I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8992 
Making appropriations to improve border security, imposing new reporting 
requirements relating to border security, and enhancing criminal penalties 
for destroying or evading border controls. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 10, 2024 
Mr. VASQUEZ (for himself, Mrs. CHAVEZ-DEREMER, and Mr. SORENSEN) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ap-
propriations 
A BILL 
Making appropriations to improve border security, imposing 
new reporting requirements relating to border security, 
and enhancing criminal penalties for destroying or evad-
ing border controls. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop Fentanyl at the 
Border Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FUNDING. 
(a) ENHANCING LAW ENFORCEMENT CAPABILITIES 
AT THE BORDER.—There is appropriated, out of any 
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money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the 
Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year end-
ing September 30, 2025, $3,409,000,000, to remain avail-
able until September 30, 2027, to support and enhance 
law enforcement capabilities at land borders of the United 
States, of which— 
(1) $300,000,000 shall be for additional civilian 
U.S. Border Patrol processing coordinators; 
(2) $1,750,000,000 shall be for additional U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection officers, U.S. Bor-
der Patrol agents, and mission support staff within 
the Office of Field Operations and U.S. Border Pa-
trol; 
(3) $950,000,000 shall be for hiring bonuses, 
retention bonuses, and retention-focused support 
services, including mental health services, for U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection officers, U.S. Bor-
der Patrol agents, U.S. Border Patrol processing co-
ordinators, and any other U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection staff whose work supports operations at 
the land borders of the United States; and 
(4) $409,000,000 shall be for ‘‘U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services–Operations and Support’’ 
to contribute to improved operations along the land 
borders of the United States. 
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(b) INCREASING FENTANYL INTERDICTION AND EN-
HANCING PROCESSING CAPABILITIES AT THE BORDER.— 
There is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury 
not otherwise appropriated, for U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 
$1,090,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 
2027, to increase drug interdiction and processing capa-
bilities at land borders of the United States, of which— 
(1) $960,000,000 shall be for technology im-
provements and upgrades, which may include— 
(A) the procurement and deployment of 
large-scale, small-scale, and handheld non-intru-
sive inspection scanning systems at ports of 
entry along the land borders of the United 
States; and 
(B) upgrades to the information technology 
infrastructure upon which these systems and 
associated software are operated; 
(2) $30,000,000 shall be for technological and 
procedural improvements to the process of analyzing 
and adjudicating images from non-intrusive inspec-
tion scanning technology at land ports of entry, 
which may include support for the continued devel-
opment of anomaly detection algorithms to enhance 
detection of illegal drugs at land ports of entry; and 
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(3) $100,000,000 shall be for other technology 
and infrastructure upgrades that the Commissioner 
for U.S. Customs and Border Protection deems nec-
essary for the agency’s drug interdiction work. 
(c) DISRUPTING THE OUTBOUND FLOW OF FIRE-
ARMS AND CURRENCY FROM THE UNITED STATES.— 
There is appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury 
not otherwise appropriated, for U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025, 
$285,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 
2027, for increasing outbound inspection capabilities, in-
cluding disrupting the flow of firearms and currency out 
of the United States, of which— 
(1) $10,000,000 shall be for supporting the cre-
ation of a structured outbound inspection program 
within the Office of Field Operations that includes 
a comprehensive outbound inspection policy and per-
formance metrics to measure the impact of outbound 
inspections; and 
(2) $275,000,000 shall be for outbound inspec-
tions infrastructure projects at the land borders of 
the United States, including— 
(A) technology and connectivity improve-
ments at rural ports of entry; and 
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(B) safety and technology upgrades to out-
bound inspection lanes at ports of entry. 
