


Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................1
 

Background ..........................................................................................................................................2
 

Results of Review .................................................................................................................................4
 

A. Procurement and Contract Monitoring Process ...............................................................................4 


B. Funds Control Process .....................................................................................................................6
 

C. Documentation for Supporting Expenditures ..................................................................................8
 

D. Management of Accountable Property ............................................................................................9
 

E. The Mission Assignment Reimbursement Billing Process............................................................12 


Management Comments and OIG Analysis ...............................................................15 


Appendices 

Appendix A: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology............................................................................16 


Appendix B: Recommendations .........................................................................................................18
 

Appendix C: Schedule of Questioned Costs.......................................................................................19
 

Appendix D: Management Comments to the Draft Report ................................................................20 


Appendix E: Report Distribution........................................................................................................26
 

Abbreviations: 

DHS U.S. Department of Homeland Security 


FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency 


FPS Office of Federal Protective Service 


GAO Government Accountability Office 


ICE U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 


OIG Office of Inspector General 


OMB Office of Management and Budget 


ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 
Executive Summary 


Regis & Associates, PC, under contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of 

Inspector General, reviewed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s management 

processes and internal controls for implementing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)­

issued mission assignments related to the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes disaster relief efforts. FEMA 

is authorized to task other federal agencies, including components within U.S. Department of 

Homeland Security, with needed expertise to carry out specific disaster relief activities. Our 

objective was to determine whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement had properly designed 

and implemented management processes and internal controls over the funds it received for the 

specific mission assignments. 

The Office of Federal Protective Service did not always observe the time limits specified in mission 

assignments in their vendor invoices and guard service billings for periods after the expiration of the 

mission assignment were approved. We also identified instances in which vendors billed for guard 

services prior to the mission assignment start date. We found no indication that the Federal 

Protective Service had notified FEMA of the need to modify the mission assignment’s period of 

performance, which is a critical factor for obtaining reimbursement of incurred costs. 

Our tests of 91 expenditures totaling $52.9 million of the $82.2 million of incurred costs through 

March 31, 2006, showed extensive missing documentation in support of vendor payments. Given 

the extent of the dollars covered by this analysis, Federal Protective Service did not have effective 

controls in place to assure the accuracy of payments on federal contracts. 

Through March 31, 2006, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had billed FEMA $60.8 million 

for costs incurred under the mission assignments. As of that date, Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement had not yet provided the required supporting documentation, but had held discussions 

with FEMA regarding additional needs. More data had been provided, but it was not formatted in a 

manner that would allow FEMA to readily view data for the most recent monthly bill. Also, the bill 

did not include sufficient information for some line-item costs to clearly describe what had been 

purchased. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Background
 

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), signed into law 

on November 23, 1988, is the statutory authority for most federal disaster response activities, 

especially as they pertain to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and FEMA 

programs. To make federal assistance under the Stafford Act available, states must initiate a request 

for an emergency or major disaster declaration that is reviewed by FEMA for approval by the 

President. The Stafford Act permits FEMA to anticipate declarations, and prestage federal personnel 

and resources when a disaster that threatens human health and safety is imminent, but not yet 

declared. FEMA cannot provide federal assistance until an emergency or major disaster declaration 

is made. 

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Homeland Security Act) created the United States Department 

of Homeland Security (DHS) and realigned FEMA, previously an independent agency, as part of 

DHS within the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. In addition, the Homeland 

Security Act and other Presidential directives established a new, unified, all-hazards framework and 

plan for future responses to terrorism, natural disasters, special events, and emergencies. This plan, 

referred to as the National Response Plan, which was revised and renamed the National Response 

Framework in January 2008, establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to enhance the ability 

of the United States to manage domestic incidents. The National Response Plan incorporates best 

practices and procedures from incident management disciplines such as emergency management, 

law enforcement, firefighting, public works, public health, responder and recovery worker health and 

safety, and emergency medical assistance, and integrates them into a unified structure. It forms the 

basis of how the federal government coordinates with state, local, and tribal governments and the 

private sector during incidents, and establishes lead agencies for many different aspects of possible 

disaster response. 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative branch of DHS. ICE 

was created in March 2003 by combining the law enforcement arms of the former United States 

Immigration and Naturalization Service and the former United States Customs Service to help 

enforce immigration and customs laws and to protect against terrorist attacks. ICE operates with a 

workforce of nearly 15,000 personnel, including four law enforcement divisions and several support 

divisions. 

