I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5256 

To enhance the overseas operations of the Department of Homeland Security 

aimed at preventing terrorist threats from reaching the United States, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 16, 2016 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi (for himself, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. KEATING, Mr. PAYNE, Mrs. WATSON

COLEMAN, and Ms. CLARKE of New York) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Ways and Means, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To enhance the overseas operations of the Department of 

Homeland Security aimed at preventing terrorist threats 

from reaching the United States, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Expanding DHS Over5 seas Passenger Security Screening and Vetting Operations 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTA2 TION PLAN FOR DHS OPERATIONS ABROAD. 

3 (a) STRATEGY.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec6 retary of Homeland Security shall submit to the 

7 Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 

8 Representatives and the Committee on Homeland 

9 Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a 

10 comprehensive five-year strategy for existing and fu11 ture international programs. 

12 (2) CONTENTS.—The strategy required under 

13 paragraph (1) shall include, at a minimum, the fol14 lowing: 

15 (A) Specific Department of Homeland Se16 curity strategic risk-based priorities for imple17 menting international programs. 

18 (B) A risk-based method for determining 

19 whether to establish new international programs 

20 or expand existing international programs to 

21 new locations, given resource constraints. 

22 (C) A mechanism to ensure alignment of 

23 resource allocations on international programs 

24 with the highest Department-wide and Govern25 ment-wide strategic priorities. 


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1 (D) A common reporting framework for 

2 the submission of reliable, comparable cost data 

3 by components of the Department on overseas 

4 expenditures attributable to international pro5 grams. 

6 (3) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the strat7 egy required under paragraph (1), the Secretary of 

8 Homeland Security shall consider, at a minimum, 

9 the following: 

10 (A) Existing operations of international 

11 programs, together with specific information on 

12 the locations in which each such program oper13 ates. 

14 (B) The number of Department personnel 

15 deployed to each location at which an inter16 national program referred to in subparagraph 

17 (A) is in operation during the current and pre18 ceding fiscal year. 

19 (C) Analysis of the impacts of each inter20 national program on domestic operations of 

21 U.S. Customs and Border Protection or U.S. 

22 Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as the 

23 case may be, including staffing levels and the 

24 availability of resources. 


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1 (D) Analysis of opportunities and barriers 

2 to a regional approach and coordination with 

3 partner governments on international law en4 forcement efforts abroad in line with Depart5 ment-wide and United States Government-wide 

6 priorities. 

7 (E) Analysis of barriers to international 

8 program expansion. 

9 (F) Relevant Department strategy docu10 ments, including the Quadrennial Homeland Se11 curity Review and component strategies. 

12 (b) IMPLEMENTATION PLANS.— 

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

14 Security shall submit to the Committee on Home15 land Security of the House of Representatives and 

16 the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern17 mental Affairs of the Senate, on an annual basis, an 

18 implementation plan based on the strategy required 

19 under subsection (a) for the following fiscal year. 

20 Each such plan shall be submitted with the Presi21 dent’s budget request for the next fiscal year 

22 through fiscal year 2022, except that the first such 

23 plan may be submitted together with the President’s 

24 budget request for the next fiscal year or 180 days 

25 after submission of the strategy, whichever is later. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—Each implementation plan re2 quired under paragraph (1) shall include, at a min3 imum, the following: 

4 (A) Information, specified on a location-by5 location basis, on each international program, 

6 including an explanation of program goals and 

7 requirements. 

8 (B) Information on planned deployments 

9 of Department personnel for each international 

10 program referred to in subparagraph (A), speci11 fied on a location-by-location basis, together 

12 with an accounting of resource and personnel 

13 allocation required per program per location. 

14 (C) A plan to ensure Department per15 sonnel deployed at locations outside the United 

16 States have appropriate oversight and support 

17 to ensure performance in support of program 

18 and departmental goals. 

19 (D) Mechanisms for cross-component oper20 ations, coordination, and communication 

21 abroad. 

22 (3) FORMAT.—The implementation plan re23 quired under paragraph (1) shall be submitted in 

24 unclassified form but may contain a classified annex 


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1 if the Secretary of Homeland Security determines 

2 that such is appropriate. 

3 SEC. 3. U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION STAFF4 ING EXPANSION. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commissioner of U.S. Cus6 toms and Border Protection shall— 

7 (1) by not later than September 30, 2017, in8 crease by 1,000 the number of U.S. Customs and 

9 Border Protection officers and 300 the number of 

10 U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture 

11 Specialists over the number of such officers and 

12 Specialists, respectively, for fiscal year 2016; and 

13 (2) by not later than September 30, 2018, in14 crease by 1,000 the number of U.S. Customs and 

15 Border Protection officers and 300 the number of 

16 U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agriculture 

17 Specialists over the number of such officers and 

18 Specialists, respectively, for fiscal year 2017. 

19 (b) PERIODIC REPORTING.—The Secretary of Home20 land Security, acting through the Commissioner of U.S. 

21 Customs and Border Protection, shall provide to the Com22 mittee on Homeland Security of the House of Representa23 tives or the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern24 mental Affairs of the Senate, upon request by either of 

25 such committees, information on the status of efforts to 


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1 implement the requirements of subsection (a), including 

2 information on any impediments to such implementation. 

