I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5132 

To bolster Department of Homeland Security efforts to combat cross-border 

threats posed by transnational criminal organizations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 1, 2023 

Mr. THANEDAR (for himself, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mr. CORREA, Mr. 

ROBERT GARCIA of California, Mr. MAGAZINER, and Ms. TOKUDA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and 

Foreign Affairs, 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 bolster Department of Homeland Security efforts to combat cross-border threats posed by transnational criminal 

organizations, 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 ‘‘United Against 

5 Transnational Criminal Organizations Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. BOLSTERING DHS EFFORTS TO COMBAT CROSS2 BORDER THREATS POSED BY 

3 TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS. 

4 (a) DHS JOINT TASK FORCE.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding subsection 

6 (b)(11) of section 708 of the Homeland Security Act 

7 of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 348), not later than 180 days 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec9 retary of Homeland Security shall, pursuant to such 

10 section, establish a Department of Homeland Secu11 rity Joint Task Force to conduct operations using 

12 personnel and capabilities of the Department to 

13 combat cross-border threats posed by transnational 

14 criminal organizations operating along the land bor15 ders of the United States for the purpose specified 

16 in clause (i) of subsection (b)(2)(A) of such section. 

17 Such task force shall— 

18 (A) pay particular attention to 

19 transnational criminal organizations that target 

20 foreign nationals, particularly children and fam21 ilies, for smuggling or trafficking across the 

22 land border of the United States; and 

23 (B) when appropriate, refer to the Attor24 ney General for prosecution border-related 

25 criminal activity. 


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1 (2) PRIORITIES.—The task force established in 

2 accordance with paragraph (1) may, when appro3 priate, refer to the Attorney General for prosecution 

4 border-related criminal activity, and shall pay par5 ticular attention to transnational criminal organiza6 tions that— 

7 (A) target people, particularly children and 

8 families, for smuggling or trafficking across the 

9 land borders of the United States; or 

10 (B) are engaged in the smuggling or traf11 ficking of fentanyl, fentanyl chemical precur12 sors, or related equipment and material across 

13 the land borders of the United States. 

14 (3) PERFORMANCE METRICS.—Consistent with 

15 subsection (b)(9) of section 708 of the Homeland 

16 Security Act of 2002, the Secretary of Homeland 

17 Security shall establish and submit to the appro18 priate congressional committees performance metrics 

19 to evaluate the effectiveness of the Joint Task Force 

20 established pursuant to paragraph (1). Such per21 formance metrics shall include outcome-based 

22 metrics associated with efforts to achieve the prior23 ities described in paragraph (2), including informa24 tion on effectiveness at identifying transnational 

25 criminal organizations engaged in such activity, the 


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1 sharing of information regarding such organizations, 

2 efforts to dismantle or disrupt such activity by such 

3 organizations, and investigative contributions to the 

4 prosecution of such organizations. 

5 (4) QUARTERLY REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not 

6 later than four months after the establishment of 

7 the Joint Task Force pursuant to paragraph (1) and 

8 every four months thereafter until such Joint Task 

9 Force is disbanded by the Secretary in accordance 

10 with paragraph (4), the Director of such Joint Task 

11 Force shall report to the appropriate congressional 

12 committees on the activities of such Joint Task 

13 Force during the preceding four-month period. 

14 (5) DISBANDING OF JOINT TASK FORCE.—The 

15 Secretary of Homeland Security shall— 

16 (A) upon establishment of the Joint Task 

17 Force pursuant to paragraph (1), report to the 

18 appropriate congressional committees the cri19 teria to be applied by the Secretary before mak20 ing a determination to disband such Joint Task 

21 Force; and 

22 (B) not later than 15 days prior to dis23 banding such Joint Task Force, submit to such 

24 committees a justification relating thereto. 


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1 (6) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap3 propriate congressional committees’’ means the com4 mittees specified in subparagraph (F) of section 

5 708(b)(6) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. 

6 (b) TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION BOR7 DER SCREENING STRATEGY.—Not later than one year 

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

9 of Homeland Security shall issue a strategy to improve 

10 the effectiveness of the screening of vehicles, persons, and 

11 cargo at land ports of entry that may be at higher risk 

12 of being related to transnational criminal organization ac13 tivity. Upon issuance of such strategy, the Secretary shall 

14 brief the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 

15 of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Secu16 rity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate regarding 

17 such strategy. 

18 (c) INTEGRATED BORDER INTELLIGENCE ANALYT19 ICAL CELL.—The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 

20 establish within the National Targeting Center of U.S. 

21 Customs and Border Protection an integrated border in22 telligence analytical cell focused on sharing information re23 garding potential concentrated surges of migrants arriving 

24 at the land borders of the United States, and smuggling 

25 or trafficking that may pose a border security, homeland 


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1 security, or other threat to the land borders of the United 

2 States. Such cell shall integrate intelligence capabilities 

3 from across the Department of Homeland Security to 

4 carry out the following: 

5 (1) Develop intelligence products to improve the 

6 Department’s ability to track, prepare for, and man7 age in a humane and effective manner concentrated 

8 surges of migrants arriving along the land border of 

9 the United States. 

10 (2) Report on transnational criminal organiza11 tions exploiting migrating populations and migration 

12 routes to smuggle or traffic fentanyl or other illicit 

13 goods across the land border of the United States. 

14 (3) Support Federal efforts to dismantle or dis15 rupt smuggling and trafficking routes along the land 

16 border of the United States. 

17 (4) Report on information circulated by 

18 transnational criminal organizations and other mali19 cious actors to encourage illicit migrant travel to the 

20 United States. 

21 (5) Develop other related intelligence products 

22 that support the Department’s border security oper23 ations. 

24 (d) STRENGTHENING CROSS-BORDER PARTNER25 SHIPS.—The Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordiVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:35 Aug 21, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5132.IH H5132

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1 nation with the Secretary of State, shall expand partner2 ship efforts with law enforcement entities in Canada, Mex3 ico, countries in Central America and South America, and 

4 other appropriate countries to combat smuggling and traf5 ficking of people, fentanyl, fentanyl chemical precursors, 

6 or related equipment and material within such countries, 

7 including through the following: 

8 (1) Expansion of transnational criminal inves9 tigative units to identify, disrupt, dismantle, and 

10 prosecute transnational criminal organization activ11 ity. 

12 (2) Participation in the Bilateral Human Traf13 ficking Enforcement Initiative by U.S. Immigration 

14 and Customs Enforcement and the Department of 

15 Justice with their Mexican law enforcement counter16 parts. 

17 (3) Expansion of advanced training programs 

18 for investigators and prosecutors from Canada, Mex19 ico, countries in Central America and South Amer20 ica, and other appropriate countries. 

21 (4) Increase of capacity-building efforts to sup22 port international partners in improving the ability 

23 of such partners to detect and interdict fentanyl, 

24 fentanyl chemical precursors, and related equipment 


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1 and material originating from or transiting through 

2 their territories. 

3 (e) FENTANYL INTERDICTION AND SUPPLY CHAIN

4 DISRUPTION.—The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 

5 seek to strengthen intelligence sharing operations with 

6 Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies in7 volved in prevention, detection, and interdiction of 

8 fentanyl, fentanyl chemical precursors, and other related 

9 equipment and material to enhance efforts to disrupt and 

10 dismantle supply chains for such illicit drugs and equip11 ment and material. 

Æ 


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