FOIA Friday: Report of Investigation Into Senior DHS OIG Officials

By NICK SCHWELLENBACH

This week's release: Report of Investigation into Senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (DOIG) Officials, conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) OIG.

Agency: Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE)

Document Date: June 9, 2008

Four members of Congress from Texas accused senior officials with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) of lying to Congress regarding a DHS OIG investigation involving a shooting by U.S. Border Patrol agents. The members of Congress also said that the DHS OIG deliberately delayed its report on the shooting.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture IG (USDA IG) investigated these claims on behalf of the President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency (known as the PCIE; later renamed the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, or CIGIE).

The USDA IG found that the senior DHS OIG officials “did not intentionally provide misleading information to members of Congress and that the statements made at the briefing were misinterpreted and/or taken out of context.” Also, the “DHS-OIG did not intentionally withhold or delay the release of the Report of Investigation (ROI) in this matter.”

The Border Patrol agents were Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean. They were convicted and sentenced for the shooting of a Mexican drug dealer [Editor's note: this sentenced was corrected]. Their sentences were commuted by President George W. Bush.

The case of the two border agents was a cause célèbre among conservatives.  The four members of Texas alleging wrongdoing by the DHS OIG were Reps. Michael McCaul, Ted Poe, Kenny Marchant, and John Culberson.

Nick Schwellenbach is POGO's Director of Investigations.

Correction: The drug dealer was shot, but not killed. In the original version of this post, we said the drug dealer was killed. We regret the error. 

Image used under Creative Commons license by esteban_/

Comments

[Nick Schwellenbach]

Linda,

Thanks for correcting us. We have updated the post.

Nick

[Linda]

Agents Ramos and Compean did NOT kill a Mexican drug dealer. He had a grazing wound on his buttock. This dealer was given amnesty from any prosecution in return for testimony against the agents. During that time period he was caught smuggling again, with no repercussions. I believe he was caught yet again after the agents' trials and is now in jail.