One of the law enforcement divisions, the Office of Federal Protective Service (FPS), was part of the 

U.S. General Services Administration prior to being shifted to DHS, under the Homeland Security 

Act. FPS has a continuing role within DHS to protect federal buildings and facilities throughout the 

country. With authorized personnel of over 1,400 federal police officers, special agents, inspectors, 

and administrative staff operating in 11 regions throughout the Nation, FPS provides security police 

service for U.S. federal buildings and other properties administered by the U.S. General Services 

Administration, DHS, and other properties as authorized. FPS augments its protective services 

through the use of more than 15,000 contract guards. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Aside from its ongoing roles in providing protective services for government facilities and special 

events, as authorized, ICE and its component organizations have a supporting role under the 

National Response Plan. ICE’s responsibilities under the National Response Plan are an extension 

of its ongoing mission. One of the 15 primary response activities under the National Response Plan, 

Emergency Support Function #13, involves integrating federal public safety and security capabilities 

and resources to support the full range of incident management activities associated with potential or 

actual Incidents of National Significance. Emergency Support Function #13 is generally activated in 

situations requiring extensive assistance to provide public safety and security, and where state and 

local government resources are overwhelmed or are inadequate, or in preincident or postincident 

situations that require protective solutions or capabilities. 

ICE receives annual appropriations for carrying out its baseline mission. In addition, FPS finances 

its operations by charging fees for security services provided to other agencies. FPS’ charges 

include: 

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	 Basic security fees approved by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

annually and charged to all building tenants that it protects, based on square 

footage; 

	 Building-specific fees, based on specific security requirements for particular 

buildings; and 

	 Fees for activities other than the items listed above that are specifically ordered by 

agencies. One example of the third type of fees is the requirement reflected in 

mission assignments from FEMA to carry out incident response initiatives under 

the National Response Plan. 

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast states of Florida, Alabama, 

Mississippi, and Louisiana with Category Three winds and torrential rains. By September 9, 2005, 

Congress passed legislation that provided over $63 billion to DHS for disaster relief. As of 

March 31, 2006, FEMA had assigned ICE 76 mission assignments with authority to incur costs up to 

$252.8 million for safety and protection services. Of this amount, FPS was authorized 

$216.4 million, through 66 mission assignments for services, including contract guard services to 

buttress depleted and overworked police departments in the disaster area. 

Under the provisions of the Stafford Act, ICE is authorized to seek reimbursement from FEMA for 

eligible costs incurred during the performance of assigned missions. As of March 31, 2006, ICE had 

requested and received $60.8 million from FEMA as reimbursement for costs incurred under mission 

assignments. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Results of Review 

This section presents the results of our assessment of ICE’s internal control environment used to 

administer mission-assigned tasks and funding, and our tests to evaluate mission assignment 

procurements, expenditures, and supporting documentation for reimbursement billings. 

Our results are presented sequentially, as ICE would have progressed in its planning and 

administration of the 76 mission assignments, starting with organizing the effort and ending with 

steps for obtaining reimbursement for costs incurred on FEMA’s behalf. In addition to interviewing 

cognizant ICE management staff, we conducted extensive testing of transactions to assess initial 

preparedness to implement the mission assignments; financial management system support available 

and used; conformity of outlays with the mission assignment; controls over receipt, acceptance, and 

payments for goods and services procured; asset accountability; and validity and support for 

reimbursement claims to FEMA. 

The basis for our test work was a detailed list of all mission assignment obligation, expenditure, and 

reimbursement billing transaction activities through our March 31, 2006 engagement cutoff date. 

For each aspect of our testing, we selected transactions that would allow us to cover a large 

percentage of the dollars involved. Because our work was based on a combination of high-dollar 

and judgmental sampling, the results are not statistically representative. However, due to the high 

dollar coverage obtained and the types of internal control issues discussed throughout this report, we 

believe that our test results reflect the management challenges faced by ICE. Appendix A includes 

additional details on our objectives, scope, and methodology. 

A. Procurement and Contract Monitoring Process 

FPS had inconsistent procurement and contract administration practices. The procurement polices 

and procedures implemented within each FPS region were not consistent among regions or ICE 

headquarters. For example, FPS Region 4, one of the two main FPS regional offices overseeing 

procurement activities related to the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, prepared either a new or modified 

delivery order for each request for additional guard services. In contrast, FPS Region 7 used 

Additional Service Request forms to order vendor services through existing contracts and support 

the obligation of available funding in ICE’s financial management system, rather than executing a 

new or modified delivery order. The use of separate contracting officers to negotiate and execute the 

new contracts resulted in significantly inconsistent contract terms for similar services. Due to the 

large volume of transaction processing and administrative functions associated with a large new 

contract in Region 7, the procurement and administrative functions associated with other contracts 

were delegated to another FPS region. 

One of the large new contracts, executed for guard services in Region 7 allowed the billing of time 

for guards who were awaiting assignment to posts (pool hours). We selected nine expenditure 

transactions incurred in December 2005 that were submitted by this vendor for testing. The 

supporting Forms 139, used to document a guard’s record of arrival and departure, were available 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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for only two of the nine transactions. Pool hours incurred were 1,600 of the approximately 15,000 

hours billed on these two transactions. Guard pool hours were not allowable under the other new 

contract executed by Region 4. 

