A bill to provide financial aid to local law enforcement officials along the Nation's borders, and for other purposes.

Summary: Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to award grants to a tribal, state, or local law enforcement agency located in a county within 100 miles of a U.S. border with Canada or Mexico, or in a county beyond 100 miles that has been certified by the Secretary as a high impact area, to provide assistance in addressing: (1) criminal activity that occurs by virtue of proximity to the border; and (2) the U.S. government's failure to adequately secure its borders. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the costs incurred by law enforcement agencies in connection with such criminal activity or failure.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) It is the obligation of the Federal Government of the 
        United States to adequately secure the Nation's borders and 
        prevent the flow of undocumented persons and illegal drugs into 
        the United States.
            (2) Despite the fact that the United States Border Patrol 
        apprehends over 1,000,000 people each year trying to illegally 
        enter the United States, according to the Congressional 
        Research Service, the net growth in the number of unauthorized 
        aliens has increased by approximately 500,000 each year. The 
        Southwest border accounts for approximately 94 percent of all 
        migrant apprehensions each year. Currently, there are an 
        estimated 11,000,000 unauthorized aliens in the United States.
            (3) The border region is also a major corridor for the 
        shipment of drugs. According to the El Paso Intelligence 
        Center, 65 percent of the narcotics that are sold in the 
        markets of the United States enter the country through the 
        Southwest Border.
            (4) Border communities continue to incur significant costs 
        due to the lack of adequate border security. A 2001 study by 
        the United States-Mexico Border Counties Coalition found that 
        law enforcement and criminal justice expenses associated with 
        illegal immigration exceed $89,000,000 annually for the 
        Southwest border counties.
            (5) In August 2005, the States of New Mexico and Arizona 
        declared states of emergency in order to provide local law 
        enforcement immediate assistance in addressing criminal 
        activity along the Southwest border.
            (6) While the Federal Government provides States and 
        localities assistance in covering costs related to the 
        detention of certain criminal aliens and the prosecution of 
        Federal drug cases, local law enforcement along the border are 
        provided no assistance in covering such expenses and must use 
        their limited resources to combat drug trafficking, human 
        smuggling, kidnappings, the destruction of private property, 
        and other border-related crimes.
            (7) The United States shares 5,525 miles of border with 
        Canada and 1,989 miles with Mexico. Many of the local law 
        enforcement agencies located along the border are small, rural 
        departments charged with patrolling large areas of land. 
        Counties along the Southwest United States-Mexico border are 
        some of the poorest in the country and lack the financial 
        resources to cover the additional costs associated with illegal 
        immigration, drug trafficking, and other border-related crimes.
            (8) Federal assistance is required to help local law 
        enforcement operating along the border address the unique 
        challenges that arise as a result of their proximity to an 
        international border and the lack of overall border security in 
        the region.

SEC. 3. BORDER RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award 
        grants to an eligible law enforcement agency to provide 
        assistance to such agency to address--
                    (A) criminal activity that occurs in the 
                jurisdiction of such agency by virtue of such agency's 
                proximity to the United States border; and
                    (B) the failure of the United States Government to 
                adequately secure its borders.
            (2) Duration.--Grants may be awarded under this subsection 
        during fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
            (3) Competitive basis.--The Secretary shall award grants 
        under this subsection on a competitive basis, except that the 
        Secretary shall give priority to applications from any eligible 
        law enforcement agency serving a community--
                    (A) with a population of less than 50,000; and
                    (B) located no more than 100 miles from a United 
                States border with--
                            (i) Canada; or
                            (ii) Mexico.
    (b) Use of Funds.--Grants awarded pursuant to subsection (a) may 
only be used to provide additional resources for an eligible law 
enforcement agency to address criminal activity occurring along any 
such border, including--
            (1) to obtain equipment;
            (2) to hire additional personnel;
            (3) to upgrade and maintain law enforcement technology;
            (4) to cover operational costs, including overtime and 
        transportation costs; and
            (5) such other resources as are available to assist that 
        agency.
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--Each eligible law enforcement agency 
        seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application 
        to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied 
        by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
            (2) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) describe the activities for which assistance 
                under this section is sought; and
                    (B) provide such additional assurances as the 
                Secretary determines to be essential to ensure 
                compliance with the requirements of this section.
    (d) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            (1) Eligible law enforcement agency.--The term ``eligible 
        law enforcement agency'' means a tribal, State, or local law 
        enforcement agency--
                    (A) located in a county no more than 100 miles from 
                a United States border with--
                            (i) Canada; or
                            (ii) Mexico; or
                    (B) located in a county more than 100 miles from 
                any such border, but where such county has been 
                certified by the Secretary as a High Impact Area.
            (2) High impact area.--The term ``High Impact Area'' means 
        any county designated by the Secretary as such, taking into 
        consideration--
                    (A) whether local law enforcement agencies in that 
                county have the resources to protect the lives, 
                property, safety, or welfare of the residents of that 
                county;
                    (B) the relationship between the failure of the 
                United States to secure its borders and the rise, if 
                any, of criminal activity in that county; and
                    (C) any other unique challenges that local law 
                enforcement face due to a lack of security along the 
                United States border.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Department of Homeland Security.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
        $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010 to carry 
        out the provisions of this section.
            (2) Division of authorized funds.--Of the amounts 
        authorized under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) \2/3\ shall be set aside for eligible law 
                enforcement agencies located in the 6 States with the 
                largest number of undocumented alien apprehensions; and
                    (B) \1/3\ shall be set aside for areas designated 
                as a High Impact Area under subsection (d).
    (f) Supplement Not Supplant.--Amounts appropriated for grants under 
this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other State 
and local public funds obligated for the purposes provided under this 
Act.

SEC. 4. REPORT REQUIREMENT.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit a written 
report to Congress describing the costs incurred by State and local law 
enforcement agencies in connection with--
            (1) criminal activity related to such agencies' proximity 
        to the United States border with--
                    (A) Canada; or
                    (B) Mexico; and
            (2) the failure of the Federal Government to secure the 
        borders of the United States.

SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT OF FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAW.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to authorize State or local 
law enforcement agencies or their officers to exercise Federal 
immigration law enforcement authority.