(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is amended by insert-
ing after the item relating to section 274D the following: 
‘‘Sec. 274E. Hindering immigration, border, and customs controls.’’. 
SEC. 411. OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OVERSIGHT. 
Not later than six months after enactment of this Act 
and every six months thereafter, the Inspector General of 
the Department of Homeland Security shall report to Con-
gress on the status of efforts to implement sections 403, 
404, and 405 of this Act and findings made after an-
nounced and unannounced inspections to U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection facilities. 
SEC. 412. FATALITY REPORTING. 
(a) QUARTERLY
REPORTING.—The Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall publish information on a quar-
terly basis regarding each death of a person in the custody 
of the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protec-
tion or the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment. 
(b) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually 
thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall sub-
mit to Congress a report that details all instances in which 
an individual in U.S. Customs and Border Protection cus-
tody has died in the prior fiscal year, including during 
transfer to another facility or while being released, as well 
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as all instances in which an individual has died as the re-
sult of an encounter with U.S. Customs and Border Pro-
tection, and the result of any subsequent investigation. 
Such reports shall also detail all instances in which an 
individual, including an individual in the custody of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, has suffered serious inju-
ries requiring hospitalization as a result of the use of force 
by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 
SEC. 413. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF OMBUDS-
MAN FOR BORDER AND IMMIGRATION RE-
LATED CONCERNS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity shall appoint an Ombudsman for Border and Immi-
gration Related Concerns (hereinafter referred to as the 
‘‘Ombudsman’’) who will be independent of Department 
agencies and officers, and report directly to the Secretary. 
The Ombudsman shall have a background in immigration, 
civil rights, and law enforcement. 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the Ombudsman 
shall be to— 
(1) establish an independent, neutral, and con-
fidential process to receive, investigate, resolve, and 
provide redress, including referral for investigation 
to the Office of the Inspector General, referral to 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for immi-
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gration relief, or any other action determined appro-
priate, in cases in which Department officers or em-
ployees, or subcontracted or cooperating entity per-
sonnel, are alleged to have engaged in misconduct or 
violated the rights of individuals, associations, or 
employers; 
(2) establish an accessible and standardized 
complaint process regarding complaints against any 
officer or employee of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection or U.S. Immigration and Customs En-
forcement, or any subcontracted or cooperating enti-
ty personnel, for violations of law or violations of 
standards of professional conduct pertaining to 
interaction with an alien in course of carrying out 
any duty under law; and 
(3) identify and thereafter review, examine, and 
make recommendations to address chronic concerns 
in border security and enforcement activities of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigra-
tion and Customs Enforcement. 
(c) REPORT ON THE IMPACT OF BORDER ENFORCE-
MENT TECHNOLOGIES
AND OPERATIONS
ON BORDER 
COMMUNITIES.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and the 
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Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov-
ernmental Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of 
the Senate a report prepared by the Ombudsman that as-
sesses current technologies used at United States borders, 
and the impact on border communities of such tech-
nologies on civil rights, property rights, privacy rights, and 
civil liberties. 
TITLE 
V—PROMOTING 
EFFI-
CIENT PROCESSING OF ASY-
LUM SEEKERS; ADDRESSING 
IMMIGRATION COURT BACK-
LOGS; 
EFFICIENT 
REPATRI-
ATION 
OF 
MIGRANTS 
OR-
DERED REMOVED. 
SEC. 501. JOINT TASK FORCE TO ADDRESS RISE IN MI-
GRANTS. 
Pursuant to section 708 of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 348), not later than 60 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall establish and operate a depart-
mental Joint Task Force to coordinate border security op-
erations on the southern border of the United States to 
address the rise in asylum seekers and migrants, including 
unaccompanied children, seeking asylum pursuant to sec-
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tion 208 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1158) or other forms of humanitarian protection. 
SEC. 502. INCENTIVIZING APPLICATIONS AT PORTS OF 
ENTRY. 
(a) ACCESS TO PORTS OF ENTRY.—The Commis-
sioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall en-
sure that individuals seeking to apply for asylum or other 
forms of relief under the immigration laws are able to 
make such applications at designated ports of arrival 
along the United States border. The Commissioner of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection may not engage in any 
practice to deny or restrict access to such ports of arrival 
by such individuals. 
(b) MIGRANT PROTECTION PROTOCOLS.—An alien in 
proceedings under section 240 of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act may not be removed, returned, or otherwise 
physically moved outside the United States until the con-
clusion of those proceedings. 
SEC. 503. STREAMLINING INTAKE OF ASYLUM SEEKERS. 
Not later than six months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection shall implement a plan to improve the efficiency 
and accuracy of initial intake processes for all individuals 
in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to 
ensure that those individuals are transferred to the appro-
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entation consistent with program elements described in 
section 604(a)(2). 
