I

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1250

To amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility

Act of 1996 to clarify and improve the requirements for the development

of an automated entry-exit control system, to enhance land border control

and enforcement, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 24, 1999

Mr. LAFALCE (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. METCALF, Mr. BALDACCI, Mr.

HOUGHTON, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. PICKETT, Mr. ENGLISH, Ms. LEE, Mr.

PASTOR, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Mr. DAVIS of Florida, Mr. STUPAK, Mr.

HOLDEN, and Mrs. MINK of Hawaii) introduced the following bill; which

was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the

Committee on Ways and Means, 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 amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant

Responsibility Act of 1996 to clarify and improve the

requirements for the development of an automated entryexit control system, to enhance land border control and

enforcement, 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,
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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Border Improvement

3 and Immigration Act of 1999’’.

4 SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION RE5 FORM AND IMMIGRANT RESPONSIBILITY ACT

6 OF 1996.

7 Section 110(a) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and

8 Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1221

9 note) is amended to read as follows:

10 ‘‘(a) SYSTEM.—

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (3),

12 not later than October 15, 1998, the Attorney Gen13 eral shall develop an automated entry and exit con14 trol system at air ports-of-entry that will—

15 ‘‘(A) collect a record of departure for every

16 alien departing the United States and match

17 the record of departure with the record of the

18 alien’s arrival in the United States; and

19 ‘‘(B) enable the Attorney General to iden20 tify, through on-line searching procedures, law21 fully admitted nonimmigrants who remain in

22 the United States beyond the period authorized

23 by the Attorney General.

24 ‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Attorney General

25 shall fully implement the system developed under

26 paragraph (1) at all air ports-of-entry into the
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1 United States not later than October 1, 2001. The

2 Attorney General may not implement the system at

3 any land border or seaport.

4 ‘‘(3) EXCEPTION.—The system under para5 graphs (1) and (2) shall not collect a record of ar6 rival or departure for any alien for whom the docu7 mentary requirements in section 212(a)(7)(B) of the

8 Immigration and Nationality Act have been waived

9 by the Attorney General and the Secretary of State

10 under section 212(d)(4)(B) of the Immigration and

11 Nationality Act.’’.

12 SEC. 3. REPORT ON AUTOMATED ENTRY-EXIT CONTROL

13 SYSTEM.

14 (a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 1 year after the

15 date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall

16 submit a report to the Committees on the Judiciary of

17 the Senate and the House of Representatives on the feasi18 bility of developing and implementing an automated entry19 exit control system that would collect a record of depar20 ture for every alien departing the United States and match

21 the record of departure with the record of the alien’s ar22 rival in the United States, including departures and arriv23 als at the land borders and seaports of the United States.

24 (b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Such report shall—
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1 (1) assess the costs and feasibility of various

2 means of operating such an automated entry-exit

3 control system, including exploring—

4 (A) how, if the automated entry-exit con5 trol system were limited to certain aliens arriv6 ing at airports, departure records of those

7 aliens could be collected when they depart

8 through a land border or seaport; and

9 (B) the feasibility of the Attorney General,

10 in consultation with the Secretary of State, ne11 gotiating reciprocal agreements with the gov12 ernments of contiguous countries to collect such

13 information on behalf of the United States and

14 share it in an acceptable automated format;

15 (2) consider the various means of developing

16 such a system, including the use of pilot projects if

17 appropriate, and assess which means would be most

18 appropriate in which geographical regions;

19 (3) evaluate how such a system could be imple20 mented without increasing border traffic congestion

21 and border crossing delays and, if any such system

22 would increase border crossing delays, evaluate to

23 what extent such congestion or delays would in24 crease; and
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1 (4) estimate the length of time that would be

2 required for any such system to be developed and

3 implemented.

4 SEC. 4. INCREASED RESOURCES FOR BORDER CONTROL

5 AND ENFORCEMENT.

6 (a) INCREASED NUMBER OF INS INSPECTORS AT

7 THE LAND BORDERS.—The Attorney General in each of

8 fiscal years 2000, 2001, and 2002 shall increase by not

9 less than 300 the number of full-time immigration inspec10 tors assigned to active duty at the land borders of the

11 United States by the Immigration and Naturalization

12 Service, above the number of such positions for which

13 funds were made available for the preceding fiscal year.

14 The inspectors added under the preceding sentence in each

15 fiscal year shall be assigned equally to the northern and

16 southern borders of the United States.

17 (b) INCREASED NUMBER OF CUSTOMS INSPECTORS

18 AT THE LAND BORDERS.—The Secretary of the Treasury

19 in each of fiscal years 2000, 2001, and 2002 shall increase

20 by not less than 150 the number of full-time inspectors

21 assigned to active duty at the land borders of the United

22 States by the Customs Service, above the number of such

23 positions for which funds were made available for the pre24 ceding fiscal year. The inspectors added under the pre25 ceding sentence in each fiscal year shall be assigned equal-
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1 ly to the northern and southern borders of the United

2 States.

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