We selected 68 procurement actions (i.e., new, modifying, or liquidating obligation transactions) for 

testing during this review. This sample included 15 actions with obligations totaling $76.0 million, 

which were procured through the execution of a post Hurricane Katrina contract, and 53 actions with 

obligations totaling $15.3 million that were procured as an Additional Service Request. 

Our testwork identified an instance where a contractor continued providing services upon the 

expiration of the original contract term and before the execution of an extension. A contract in the 

amount of approximately $33 million was executed in March 2006, with the period of performance 

from December 2005 to March 2006. In several instances, billable guard services were incurred 

prior to the execution of the requisition (G-514 form) and delivery order. Three of the 53 Additional 

Service Request procurement actions, with gross obligations totaling $49,044, were for additional 

services and only an email documented the orders. In addition, 30 of the 53 Additional Service 

Requests for guard services were executed without specifying a performance period or mission 

assignment. 

ICE’s Contract and Acquisition Procedures identify the G-514 requisition requirements, which state 

that once a cost estimate has been completed, ICE program personnel must prepare and fully execute 

a G-514 requisition. These procedures require that the Office of Acquisition Management receive 

the fully funded requisition at the onset of the acquisition process. Fully funded G-514 requisitions 

are also required whenever funds are to be added or obligated by modification to an existing 

interagency acquisition. 

FPS did not adequately monitor contracts to ensure adherence to contract terms. One security 

contractor’s employee, who was assigned and charged time to the contract, did not have a security 

clearance as required by the contract. Also, guard service expenditures were being incurred prior to 

the start of the mission assignment’s performance period. This included: 

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One contract where the mission assignment had a beginning date of October 28, 2005, but 

the period of performance on the invoice was from October 24, 2005 to November 13, 2005; 

and 

One mission assignment had a beginning date of September 10, 2005, but the period of 

performance on the vendor’s invoice was from September 1, 2005 to September 30, 2005. 

In one region, there were indications that documents supporting invoices were reviewed by the FPS 

contracting personnel prior to making payments to vendors. Four invoices from one vendor 

amounting to $2,671,211 were reduced by an FPS region’s Contracting Officer’s Technical 

Representative by $195,295 because of the absence of supporting documentation (Forms 139). 

However, the documentation supporting the computation of these invoice reductions was not 

provided to us. Our review of the invoices of another large contractor in another region did not 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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provide any indications that these invoices were reviewed prior to making payments to the vendor. 

As a result of our inquiry of this management practice, we were informed that the invoice 

documentation supporting hours worked was not consistently reviewed because of limited staffing 

and an overwhelming amount of such invoices. Furthermore, our recomputation of the December 

2005 invoice for one such contractor identified a potential over billing of $423,700 relating to the 

accumulation and summarization of man-days. This amount has been questioned in this report. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

We recommend that ICE: 

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Recommendation #1: Develop streamlined disaster procurement approval procedures that 

will allow for the standardized classification and recording of mission assignment response 

procurements. 

Recommendation #2: Develop and implement monitoring procedures to ensure 

a) execution of mission assignments within the performance period and (b) adherence to 

contract requirements. 

Recommendation #3: Develop and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that 

all vendor invoices are properly reviewed prior to payment. 

B. Funds Control Process 

Funds control policies and procedures for mission assignments at two FPS regions were not 

consistent with ICE headquarters or DHS requirements. There were lengthy delays in recording 

obligations associated with some contracts. Also, available records indicate that expenditures for 

some mission assignments exceeded the amount authorized by FEMA. Overall, FPS did not have 

accurate information on the status of funds provided, used, and eligible for reimbursement. 

DHS requires its component agencies to have an effective funds control system to prevent 

overspending and to ensure compliance with laws to control and help guide formulation and 

implementation of federal fiscal policy. Specifically, this system should be designed to ensure that: 

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Funds are available prior to obligation; 

Funds are obligated and expended solely for the purposes for which they were appropriated, 

except as otherwise provided by law; 

Only valid obligations are recorded in the accounting records, and that all obligations 

incurred are recorded accurately and promptly; and 

Obligations and expenditures are not authorized or incurred in excess of available funds or 

any legal or administrative limitations. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Approximately $33 million of obligations and expenditures incurred from January 2006 through 

March 2006 were not recorded in ICE’s financial management system until after March 31, 2006. In 

this particular case, FPS initiated a 4-month extension of an existing contract to increase the 

authorized amount for armed guard services in support of Hurricane Katrina efforts in Louisiana. 

Although the period of performance was from December 1, 2005, through March 31, 2006, the 

contractor and the FPS contracting officer did not sign an amendment to the contract until 

March 21, 2006, 10 days prior to the end of the extension period. In the interim, FPS did not record 

obligations or expenditures incurred throughout this period in ICE’s financial management system. 

