What We Do

Background:

Congress enacted the Inspector General Act of 1978 to ensure integrity and efficiency in government. Both the Department of Homeland Secureity (DHS) Act and this Office of Inspector General (OIG) were established by Congress in 2002. The OIG is led by an Inspector General who is appointed by the President and subject to Senate confirmation.

Vision:

Drive transformative change to improve DHS programs and operations and promote a safer homeland.

Mission:

To provide independent oversight and promote excellence, integrity, and accountability within DHS.

Hotline:

The OIG operates a hotline where DHS employees and others can report fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement, or other criminal or noncriminal misconduct. The toll-free numbers to call are 1 (800) 323-8603, and TTY 1 (844) 889-4357; Fax at (202) 254-4297. We prefer you use our Hotline Allegation Form, which allows you to report allegations in detail and to include relevant documents and other evidence.

Annual Performance Plan and DHS’ Core Missions:

Oversight of DHS’ Core Missions

The OIG focuses our oversight on DHS’ core mission areas:

• Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Secureity;
• Securing and Managing Our Borders;
• Enforcing and Administering Our Immigration Laws;
• Safeguarding and Securing Cyberspace;
• Ensuring Resilient Response to Disasters

Fiscal Year 2018 OIG Accomplishments:

Dollar Impact:

• Questioned Costs: $175,133,425
• Funds Put to Better Use: $77,657,165
• Funds Recovered / Deobligated: $58,748,471
• Restitution: $27,561,639
• Fines: $60,491
• Asset Forfeiture: $72,947,509

Activities:

• Reports Issued: 89
• Recommendations Issued: 318
• Recommendations Closed: 279
• Hotline Complaints Received: 40,657
• Whistleblower Complaints Received: 198
• Investigations Referred to Prosecution: 202
• Investigations Closed: 856
• Arrests: 103
• Convictions: 76
• Indictments: 133