Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

House passes bill to allow some border and customs job applicants to skip polygraph test

The Washington Post: The House voted 282 to 137 Wednesday in favor of a bill that would allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to waive a mandatory lie-detector test for applicants from law enforcement or the military, raising alarms that the move will weaken standards at the agency.

Supporters argued that the bill would relieve chronic staffing shortages at CBP, which guards the nation’s ports and borders, and it follows calls from President Trump to beef up border security. But immigrant advocates expressed fear that the measure will lead to corruption and abuse.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on the House floor that the agency is “stretched thin,” with 1,800 vacancies in the Border Patrol and 1,000 in customs, and needs to hire more quickly.

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