FPS did not establish authorized amounts for each mission assignment in ICE’s financial 

management system for the purpose of obligating amounts against total available funds. It also did 

not record expenditures as they occurred, which would have avoided spending in excess of amounts 

obligated or contracted for under multiple guard service agreements. In lieu of these control 

mechanisms, FPS used separate, automated spreadsheets to track the funding status of mission 

assignments. Although these spreadsheets did not represent official financial records, they 

represented the degree of budgetary control in effect during the execution of mission assignments. 

As a consequence of these ineffective budgetary controls, the following exceptions occurred: 

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Expenditures for a Region 4 mission assignment exceeded obligations by approximately 

$229,000; 

Expenditures for a Region 7 mission assignment exceeded obligations by approximately 

$374,000; 

Expenditures on another Region 4 mission assignment, incurred and reimbursed by FEMA, 

exceeded the recorded obligations by approximately $338,000; and 

One mission assignment obligated in the amount of $88,000 resulted in the incurrence of 

$103,980 for expenditures related to surge funds. The excess amount of $15,980 was billed 

to FEMA in February 2006. 

FPS officials said some of the overages identified above were probably attributable to errors in 

recording expenditures to the correct mission assignments. For example, there may have been 

changes to guard work assignments during the billing period that may not have been allocated 

accurately among mission assignments. FPS said that the primary concern was ensuring that 

aggregate mission assignment expenditures did not exceed total mission assignment funds provided. 

Another justification was management’s representation that work is organized under security work 

authorizations to include funding from several mission assignments and nonmission assignment 

funding sources in order to focus on the overall security challenge. Nevertheless, under budgetary 

control concepts, charges to each mission assignment are to be accurately allocated with a 

reasonable basis for cost distributions. 

ICE has designed a control environment that generally allows regional offices significant flexibility 

in meeting mission objectives while tasking the headquarters financial management staff with 

ensuring compliance with applicable federal financial laws and regulations. However, FPS delayed 

the recording of obligations on mission assignment activity into ICE’s financial management 

system. This practice negates the essential internal controls that are inherent in a budget system 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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that ensures the recording of funds as soon as they become available, and obligations and 

expenditures as soon as they are incurred. The recording of obligations and expenditures only when 

they are required to facilitate payment of vendor invoices nullifies the value of effective budgetary 

controls. 

RECOMMENDATION 

We recommend that ICE: 

�	 Recommendation #4: Record all mission assignment funding authority, and related 


obligations and expenditures in its financial management system on a timely basis. 


C. Documentation for Supporting Expenditures 

ICE did not have sufficient supporting documentation for approximately $5.4 million of the $82.2 

million it had expended on the 76 mission assignments as of March 31, 2006. The lack of 

documentation for transactions is a significant weakness in accountability for federal funds and was 

a substantial portion of the $5.9 million that we considered to be questionable costs incurred by ICE 

in carrying out the mission assignments. We identified the $5.4 million of unsupported costs by 

testing 91 expenditure transactions totaling $52.9 million, approximately 64% of total ICE outlays. 

Our Objectives, Scope, and Methodology in Appendix A provide the details on our sample selection. 

We asked ICE to provide us the underlying purchase orders, invoices, and acceptance and receipt 

documentation. We then analyzed the supporting documentation that ICE provided for each 

expenditure transaction to determine whether it was sufficient to confirm that each was a valid 

outlay. Based on this audit work, we concluded that 37 of the 91 transactions totaling about $5.4 

million were not fully supported. In addition to OMB standards for maintaining documentation in 

support of incurred expenditures, documentation evidencing all mission assignment expenditures is 

required by FEMA for reimbursement. 

We present the results of our work below, classified according to the related budget object class. For 

each budget object class, we identify the number of transactions for which ICE did not provide 

sufficient documentation and the amounts involved, which we consider to be questionable costs: 

�	 Other Contractual Services – supporting documentation was not provided for 1 

of the 29 other contractual services expenditure selections. Questioned costs 

totaled $327,520. ICE provided a general contract for multiple hotel rooms over a 

certain period of time. However, no documentation was provided to ascertain 

whether the rooms were ever used, and if so, whether they were used by personnel 

authorized by ICE. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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In addition, sign-in sheets (Form 139) used by FPS region contractors to 

document billable time incurred (i.e., hours used to calculate billable man-days) 

did not include a supervisor’s certification. 

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Travel and Transportation – supporting documentation was not provided for 7 of 

the 16 travel and transportation expenditures selections. Questioned costs totaled 

$527,565. 

Personnel – supporting documentation was not provided for 3 of the 25 personnel 

compensation expenditure selections. Questioned costs totaled $1,361. 

Rent, Supplies, and Miscellaneous – supporting documentation was not provided 

for 7 of the 11 rent, supplies and miscellaneous expenditure selections. 

Questioned costs totaled $3,348,015. Of these, 

- One exception in the amount of $94,400 was processed in ICE’s financial 

management system as a reclassification for which no additional invoice 

or other support was provided; and 

-	 The other six items totaling $3,253,615 were processed in ICE’s financial 

management system as overhead; however, no supporting documentation 

for the overhead rate charged was provided. 