3 SEC. 4. VISA SECURITY PROGRAM EXPANSION. 

4 (a) DEPLOYMENT PLAN.—Not later than 180 days 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

6 of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on 

7 Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and 

8 the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

9 Affairs of the Senate a plan for expanding, by not later 

10 than five years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

11 the Visa Security Program in a risk-based manner to not 

12 fewer than 50 United States diplomatic and consular posts 

13 that issue visas. Such a plan shall include a prioritized 

14 list of such visa issuing posts based on the following: 

15 (1) Risk and volume. 

16 (2) The number of personnel necessary to oper17 ate each such post. 

18 (3) The expected costs of establishing and oper19 ating each such post. 

20 (4) Any potential security concerns regarding 

21 each such post. 

22 (b) PERIODIC REPORTING.—The Secretary of Home23 land Security shall provide to the Committee on Homeland 

24 Security of the House of Representatives or the Com25 mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 


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1 of the Senate, upon request by either of such committees, 

2 information on the status of efforts to implement the re3 quirements of subsection (a), including information on any 

4 impediments to such implementation. 

5 SEC. 5. PRE-ADJUDICATED THREAT RECOGNITION AND IN6 TELLIGENCE OPERATIONS TEAM (PATRIOT) 

7 PROGRAM EXPANSION. 

8 (a) DEPLOYMENT PLAN.—Not later than 60 days 

9 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

10 of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on 

11 Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and 

12 the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

13 Affairs of the Senate a plan for deploying the Department 

14 of Homeland Security’s Pre-Adjudicated Threat Recogni15 tion and Intelligence Operations Team (PATRIOT) pro16 gram to not fewer than 50 United States diplomatic and 

17 consular posts that issue visas, based on risk and volume, 

18 the minimum number of personnel necessary to operate 

19 each such post, the estimated costs of establishing and op20 erating each such post, any potential security concerns for 

21 each such post, and anticipated timelines for deployment. 

22 Such plan shall include, at a minimum, the locations of 

23 visa issuing posts to be covered, an accounting of the tech24 nology, infrastructure, and personnel necessary to carry 

25 out deployment and operation of the PATRIOT program 


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1 at such posts, and the estimated costs to deploy and oper2 ate such program. 

3 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of Homeland 

4 Security shall implement the plan required under sub5 section (a) to ensure the PATRIOT program referred to 

6 in such subsection is being utilized to vet all visa applica7 tions, to the maximum extent practicable, at each United 

8 States diplomatic and consular post that issues visas to 

9 which such program has been expanded. 

10 (c) PERIODIC REPORTING.—The Secretary of Home11 land Security shall provide to the Committee on Homeland 

12 Security of the House of Representatives or the Com13 mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

14 of the Senate, upon request by either of such committees, 

15 information on the status of efforts to implement the re16 quirements of this section, including information on any 

17 impediments to such implementation. 

18 SEC. 6. IMMIGRATION COOPERATION PROGRAM AUTHOR19 IZATION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle B of title IV of the 

21 Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting 

22 after section 415 the following new section: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 416. IMMIGRATION COOPERATION PROGRAM. 

24 ‘‘There is established within U.S. Customs and Bor25 der Protection a program to be known as the ‘Immigration 


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1 Cooperation Program’. Under such Program, U.S. Cus2 toms and Border Protection Officers, pursuant to an ar3 rangement with a foreign country, may cooperate with for4 eign authorities, air carriers, and security employees at 

5 foreign airports to identify persons who may be inadmis6 sible to the United States or otherwise pose a risk to the 

7 security of the United States.’’. 

8 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

9 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 

10 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

11 415 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 416. Immigration Cooperation Program.’’. 

12 SEC. 7. INTERNATIONAL TRUSTED TRAVELER PROGRAMS 

13 MODERNIZATION. 

14 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact15 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 

16 submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the 

17 House of Representatives and the Committee on Home18 land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a 

19 plan for expanding participation in trusted traveler pro20 grams administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protec21 tion. Such plan shall include the following: 

22 (1) A strategy for increasing outreach to and 

23 awareness among the members of the traveling pub24 lic regarding trusted traveler programs, require25 ments, and benefits. 


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1 (2) An analysis of any barriers to expansion of 

2 trusted traveler programs. 

3 (3) An assessment of possible impacts on U.S. 

4 Customs and Border Protection staffing and re5 source requirements as a result of increased partici6 pation in trusted traveler programs. 

7 (4) An assessment of measures utilized to ad8 dress potential risks or vulnerabilities of trusted 

9 traveler programs, including resulting from in10 creased enrollment. 

11 (5) An analysis of the facilitation and security 

12 benefits from increased participation in trusted trav13 eler programs. 

14 SEC. 8. SECURITY VETTING FOR NONIMMIGRANT VISAS 

15 EVALUATION. 

16 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact17 ment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 

18 States shall conduct a review and submit to the Committee 

19 on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives 

20 and the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern21 mental Affairs of the Senate a report on the adequacy and 

22 appropriateness of the security screening process for each 

23 United States nonimmigrant visa category. Such review 

24 shall include the processes for determining visa eligibility, 


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1 including security screening and background checks, and 

2 coordination among relevant agencies. 

3 SEC. 9. DEFINITION. 

4 In this Act, the term ‘‘international program’’ means 

5 an international program or operation of U.S. Customs 

6 and Border Protection or U.S. Immigration and Customs 

7 Enforcement targeted at vetting and screening persons 

8 seeking to enter the United States in which Department 

9 of Homeland Security personnel and resources are de10 ployed abroad. 

11 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDING. 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated $250,000,000 

13 for each of fiscal years 2017 and 2018 to carry out this 

14 Act and the amendment made by this Act. 

Æ 


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