The Government Accountability Office is urging the Department of Homeland Security to work more closely with tribes on border issues.

The U.S. Border Patrol has signed government-to-government agreements with some, but not all, tribes on the U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. The GAO report said written agreements facilitate better communication and coordination.

"Government-to-government agreements with tribes to address specific challenges, such as federal agency notification to tribes of law enforcement actions occurring on the reservation, that have emerged between the Border Patrol and individual tribes could help better position the Border Patrol and the tribes to resolve their coordination challenges and better work together to secure the border," the report stated.

The report was requested by Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana). In the last session of Congress, he opposed a bill that would have allowed the Border Patrol to ignore federal historic prevention and environmental laws.

Get the Story:
Lack of coordination, mistrust hamper well-intentioned effort to stop illegal immigration, drugs and weapons trafficking trough border reservations, GAO says (The Washington Guardian 4/8)
DHS in need of better tribal government engagement mechanism (Fierce Homeland Security 4/8)
Illegal aliens bypass U.S. border agents via Indian reservations: GAO (Examiner.com 4/7)

Government Accountability Office Report:
Partnership Agreements and Enhanced Oversight Could Strengthen Coordination of Efforts on Indian Reservations (April 5, 2013)

Related Stories:
Kesner Flores: Border-control bill an affront to tribal sovereignty (7/9)
House approves measure to allow Border Patrol to bypass laws (06/20)
Oliver Semans: Border 'security' bill a major threat to tribes (03/12)
Sen. Tester: 'Security' bill poses a threat to tribal sovereignty (12/01)