I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6239 

To require the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security 

to investigate the vetting and processing of illegal aliens apprehended 

along the southwest border and to ensure that all laws are being upheld. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 9, 2021 

Ms. STEFANIK (for herself, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. ROGERS

of Alabama, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. FEENSTRA, Mr. 

SMITH of New Jersey, Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS, Mr. ROSE, Mr. HIGGINS of 

Louisiana, Mr. KELLER, Ms. MALLIOTAKIS, Mr. TONY GONZALES of 

Texas, Mr. JACKSON, Mr. GROTHMAN, Mr. MCKINLEY, Ms. HERRELL, 

Mrs. WAGNER, Mrs. LESKO, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. GUEST, Mr. BABIN, 

Mr. NEWHOUSE, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Ms. LETLOW, Mr. MANN, Mr. JACOBS of New York, Mr. BURGESS, Ms. MACE, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. KUSTOFF, Mr. GARBARINO, Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas, Mr. 

KATKO, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, and Mr. MOORE

of Alabama) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To require the Inspector General of the Department of 

Homeland Security to investigate the vetting and processing of illegal aliens apprehended along the southwest 

border and to ensure that all laws are being upheld. 

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 ‘‘Upholding the Law 

3 at Our Border Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. INVESTIGATION AND REPORT ON VETTING AND 

5 PROCESSING OF ILLEGAL ALIENS APPRE6 HENDED ALONG THE SOUTHWEST BORDER 

7 AND ENSURING THAT ALL LAWS ARE BEING 

8 UPHELD. 

9 Not less frequently than every 60 days until there 

10 have been fewer than 35,000 apprehensions per month at 

11 the southwest border for 3 consecutive months, the Inspec12 tor General of the Department of Homeland Security shall 

13 conduct an investigation and submit a report and provide 

14 a briefing to the President, the Secretary of Homeland 

15 Security, the Attorney General, the Committee on Home16 land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, 

17 and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 

18 of Representatives regarding, with respect to the period 

19 beginning on January 20, 2021— 

20 (1) the vetting procedures applicable to aliens 

21 (as defined in section 101(a) of the Immigration and 

22 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a))) seeking entry or 

23 admission to the United States who were appre24 hended along the southwest border of the United 

25 States, including the process for conducting in-perVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 Dec 18, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6239.IH H6239

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1 son interviews with such aliens and the number of 

2 such interviews that were conducted; 

3 (2) the total number of illegal aliens who were 

4 processed and released into the interior of the 

5 United States; 

6 (3) the number of illegal aliens who received pa7 role (humanitarian or otherwise); 

8 (4) the results of the audit of parole applica9 tions, including the justification for any instances in 

10 which parole was granted; 

11 (5) the total number of illegal aliens who have 

12 been placed in removal proceedings pursuant to sec13 tion 240 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

14 U.S.C. 1229a), including— 

15 (A) how many have been removed; and 

16 (B) how many are eligible for any immi17 gration benefit, such as asylum or lawful per18 manent residence; 

19 (6) the results of the audit of asylum applica20 tion under section 208 of the Immigration and Na21 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1158); 

22 (7) the total number of illegal aliens who have 

23 been placed in expedited removal proceedings pursu24 ant to section 235(b)(1) of the Immigration and NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 Dec 18, 2021 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6239.IH H6239

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1 tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)), including how 

2 many have been removed; 

3 (8) the efforts of the Department of Homeland 

4 Security to continually monitor all of the illegal 

5 aliens who were apprehended along the southwest 

6 border of the United States and then released on pa7 role, including— 

8 (A) the number who were given a ‘‘notice 

9 to report’’ to a U.S. Immigration and Customs 

10 Enforcement office; 

11 (B) the number who actually reported in 

12 compliance with such notice to report; 

13 (C) the number who were given a ‘‘notice 

14 to appear’’ before an immigration judge; and 

15 (D) the number who have prior criminal 

16 convictions or terms of imprisonment in the 

17 United States or outside of the United States; 

18 (9) the total number of illegal aliens who were 

19 processed and released into the interior of the 

20 United States without participating in an alter21 natives to detention program, such as using an ankle 

22 monitor or another tracking monitor; and 

23 (10) the States and counties in which the De24 partment of Homeland Security or the Department 


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1 of Health and Human Services has resettled illegal 

2 aliens since January 20, 2021. 

Æ 


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