SEC. 506. ELIMINATING IMMIGRATION COURT BACKLOGS. 
(a) ADDRESSING
IMMIGRATION
JUDGE
SHORT-
AGES.—The Attorney General shall increase the total 
number of immigration judges by at least 55 judges per 
year for each of fiscal years 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 
2024. 
(b) QUALIFICATION; SELECTION.—The Attorney 
General— 
(1) shall ensure that all newly hired immigra-
tion judges and Board of Immigration Appeals mem-
bers are highly qualified experts on immigration law 
and who are trained to conduct fair, impartial adju-
dications in accordance with applicable due process 
requirements; and 
(2) may not give any preference, in selecting 
immigration judges, to candidates with prior govern-
ment experience compared to equivalent subject-mat-
ter expertise resulting from nonprofit, private bar, or 
academic experience. 
(c) ADDRESSING SUPPORT STAFF SHORTAGES.— 
Subject to the availability of amounts made available in 
advance appropriation Acts, the Attorney General shall 
ensure that each immigration judge has sufficient support 
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staff, adequate technological and security resources, and 
appropriate courtroom facilities. 
(d) ADDITIONAL BOARD OF IMMIGRATION APPEALS 
PERSONNEL.—The Attorney General shall increase the 
number of Board of Immigration Appeals staff attorneys 
(including necessary additional support staff) to efficiently 
process cases by at least 23 attorneys per year for each 
of fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022. 
(e) GAO REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall— 
(1) conduct a study of the impediments to effi-
cient hiring of immigration court judges within the 
Department of Justice; and 
(2) propose solutions to Congress for improving 
the efficiency of the hiring process. 
SEC. 507. IMPROVED TRAINING FOR IMMIGRATION JUDGES 
AND MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF IMMIGRA-
TION APPEALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To ensure efficient and fair pro-
ceedings, the Director of the Executive Office for Immi-
gration Review shall establish or expand (as appropriate) 
training programs for immigration judges and members 
of the Board of Immigration Appeals. 
(b) MANDATORY TRAINING.—Training referred to 
under subsection (a) shall include— 
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(1) expansion of the training program for new 
immigration judges and Board members to include 
age-, gender-, and trauma-sensitivity; 
(2) continuing education regarding current de-
velopments in immigration law, including through 
regularly available training resources and an annual 
conference; and 
(3) training on properly crafting and dictating 
decisions and standards of review, including im-
proved on-bench reference materials and decision 
templates. 
SEC. 508. NEW TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE COURT EFFI-
CIENCY. 
The Director of the Executive Office for Immigration 
Review shall modernize its case management, video-tele-
conferencing, digital audio recording, and related elec-
tronic and computer-based systems, including by allowing 
for electronic filing, to improve efficiency in the processing 
of immigration proceedings. 
SEC. 509. COURT APPEARANCE COMPLIANCE AND LEGAL 
ORIENTATION. 
(a) ACCESS TO LEGAL ORIENTATION PROGRAMS TO 
ENSURE COURT APPEARANCE COMPLIANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, 
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shall establish procedures to ensure that legal ori-
entation programs are available for all aliens de-
tained by the Department of Homeland Security. 
(2) PROGRAM
ELEMENTS.—Programs under 
paragraph (1) shall provide information to aliens re-
garding— 
(A) the basic procedures of immigration 
hearings; 
(B) the rights and obligations of aliens re-
lating to immigration hearings, including the 
consequences of filing frivolous legal claims and 
of failing to appear for proceedings; 
(C) legal protections available to aliens, 
and the procedures for requesting such protec-
tions; 
(D) legal resources available to aliens, and 
lists of potential legal providers; and 
(E) other subjects determined to be appro-
priate and necessary by the Attorney General. 
(3) ELIGIBILITY.—An alien shall be given ac-
cess to legal orientation programs under this sub-
section regardless of the alien’s current immigration 
status, prior immigration history, or potential for 
immigration relief. 
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(b) EXPANSION OF THE INFORMATION HELP DESK 
PROGRAM
FOR NON-DETAINED ALIENS
IN REMOVAL 
PROCEEDINGS.—The Attorney General shall expand the 
information help desk program to all immigration courts 
to provide aliens who are not detained and who have pend-
ing asylum claims access to information related to that 
alien’s immigration status. 
SEC. 510. IMPROVING COURT EFFICIENCY AND REDUCING 
COSTS BY INCREASING ACCESS TO LEGAL IN-
FORMATION. 
(a) APPOINTMENT OF COUNSEL IN CERTAIN CASES; 
RIGHT TO REVIEW CERTAIN DOCUMENTS IN REMOVAL 
PROCEEDINGS.—Section 240(b) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1229a(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘, at no expense to the 
Government,’’; and 
(ii) by striking the comma at the end 
and inserting a semicolon; 
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 
and (C) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respec-
tively; 
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following: 
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