GAO says DHS border-security metrics still conflict with statutory definitions

The Department of Homeland Security’s reporting on border security remains out of step with definitions established by federal law, according to a new review from the Government Accountability Office.

GAO said DHS’s 2023 report included data for 40 of the 43 border-security effectiveness metrics that federal law requires the department to report annually. But 19 of those reported metrics differed from their statutory definitions in scope or calculation.

The report, published June 24, 2026, raises questions about how consistently Congress and the public can compare DHS’s border-security information over time. GAO said that fully addressing its recommendations would improve the quality of the information DHS provides to Congress.

What GAO found

The review focused on DHS’s nationwide statutory reporting to Congress and federal agencies. The legal reporting framework contains 43 required measures intended to describe border-security effectiveness.

DHS included 40 of those 43 metrics in its 2023 report. GAO found that 19 of the reported measures did not use the same scope or calculation requirements set out in statute.

That finding does not establish that the underlying border events described by DHS did not occur. It also does not mean GAO found every DHS border-security figure unreliable. The concern identified in the report is that differences in definitions and calculation methods can make the reported measures harder to compare with the legal standards Congress established.

For readers, the issue is less about a single border-security number than about how federal performance claims are measured and understood. If agencies report similar-sounding measures using different methods, comparisons across reports may not provide a consistent picture of results.

Earlier recommendations remain open

GAO also said six recommendations issued in 2019 and 2023 remained open when it completed the review. The recommendations address the quality of DHS’s border-security metrics reporting.

GAO’s conclusion was that completing the recommendations would improve the information DHS reports to Congress. The finding places the focus on reporting practices and oversight rather than on a new performance-year assessment.

In particular, the reviewed submission was DHS’s 2023 report. The approved report summary does not describe it as a newly released assessment of border-security performance for 2026.

Why the definitions matter

Congress relies on DHS metrics when evaluating border policy and federal agency performance. The public also uses those figures to understand how the government describes border-security conditions and results.

When a reported measure differs in scope or calculation from the definition required by law, the distinction can affect what the number captures and how it should be compared with other reports. GAO’s findings therefore concern transparency and comparability in addition to the data itself.

The report does not accuse DHS of fabricating metrics. Instead, it documents continued inconsistencies between the department’s reported measures and statutory requirements, while identifying unresolved recommendations intended to improve the reporting process.

What happens next

The six earlier recommendations remain the known outstanding items identified in the report. Addressing them would, according to GAO, improve the quality of DHS information provided to Congress.

The approved source packet does not include a new DHS response to the June 24 report. It also does not provide a deadline for closing the recommendations or a separate 2026 DHS performance submission.

For now, the GAO review gives lawmakers and the public a reason to examine not only the border-security figures DHS reports, but also the definitions and calculations behind them.

Sources

• Department of Homeland Security: Continued Actions Needed to Improve Quality of Border Security Metrics Reporting, U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Recent GAO publications, U.S. Government Accountability Office

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