�	 Equipment – of the ten equipment expenditures selected for validation, 

- Two appeared to have been miscoded, since the supporting documentation 

provided showed travel and transportation costs for ICE employees; and 

-	 Supporting documentation was not provided for five of the remaining 

eight items, totaling $1,238,355. 

The result is a total of $5,442,816 of questioned costs resulting from unsupported expenditures. 

RECOMMENDATION 

We recommend that ICE: 

� Recommendation #5: Develop and implement a system of internal controls to ensure 

appropriate receipt, approval, and retention of supporting documentation. 

D. Management of Accountable Property 

Property acquired by ICE to conduct mission assignments is subject to the requirements of FEMA 

Manual 6150.1, “FEMA Personal Property Management Program” and DHS Management Directive 

1120, “Capitalization and Inventory of Personal Property.” Collectively, this guidance requires 

accounting for accountable property with an original acquisition cost of $15,000 or more, that by 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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its nature is not expendable or consumable,1

 and the capitalization of property with acquisition costs 

equal to or exceeding $50,000. These guidelines require that all accountable and capitalized 

property, acquired with mission assignment funding, be tracked from its acquisition and use during 

an agency’s disaster field response through either its transfer to FEMA or its disposition. 

Depending on the nature of the item and its cost, property purchases are required to be recorded as 

capital items, or controlled because of their sensitive nature or risk of loss. ICE’s personal property 

capitalization threshold is consistent with DHS’ policy to account for all highly sensitive property 

and all serialized property, and to capitalize property with a value of $50,000 or more. 

FEMA’s “Personal Property Management Program” manual documents the procedures and internal 

controls needed to successfully ensure accountability for property during disaster responses. As 

documented, disaster field command location receiving processes should include: 

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The receiving location obtaining advance notice of ordered goods and their anticipated 

arrival date; 

The status and quantity of received goods being verified at the time of receipt by individuals 

with receiving responsibilities; 

Evidence of the received property’s status and quantity forwarded to the office responsible 

for vendor payment; and 

Ensuring received property is recorded in an asset tracking system that enables the field 

command location to continually track the property location; to whom, if anyone, the 

property is currently assigned; and its serviceability. 

The implementation of these processes provides an organization with the internal controls that help 

ensure the recording of the type and quantity of procured goods received by the field command 

location, that vendor payment is valid, that they maintain accountability over property, and that 

property meeting DHS’ capitalization criteria is completely and accurately presented in the 

organization’s financial management system. 

Of the 91 items selected for testing, ICE identified 10 transactions as purchases of property. 

However, ICE could not provide evidence of the receipt of the property acquired. Our analysis of 

available documentation determined that eight of the ten transactions identified as equipment 

purchases amounted to approximately $1.3 million. This analysis further revealed that the other two 

transactions appeared to be incorrectly coded, since the supporting documentation provided showed 

travel and transportation costs for ICE employees. In substantiating the validity of equipment 

purchases, we requested: 

1

 Accountable property also includes sensitive and serialized property items. DHS defines sensitive property as 

accountable property (regardless of original acquisition cost), that is highly susceptible to misuse, loss, or theft, such as 

pagers, cellular telephones, electronic test equipment, personal computers, thumb drives, or any other storage device that 

may contain proprietary government information and will be individually accounted for and controlled through the 

agency’s property management system. Serialized equipment includes equipment with a manufacturer’s serial number 

such as mechanical tools and miscellaneous data processing hardware that is not classified as sensitive property. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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A detailed list of items supporting expenditures, including journal vouchers; 

Vendor invoices, with any attachments, detailing the expenditure amounts incurred including 

a description of the delivered equipment; 

Evidence of the equipment’s inspection and receipt; 

Evidence of payment approval; 

Either current or prior evidence of the equipment’s inclusion in an ICE’s property accounting 

system; 

The current status of the equipment; and 

Evidence of the equipment’s disposition, if applicable. 

We received limited information on three of the eight property transactions with reported cost of 

$25,571. Because these equipment items were determined to be sensitive or serialized, they should 

have been accounted for in ICE’s property management system, regardless of the cost. We were not 

provided with documentation relating to the other five property items and were unable to determine 

whether those items met the accountable property criteria. We were not provided with information 

regarding the serviceability or location of the eight property items, or whether they were returned to 

FEMA at the conclusion of mission assignments as required by its “Mission Assignment Billing and 

Reimbursement Checklist.”2

 It is important to maintain information on the current status of property 

items for several reasons: to know the quantity available, where it is located; whether it has been 

issued; and if so, who has responsibility for its use and possible loss. 

