II 

Calendar No. 748 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5315 

[Report No. 118–328] 

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance border security 

by seeking to expand partnerships with appropriate law enforcement 

entities in Mexico and Central American and South American countries 

to combat human smuggling and trafficking operations in Mexico and 

such countries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2024 

Mr. PETERS (for himself and Mr. KELLY) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs 

DECEMBER 19 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance 

border security by seeking to expand partnerships with 

appropriate law enforcement entities in Mexico and Central American and South American countries to combat 

human smuggling and trafficking operations in Mexico 

and such countries, and for other purposes. 


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•S 5315 RS

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cooperation on Com5 bating Human Smuggling and Trafficking Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PARTNER7 SHIPS TO COMBAT HUMAN SMUGGLING AND 

8 TRAFFICKING. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu10 rity, in coordination with appropriate Federal partners, 

11 shall enhance border security by seeking to expand part12 nerships with appropriate law enforcement entities in 

13 Mexico and Central American and South American coun14 tries to combat human smuggling and trafficking oper15 ations in Mexico and such countries, including by— 

16 (1) establishing or expanding cross-border 

17 transnational criminal investigative units to identify, 

18 disrupt, and support the prosecution of human 

19 smuggling and trafficking operations; 

20 (2) enhancing participation in the Bilateral 

21 Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative or a suc22 cessor initiative; and 

23 (3) providing advanced training for certain in24 vestigators and prosecutors from Mexico and other 

25 Latin American countries. 


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1 (b) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF HUMAN

2 SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING.—The Secretary of 

3 Homeland Security shall seek to expand collaborative pro4 grams involving Homeland Security Investigations that 

5 are aimed at supporting the investigation and prosecution 

6 of human smugglers and traffickers targeting children and 

7 families that pose border security threats and operate at 

8 the southern land border of the United States, including 

9 the continuation and expansion of anti-trafficking coordi10 nation teams. 

11 (c) INFORMATION CAMPAIGN TO DETER MIGRA12 TION.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 

14 Security shall carry out targeted public information 

15 campaigns— 

16 (A) to inform targeted migrant populations 

17 within Mexico, Central America, South Amer18 ica, and certain other countries with high mi19 gration rates regarding the dangers of travel 

20 across Mexico to the United States; and 

21 (B) to combat misinformation and 

22 disinformation by transnational criminal organi23 zations and other nefarious actors regarding 

24 United States laws or policies. 


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1 (2) SPECIFICATIONS.—The information cam2 paigns implemented pursuant to paragraph (1) shall, 

3 to the greatest extent possible— 

4 (A) be targeted at populations and local5 ities with high migration rates; 

6 (B) employ a variety of communications 

7 media; and 

8 (C) be developed in consultation with ap9 propriate program officials of the Department 

10 of State and, as appropriate, Mexican, Central 

11 American, South American, and other appro12 priate foreign governments, nonprofit or aca13 demic entities, and representatives acting on be14 half of targeted migrant populations, including 

15 repatriated migrants. 

16 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

17 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cooperation on Com18 bating Human Smuggling and Trafficking Act’’. 

19 SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY PARTNER20 SHIPS TO COMBAT HUMAN SMUGGLING AND 

21 TRAFFICKING. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu23 rity, in coordination with appropriate Federal partners, 

24 shall combat human smuggling and trafficking by seeking 

25 to expand partnerships with appropriate law enforcement 


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•S 5315 RS

1 entities in Mexico and Central American and South Amer2 ican countries, including by— 

3 (1) establishing or expanding cross-border 

4 transnational criminal investigative units to identify, 

5 disrupt, and support the prosecution of human smug6 gling and trafficking operations; 

7 (2) enhancing participation in the Bilateral 

8 Human Trafficking Enforcement Initiative or a suc9 cessor initiative; and 

10 (3) providing advanced training for certain in11 vestigators and prosecutors from Mexico and such 

12 countries, including training on civil rights, civil lib13 erties, and privacy protections. 

14 (b) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF HUMAN

15 SMUGGLING AND TRAFFICKING.—The Secretary of Home16 land Security shall evaluate and report to the Committee 

17 on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

18 Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the 

19 House of Representatives regarding the potential for the ex20 pansion of collaborative programs involving Homeland Se21 curity Investigations that are aimed at supporting the in22 vestigation and prosecution of human smugglers and traf23 fickers that pose border security threats and operate at the 

24 southern land border of the United States, including the 


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1 continuation and expansion of anti-trafficking coordina2 tion teams. 

3 (c) INFORMATION CAMPAIGN TO DETER MIGRATION.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 

5 Security shall carry out targeted public information 

6 campaigns— 

7 (A) to inform targeted migrant populations 

8 within Mexico, Central America, South America, 

9 and certain other countries with high migration 

10 rates regarding the dangers of travel across Mex11 ico to the United States; and 

12 (B) to combat misinformation and 

13 disinformation by transnational criminal orga14 nizations and other nefarious actors regarding 

15 United States laws or policies. 

16 (2) SPECIFICATIONS.—The information cam17 paigns implemented pursuant to paragraph (1) shall, 

18 to the greatest extent possible— 

19 (A) be targeted at populations and localities 

20 with high migration rates; 

21 (B) employ a variety of communications 

22 media; and 

23 (C) be developed in consultation with ap24 propriate program officials of the Department of 

25 State and, as appropriate, Mexican, Central 


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1 American, South American, and other appro2 priate foreign governments, nonprofit or aca3 demic entities, and representatives acting on be4 half of targeted migrant populations, including 

5 repatriated migrants. 

6 (d) REPORT ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS.—Not 

7 later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 

8 Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall— 

9 (1) conduct a study that— 

10 (A) assesses the effectiveness of public infor11 mation campaigns that have been implemented 

12 by the Department of Homeland Security to 

13 carry out the objectives set forth in subsection 

14 (c)(1); and 

15 (B) identifies the best practices with respect 

16 to such campaigns; and 

17 (2) submit a report containing the findings of 

18 such study to the Committee on Homeland Security 

19 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Com20 mittee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep21 resentatives. 


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Calendar No. 748 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5315 

[Report No. 118–328] 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to 

D

and such countries, and for other purposes. smuggling and trafficking operations in Mexico South American countries to combat human entities in Mexico and Central American and partnerships with appropriate law enforcement enhance border security by seeking to expand 

ECEMBER 19 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Reported with an amendment 


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