(d) DISRUPTING TRANSNATIONAL FENTANYL NET-
WORKS.—There is appropriated, out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2025— 
(1) $223,000,000, to remain available until 
September 30, 2027, to U.S. Immigration and Cus-
toms Enforcement to expand efforts to interdict 
fentanyl and other illegal drugs, and disrupt net-
works operated by transnational criminal organiza-
tions within the United States, of which— 
(A) $113,000,000 shall be for additional 
Homeland 
Security 
Investigations 
special 
agents; 
(B) $80,000,000 shall be for the imple-
mentation of Homeland Security Investigations’ 
Strategy for Combating Illicit Opioids; and 
(C) $30,000,000 shall be for joint surge 
operations along the land borders of the United 
States by Homeland Security Investigations and 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection; 
(2) $128,000,000, to remain available until 
September 30, 2027, to the Drug Enforcement Ad-
ministration, of which— 
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(A) $68,000,000 shall be for salaries and 
expenses relating to increased law enforcement 
activities along the land borders of the United 
States; and 
(B) $60,000,000 shall be for the High In-
tensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program; 
(3) $110,000,000, to remain available until 
September 30, 2027, to the Department of Justice 
for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task 
Forces; and 
(4) $50,000,000, to remain available until Sep-
tember 30, 2027, to the U.S. Marshals Service for 
salaries and expenses relating to increased law en-
forcement activities along the land borders of the 
United States. 
SEC. 3. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) REPORT ON U.S. BORDER PATROL PROCESSING 
COORDINATORS.—Not later than March 31, 2028, the 
Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
shall submit a report to Congress that— 
(1) details the impacts of Border Patrol Proc-
essing Coordinator positions; and 
(2) describes how such positions are supporting 
the mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 
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(b) REPORT ON NEW OUTBOUND INSPECTIONS PRO-
GRAM.—Not later than March 31, 2028, the Executive As-
sistant Commissioner of the Office of Field Operations of 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall submit a report 
to Congress that details the equipment that would be 
needed to establish a permanent outbound inspections pro-
gram to increase the rate of scanning of motor vehicles 
departing the United States. 
(c) REPORT ON EXISTING AND PLANNED SCANNING 
TECHNOLOGY.—Not later than March 31, 2028, the Exec-
utive Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Field Oper-
ations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall sub-
mit a report to Congress that details, for each United 
States land port of entry— 
(1) a summary of the non-intrusive inspection 
technology that is in use or is being built out; and 
(2) the major factors to consider regarding the 
future procurement and deployment of large-scale, 
non-intrusive inspection machines at the port of 
entry, including— 
(A) existing limitations, including— 
(i) the footprint of the port of entry; 
(ii) land that is available for use by 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 
the port of entry; and 
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(iii) any geological or environmental 
factors that would affect construction 
timelines or costs; 
(B) the volume and modes of traffic at the 
port of entry, and an estimate of the potential 
impacts of additional large-scale, non-intrusive 
inspection systems being deployed, in terms of 
additional seizures and impacts on transit 
times; and 
(C) an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of 
deploying additional large-scale non-intrusive 
inspection systems at the port of entry. 
SEC. 4. PENALTIES FOR HINDERING IMMIGRATION, BOR-
DER, AND CUSTOMS CONTROLS. 
(a) PERSONNEL AND STRUCTURES.—Chapter 8 of 
title II of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1321 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 274D 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 274E. DESTROYING OR EVADING BORDER CONTROLS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—It shall be unlawful to knowingly 
and without lawful authorization— 
‘‘(1)(A) destroy or significantly damage any 
fence, barrier, sensor, camera, or other physical or 
electronic device deployed by the Federal Govern-
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ment to control an international border of, or a port 
of entry to, the United States; or 
‘‘(B) otherwise construct, excavate, or make 
any structure intended to defeat, circumvent or 
evade such a fence, barrier, sensor camera, or other 
physical or electronic device deployed by the Federal 
Government to control an international border of, or 
a port of entry to, the United States; and 
‘‘(2) in carrying out an act described in para-
graph (1), have the intent to knowingly and will-
fully— 
‘‘(A) secure a financial gain; 
‘‘(B) further the objectives of a criminal 
organization; and 
‘‘(C) violate— 
‘‘(i) section 274(a)(1)(A)(i); 
‘‘(ii) the customs and trade laws of 
the United States (as defined in section 
2(4) of the Trade Facilitation and Trade 
Enforcement Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 
4301(4))); 
‘‘(iii) any other Federal law relating 
to transporting controlled substances, agri-
culture, or monetary instruments into the 
United States; or 
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