ICE did not adequately account for property acquired with mission assignment funds, including 

nonperformance of post disaster physical inventory and undocumented accountable property 

disposition. These conditions have resulted in the identification of questioned costs for expenditures 

that do not comply with DHS’ accountable property criteria. The questioned costs are addressed and 

quantified in Section C of this report. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

We recommend that ICE: 

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Recommendation #6: Identify and train Accountable Property Officers and other staff who 

have primary and secondary responsibilities for implementing the field office asset tracking 

operating procedures. 

Recommendation #7: Determine the extent that billings for reimbursement from FEMA 

included cost of accountable property items that were not turned over to FEMA, and either 

forward acquired and reimbursed accountable property items to FEMA or refund the 

associated amount. 

2

 Requirements established by FEMA for supporting documentation and reimbursement transactions on their website 

(http://www.fema.gov/government/billinst.shtm) as referred to in the Financial Management Support Annex of the 

National Response Plan (page FIN-5). 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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�	 

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Recommendation #8: Implement a hand-receipt process for the issuance of accountable 

property from inventory at disaster sites. 

Recommendation #9: Require all individuals who are unable to locate an issued 

accountable property item to document the item’s disposition (i.e., lost, stolen, damaged, 

etc.) and obtain approval from the applicable Accountable Property Officer. 

E. The Mission Assignment Reimbursement Billing Process 

ICE has standard operating procedures for processing interagency billings through the IntraGovernmental Payment and Collection System.3 However, these procedures did not cover FEMA’s 

more extensive requirements for documentation on billings associated with mission assignments. 

ICE’s initial billings for reimbursement under mission assignments did not include adequate 

supporting documentation. Based on subsequent discussions with FEMA, ICE prepared and 

submitted additional documentation that FEMA described as still not adequate. 

As the steward of the Disaster Relief Fund, FEMA has the authority to specify the supporting 

documentation requirements for all federal agencies providing support and requesting 

reimbursement from the Fund.4

 Under the standard “Intragovernmental Business Rules,”5 the 

ordering and performing agencies agree to the form and content of the performing agency’s 

documented evidence of performance to be provided in support of Intra-Governmental Payment and 

Collection System6 transactions. Generally, the agreed-upon form and content includes the 

information necessary to identify the transaction, its associated interagency agreement, and the 

charges by budget subobject class. Due to the debilitating impact of disaster response activities on 

normal agency internal controls, FEMA augmented its supporting documentation requirements to 

address the increased risk of internal control weaknesses that often occur during the life-saving and 

life-sustaining rescue and support operations involved with disaster responses. In addition to 

information necessary to identify a transaction and the associated mission assignment, FEMA 

requires the following: 

�	 Description of the goods received or services provided; 

3

 The Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection System’s primary purpose is to provide a standardized interagency 

fund transfer mechanism for Federal Program Agencies. The Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection System 

facilitates the intra-governmental transfer of funds, with descriptive data from one agency to another. 

4 National Response Plan, Financial Management Support Annex, page FIN-5 

5

 OMB Memorandum M-03-01, “Business Rules for Intragovernmental Transactions;” Treasury Financial Manual, 

Volume I, Bulletin No. 2007-03, “Intragovernmental Business Rules;” and Treasury Financial Manual, Volume 1, 

Part 6, Chapter 4000, “Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection System” 

6

 The Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection System’s primary purpose is to provide a standardized interagency 

fund transfer mechanism for Federal Program Agencies. It facilitates the intragovernmental transfer of funds, with 

descriptive data from one agency to another. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

12 
�	 

�	 

�	 

�	 

Breakdown of hours incurred in support of personnel services; 

For indirect costs, the percentage applied and a description of the costs included in the cost 

pool; 

For contract services, the contract number, vendor name, total contract cost, and a description 

of its purpose; 

For property acquisitions: 

- A description of item, vendor name, and unit cost for all nonexpendable or sensitive 

items greater than or equal to $1,000 and 

- The return of all items described above or an agreement to waive this requirement; 

�	 

�	 

�	 

�	 

For property leased, a description of the item, vendor name, and unit cost; 

Identification of motor vehicle costs; 

Identification of costs subtasked to another agency; and 

All “Other Costs” defined. 

ICE financial management personnel said they had not developed plans for producing the additional 

data. As a result, ICE prepared supporting documentation for FEMA in the same manner it would 

have prepared for reimbursement under any other interagency agreement. ICE created unique 

identifying numbers in its financial management system for each mission assignment and segregated 

its incurred costs accordingly. ICE also used its financial management system’s integrated 

reimbursement bill generation process to extract all previously unbilled transactions, as recorded in 

its system, consolidate them by mission assignment agreement number, and summarize them by 

budget object code on a monthly basis. 

We reviewed 24 of the 127 billings, amounting to $55.1 million of the $60.8 million that ICE had 

submitted to FEMA for reimbursement through March 31, 2006. In response to our request for the 

supporting documentation for reimbursement billing packages submitted to FEMA (for the purpose 

of assessing its compliance with FEMA’s requirements), we were provided with the report that is 

generated during the automated reimbursement billing process. This report contained a detailed list 

of the expenditures included in each mission assignment reimbursement bill by unique accounting 

elements, including all programs associated with each mission assignment. 

