The "Securing our Border Act" aims to enhance border security by increasing scanning at entry points, constructing a border wall, providing bonuses to CBP agents, and altering the treatment of aliens arriving from contiguous territories.
Tim Scott
Senator
SC
The "Securing our Border Act" aims to enhance border security by increasing scanning at entry points, constructing a border wall, and incentivizing Customs and Border Protection agents. It mandates the transfer of funds to Customs and Border Protection for nonintrusive inspection systems to achieve a 100% scanning rate at all northern and southwest border land ports of entry. The Act also allocates funding for border wall construction along the southwest border and authorizes bonuses for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to aid in recruitment, retention, and relocation. Additionally, it amends immigration law to require the return or detention of aliens arriving from contiguous territories while awaiting asylum proceedings.
Border Bill Shifts Cash from Clean Energy to Wall Funding, Scanners, and CBP Agent Bonuses
The "Securing our Border Act" redirects existing federal funds to ramp up border security. It's a multi-pronged approach that touches on technology, physical barriers, personnel, and immigration procedures. The bill aims to curb drug trafficking, reduce illegal immigration, and address the backlog in immigration courts.
Dollars and Walls
This bill moves money away from clean energy initiatives (specifically, unobligated balances under section 10301(1)(A)(ii) of Public Law 117-169, though it doesn't specify the exact amount) and puts it towards two main areas: high-tech inspection systems at the border and building more of the border wall. The goal for the scanners is ambitious: 100% scanning of all vehicles and people crossing at land ports of entry on both the northern and southwestern borders by February 6, 2034. Two-thirds of the shifted funds will go towards constructing a physical wall system along the southwest border, also by February 6, 2034. The Secretary of Homeland Security has to provide quarterly reports to Congress, including detailed plans and cost estimates for this wall.
CBP Agent Payday
The bill authorizes the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with the Secretary of Homeland Security's okay, to offer bonuses to CBP agents. Think of it like a hiring and retention incentive package. New hires could get up to $15,000 after finishing training and signing a service agreement. Current agents could see annual bonuses of up to 15% of their base pay for satisfactory performance. And if an agent agrees to relocate to a new duty station for at least three years, they could get another bonus of up to 15% of their annual salary. It's important to note these bonuses don't count towards retirement calculations or lump-sum payouts for unused leave.
Asylum Seekers: Back to Mexico (or Detention)
This is where the bill gets into some potentially tricky territory. It changes Section 235(b)(2)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Essentially, it says that people arriving from Mexico or Canada can be sent back to those countries (or a "safe third country") while they wait for their immigration court proceedings. The other option? They could be detained while their asylum application, including the "credible fear of persecution" determination, is considered. This could mean significantly longer wait times in detention for asylum seekers, and raises questions for people fleeing dangerous situations.
The Big Picture
The "Securing our Border Act" represents a significant shift in priorities, moving resources towards border security and potentially changing how asylum claims are handled. It cites concerning statistics: over 100,000 drug overdose deaths in 2023, low scanning rates of vehicles crossing the border, and a massive backlog of immigration cases (over 3.5 million as of September 30, 2024). While the bill aims to address these issues, the changes to asylum procedures and the redirection of funds from other areas could have significant real-world consequences.