IIB 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4482 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
APRIL 14, 2016 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
AN ACT 
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to prepare 
a southwest border threat analysis, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southwest Border Se-
curity Threat Assessment Act of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. SOUTHWEST BORDER THREAT ANALYSIS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home-
land Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland 
Security of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate a southwest border threat analysis that in-
cludes the following: 
(1) An assessment of current and potential ter-
rorism and criminal threats posed by individuals and 
organized groups seeking to— 
(A) unlawfully enter the United States 
through the southwest border; or 
(B) exploit security vulnerabilities along 
the southwest border. 
(2) An assessment of improvements needed at 
and between ports of entry along the southwest bor-
der to prevent terrorists and instruments of terror 
from entering the United States. 
(3) An assessment of gaps in law, policy, and 
coordination between State, local, or tribal law en-
forcement, international agreements, or tribal agree-
ments that hinder effective and efficient border secu-
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rity, counterterrorism, and anti-human smuggling 
and trafficking efforts. 
(4) An assessment of the flow of legitimate 
trade along the southwest border. 
(5) An assessment of the current percentage of 
situational awareness achieved by the Department of 
Homeland Security along the southwest border. 
(6) An assessment of the current percentage of 
operational control (as such term is defined in sec-
tion 2 of the Secure Fence Act of 2006 (8 U.S.C. 
1701 note; Public Law 109–367)) achieved by the 
Department of Homeland Security of the southwest. 
(7) An assessment of impact of trusted traveler 
programs on border wait times and border security. 
(8) An assessment of traveler crossing times 
and any potential security vulnerability associated 
with prolonged wait times. 
(b) ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS.—For the southwest 
border threat analysis required under subsection (a), the 
Secretary of Homeland Security shall consider and exam-
ine the following: 
(1) Technology needs and challenges, including 
such needs and challenges identified as a result of 
previous investments that have not fully realized the 
security and operational benefits that were sought. 
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(2) Personnel needs and challenges, including 
such needs and challenges associated with recruit-
ment and hiring. 
(3) Infrastructure needs and challenges. 
(4) The roles and authorities of State, local, 
and tribal law enforcement in general border secu-
rity activities. 
(5) The status of coordination among Federal, 
State, local, tribal, and Mexican law enforcement en-
tities relating to border security. 
(6) The terrain, population density, and climate 
along the southwest border. 
(7) International agreements between the 
United States and Mexico related to border security. 
(c) CLASSIFIED THREAT ANALYSIS.—To the extent 
possible, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit 
the southwest border threat analysis required under sub-
section (a) in unclassified form. The Secretary may submit 
a portion of such threat analysis in classified form if the 
Secretary determines such is appropriate. 
SEC. 3. BORDER PATROL STRATEGIC PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
submission of the threat analysis required under section 
2 but not later than June 30, 2017, and every five years 
thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting 
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through the Chief of U.S. Border Patrol, shall, in con-
sultation with the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Lib-
erties of the Department of Homeland Security, issue a 
Border Patrol Strategic Plan. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The Border Patrol Strategic Plan 
required under subsection (a) shall include, at a minimum, 
a consideration of the following: 
(1) The southwest border threat analysis re-
quired under section 2, with an emphasis on efforts 
to mitigate threats identified in such threat analysis. 
(2) Efforts to analyze and disseminate border 
security and border threat information between De-
partment of Homeland Security border security com-
ponents and with other appropriate Federal depart-
ments and agencies with missions associated with 
the border. 
(3) Efforts to increase situational awareness, 
including the following: 
(A) Surveillance capabilities, including ca-
pabilities developed or utilized by the Depart-
ment of Defense, and any appropriate tech-
nology determined to be excess by the Depart-
ment of Defense. 
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(B) Use of manned aircraft and unmanned 
aerial systems, including camera and sensor 
technology deployed on such assets. 
(4) Efforts to detect and prevent terrorists and 
instruments of terrorism from entering the United 
States. 
(5) Efforts to detect, interdict, and disrupt 
aliens and illicit drugs at the earliest possible point. 
(6) Efforts to focus intelligence collection to 
disrupt transnational criminal organizations outside 
of the international and maritime borders of the 
United States. 
(7) Efforts to ensure that any new border secu-
rity technology can be operationally integrated with 
existing technologies in use by the Department of 
Homeland Security. 
(8) Technology required to maintain, support, 
and enhance security and facilitate trade at ports of 
entry, including nonintrusive detection equipment, 
radiation detection equipment, biometric technology, 
surveillance systems, and other sensors and tech-
nology that the Secretary of Homeland Security de-
termines necessary. 
(9) Operational coordination unity of effort ini-
tiatives of the border security components of the De-
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partment of Homeland Security, including any rel-
evant task forces of the Department. 
(10) Lessons learned from Operation Jumpstart 
and Operation Phalanx. 
(11) Cooperative agreements and information 
sharing with State, local, tribal, territorial, and 
other Federal law enforcement agencies that have 
jurisdiction on the northern or southern border. 
(12) Border security information received from 
consultation with State, local, tribal, territorial, and 
Federal law enforcement agencies that have jurisdic-
tion on the northern or southern border, or in the 
maritime environment, and from border community 
stakeholders (including through public meetings with 
such stakeholders), including representatives from 
border agricultural and ranching organizations and 
representatives from business and civic organizations 
along the northern or southern border. 
(13) Staffing requirements for all departmental 
border security functions. 
(14) A prioritized list of departmental research 
and development objectives to enhance the security 
of the southwest border. 
(15) An assessment of training programs, in-
cluding training programs regarding the following: 
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(A) Identifying and detecting fraudulent 
documents. 
(B) Understanding the scope of enforce-
ment authorities and the use of force policies. 
(C) Screening, identifying, and addressing 
vulnerable populations, such as children and 
victims of human trafficking. 
(16) An assessment of how border security op-
erations affect crossing times. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) SITUATIONAL AWARENESS.—The term ‘‘sit-
uational awareness’’ means a knowledge and unified 
understanding of unlawful cross-border activity, in-
cluding threats and trends concerning illicit traf-
ficking and unlawful crossings (which may be used 
to forecast future shifts in such threats and trends), 
and the operational capability to conduct continuous 
and integrated surveillance of the international bor-
ders of the United States. 
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(2) SOUTHWEST BORDER.—The term ‘‘south-
west border’’ means the land and maritime borders 
between the United States and Mexico. 
Passed the House of Representatives April 13, 2016. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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