For the 24 billing transactions tested, we noted that: 

�	 

�	 

�	 

�	 

None included evidence of a Certifying Official’s approval of the reimbursement bill, as 

required by FEMA; 

Three were submitted 90 days or more after the mission assignment performance end date; 

Nineteen did not state the period of performance; and 

Four of the six that included personnel cost did not identify overtime labor with the 


breakdown of hours. 


Therefore, we were unable to substantiate personnel costs billed to specific transactions with details 

by hours worked. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

13 
In response to FEMA’s concerns that this data did not adequately address its requirements, ICE 

provided additional information from its financial management system. However, in cases where 

there was more than one billing for a mission assignment, the data was cumulative. This resulted in 

an inability to determine which expenses were covered by the current month’s billing. In addition, 

the data was not provided in sufficient detail to convey to FEMA the nature of the goods and 

services purchased. 

RECOMMENDATION 

We recommend that ICE: 

�	 Recommendation #10: Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure that the 

supporting documentation for invoices required by FEMA for billing are generated, 

organized, and detailed to clearly support each bill. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

14 
Management Comments and OIG Analysis 

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement concurred with all the recommendations we 

offered to improve its management of mission assignment funding from the Federal Emergency 

Management Agency. During the audit and after our fieldwork, the U.S. Immigration and Customs 

Enforcement worked to improve its operations involving mission assignments. All 

recommendations except recommendation 7 have been resolved and closed because they have been 

implemented. We consider recommendation 7 resolved because steps have been taken to implement 

it; however, this recommendation will remain open until it has been fully implemented. The U.S. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will apprise us of its progress in implementing this 

recommendation within 90 days. We will close this recommendation when the U.S. Immigration 

and Customs Enforcement provides evidence that it has been fully implemented. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Appendix A 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 

DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) contracted with Regis and Associates, PC, to assess the U.S. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) mission assignment management and financial 

management controls, and offer recommendations for any needed improvements. This effort is part 

of the overall objective of the DHS OIG to ensure accountability in the management and expenditure 

of funds for relief and recovery efforts relative to disasters. 

The scope of this review includes the 76 mission assignments issued to ICE by FEMA for disaster 

response assistance in the Gulf Coast region, resulting from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma 

(2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes); the management processes and financial management controls 

applicable to these mission assignments; and the related contracts, expenditures, and reimbursement 

billings for the period August 29, 2005, through March 31, 2006. Our review objectives were to 

assess whether the management processes and financial management controls were properly 

designed and implemented, and to determine whether the contracts used, expenditures incurred, and 

reimbursements requested were authorized, valid, and appropriately supported. 

These agreed-upon procedures were performed in accordance with standards established by the 

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and guidance from the Office of Management 

and Budget, and Government Accountability Office (GAO). 

We reviewed select reports published by DHS OIG and GAO reports concerning ICE’s 2005 Gulf 

Coast Hurricanes mission assignment management to familiarize ourselves with prior 

recommendations, regulations, and guidance applicable to ICE’s processes and controls. The results 

of these reviews were incorporated into our risk assessment for this engagement and our reported 

results. 

The management processes and financial management controls assessment included information 

gathering through interviews with appropriate personnel, as well as evaluating management controls 

and process designs. These evaluations were done through review of current policies and 

procedures, and those that existed during the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes. 

The determination as to whether the contracts used, expenditures incurred, and reimbursements 

requested were authorized, valid, and appropriately supported included our review of supporting 

documentation made available by ICE in each of these areas. We obtained a list from ICE of all 

procurement, expenditure, and reimbursement billing transactions from its financial management 

system for the period August 29, 2005, through March 31, 2006. These transactions were stratified 

among procurements, expenditures, and reimbursement billing categories for the performance of test 

procedures specific to each transaction category. 

For our tests of procurements, we used a high-dollar criterion to select 68 procurements, representing 

$91.3 million, or 77.6% of the $117.7 million total contract actions identified through 

March 31, 2006. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Appendix A 

Objectives, Scope, and Methodology 

For our tests of expenditures, we stratified expenditure transactions by budget object code into 

categories with similar processes and controls. These categories are: 

�

�

�

�

�

�

Other contractual services and rent, communications, and utilities; 

Personnel compensation and benefits; 

Equipment; 

Supplies and materials; 

Overhead; and 

Travel and transportation of persons. 

We used a high-dollar criterion within each category to select a total of 91 expenditures. The 

following table provides an overview of expenditures incurred through March 31, 2006 and 

selections for each of the above categories. 

Table 1 ICE 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricane Incurred Expenditures through March 31, 2006, and Selections 

Expense Category 

Incurred 

Expenditures 

# of 

Selections Selection Total 

% 

Coverage 

Other Contractual Services and 

Rent, Communications, and Utilities $ 58,829,617 29 $ 47,542,505 80% 

Personnel Compensation and Benefits 14,467,441 25 40,023 1% 

Equipment 1,265,615 10 1,265,615 100% 

Supplies and Materials 264,635 5 183,054 69% 

Overhead 4,177,442 6 3,253,615 77% 

Travel and Transportation of Persons 3,157,502 16 594,704 18% 

TOTALS $ 82,162,252 91 $ 52,879,516 64% 

When summarized transactions were selected, using the high-dollar value criterion, we made 

additional judgmental selections and performed detailed tests on individual personnel and travel 

expenditures within the summary transaction total. 

For our tests of reimbursement billings, we used a high-dollar criterion to select 24 billings 

representing $55.1 million of the total $60.8 million reimbursements requested through 

March 31, 2006. 

Our fieldwork was conducted from April 26, 2006, through February 9, 2007, and included visits to 

FPS Region 4 in Atlanta, Georgia; FPS Region 7 in Forth Worth, Texas; the Debt Management 

Center in Burlington, Vermont; and ICE and FPS headquarters in Washington, DC. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Appendix B 

Recommendations 

Recommendation #1: Develop streamlined disaster procurement approval procedures that will 

allow for the standardized classification and recording of mission assignment response 

procurements. 

Recommendation #2: Develop and implement monitoring procedures to ensure 

a) execution of mission assignments within the performance period and (b) adherence to contract 

requirements. 

Recommendation #3: Develop and implement a system of internal controls to ensure that all 

vendor invoices are properly reviewed prior to payment. 

Recommendation #4: Record all mission assignment funding authority, and related obligations and 

expenditures in its financial management system on a timely basis. 

Recommendation #5: Develop and implement a system of internal controls to ensure appropriate 

receipt, approval, and retention of supporting documentation. 

Recommendation #6: Identify and train Accountable Property Officers and other staff who have 

primary and secondary responsibilities for implementing the field office asset tracking operating 

procedures. 

Recommendation #7: Determine the extent that billings for reimbursement from FEMA included 

cost of accountable property items that were not turned over to FEMA, and either forward acquired 

and reimbursed accountable property items to FEMA or refund the associated amount. 

Recommendation #8: Implement a hand-receipt process for the issuance of accountable property 

from inventory at disaster sites. 

Recommendation #9: Require all individuals who are unable to locate an issued accountable 

property item to document the item’s disposition (i.e., lost, stolen, damaged, etc.) and obtain 

approval from the applicable Accountable Property Officer. 

Recommendation #10: Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure that the 

supporting documentation for invoices required by FEMA for billing are generated, organized, and 

detailed to clearly support each bill. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

18 
 

 

Appendix C 

Schedule of Questioned Costs 

During our review, we observed the conditions listed below, which are discussed in detail in the 

Results of Review section of this report. The following questioned costs were identified: 

Condition * Description Amount 

A Unsupported/erroneous contractor billing costs $ 423,700 

C Unsupported other contractual services 327,520 

C Unsupported travel and transportation 527,565 

C Unsupported personnel compensation 1,361 

C Unsupported rent, supplies & miscellaneous 3,348,015 

C, D ** 

Unsupported property and/or equipment 1,238,355 

TOTAL QUESTIONED COSTS $ 5,866,516 

* The “condition” refers to the lettered section of the report in which the questioned costs are described. 

** These questioned costs result from property acquisitions for which no supporting documentation was provided. The 

items making up this questioned amount also include the additional condition of accountable property not being properly 

accounted for in the property management system or returned to FEMA after conclusion of the mission assignments. 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

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Appendix D 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

20 
Appendix D 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

21 
Appendix D 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

22 
Appendix D 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

23 
Appendix D 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

24 
Appendix D 

Management Comments to the Draft Report 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

25 
Appendix E 

Report Distribution 

Department of Homeland Security 

Secretary 

Deputy Secretary 

Chief of Staff 

Deputy Chief of Staff 

General Counsel 

Executive Secretary 

Director, GAO/OIG Liaison Office 

Assistant Secretary for Office of Policy 

Assistant Secretary for Office of Public Affairs 

Assistant Secretary for Office of Legislative Affairs 

Assistant Secretary, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement 

ICE Audit Liaison 

Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency 

Assistant Administrator, Disaster Operations Directorate, FEMA 

FEMA Audit Liaison 

Office of Management and Budget 

Chief, Homeland Security Branch 

DHS OIG Budget Examiner 

Congress 

Congressional Oversight and Appropriations Committees, as appropriate 

ICE’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding 

26 
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND COPIES 

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fax your request to (202) 254-4305, or visit the OIG web site at www.dhs.gov/oig. 

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misconduct relative to department programs or operations: 

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• Write to us at: 

DHS Office of Inspector General/MAIL STOP 2600, 

Attention: Office of Investigations - Hotline, 

245 Murray Drive, SW, Building 410, 

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