I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1690 
To authorize the Secretary of State to negotiate regional immigration 
agreements, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 22, 2023 
Mr. MCCAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judi-
ciary, 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 authorize the Secretary of State to negotiate regional 
immigration agreements, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Regional Immigration 
Diplomacy and Enforcement Act’’ or the ‘‘RIDE Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY REGARDING WESTERN 
HEMISPHERE COOPERATION ON IMMIGRA-
TION AND ASYLUM. 
It is the policy of the United States to enter into 
agreements, accords, and memoranda of understanding 
with sovereign countries in the Western Hemisphere, the 
purposes of which are to advance the interests of the 
United States by reducing costs associated with illegal im-
migration and to protect the human capital, societal tradi-
tions, and economic growth of other sovereign nations in 
the Western Hemisphere. It is further the policy of the 
United States to ensure that humanitarian and develop-
ment assistance funding aimed at reducing illegal immi-
gration is not expended on programs that have not proven 
to reduce illegal immigrant flows in the aggregate. 
SEC. 3. NEGOTIATIONS BY SECRETARY OF STATE. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION TO NEGOTIATE.—The Secretary 
of State shall seek to negotiate agreements, accords, and 
memoranda of understanding between the United States, 
Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and other 
countries in the Western Hemisphere with respect to co-
operation and burden sharing required for effective re-
gional immigration enforcement, expediting legal claims by 
aliens for asylum, and the processing, detention, and repa-
triation of foreign nationals seeking to enter the United 
States unlawfully. Such agreements shall be designed to 
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facilitate a regional approach to immigration enforcement 
and shall, at a minimum, provide that— 
(1) the Government of Mexico authorize and ac-
cept the rapid entrance into Mexico of nationals of 
countries other than Mexico who seek asylum in 
Mexico, and process the asylum claims of such na-
tionals inside Mexico, in accordance with both do-
mestic law and international treaties and conven-
tions governing the processing of asylum claims; 
(2) the Government of Mexico authorize and ac-
cept both the rapid entrance into Mexico of all na-
tionals of countries other than Mexico who are ineli-
gible for asylum in Mexico and wish to apply for 
asylum in the United States, whether or not at a 
port of entry, and the continued presence of such 
nationals in Mexico while they wait for the adjudica-
tion of their asylum claims to conclude in the United 
States; 
(3) the Government of Mexico commit to pro-
vide the individuals described in paragraphs (1) and 
(2) with appropriate humanitarian protections; 
(4) the Government of Honduras, the Govern-
ment of El Salvador, and the Government of Guate-
mala each authorize and accept the entrance into 
the respective countries of nationals of other coun-
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tries seeking asylum in the applicable such country 
and process such claims in accordance with applica-
ble domestic law and international treaties and con-
ventions governing the processing of asylum claims; 
(5) the Government of the United States com-
mit to work to accelerate the adjudication of asylum 
claims and to conclude removal proceedings in the 
wake of asylum adjudications as expeditiously as 
possible; 
(6) the Government of the United States com-
mit to continue to assist the governments of coun-
tries in the Western Hemisphere, such as the Gov-
ernment of Honduras, the Government of El Sal-
vador, and the Government of Guatemala, by sup-
porting the enhancement of asylum capacity in those 
countries; and 
(7) the Government of United States commit to 
monitoring developments in hemispheric immigration 
trends and regional asylum capabilities to determine 
whether additional asylum cooperation agreements 
are warranted. 
(b) NOTIFICATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH CASE-ZA-
BLOCKI ACT.—The Secretary of State shall, in accordance 
with section 112b of title 1, United States Code, promptly 
inform the relevant congressional committees of all agree-
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ments entered into pursuant to subsection (a). Such notifi-
cations shall be submitted not later than 48 hours after 
such agreements are signed. 
SEC. 4. MANDATORY BRIEFING ON UNITED STATES EF-
FORTS TO ADDRESS THE BORDER CRISIS. 
The Secretary of State or the Secretary’s designee 
shall, not less frequently than every 90 days, brief the rel-
evant congressional committees in person on efforts under-
taken pursuant to the negotiation authority provided by 
section 4 to monitor, deter, and prevent illegal immigra-
tion to the United States, including by entering into agree-
ments, accords, and memoranda of understanding with 
foreign countries and by using United States foreign as-
sistance to allegedly stem the root causes of migration in 
the Western Hemisphere. 
SEC. 5. FEASIBILITY STUDY AND STRATEGY FOR OPENING 
AN 
INTERNATIONAL 
LAW 
ENFORCEMENT 
CENTER IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, acting through 
the Director of the Bureau of Overseas Building Oper-
ations in conjunction with the Assistant Secretary of State 
for Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Ambassador to 
Mexico, in consultation with interagency partners and ap-
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propriate counterparts of the Government of Mexico, 
shall— 
(1) conduct a feasibility study of opening a 
multi-purpose United States International Law En-
forcement Center in southern Mexico to assist in 
United States efforts to facilitate cooperation to 
combat transnational organized crime and drug traf-
ficking organizations, as well as to reduce illegal im-
migration without processing any immigration re-
lated benefits to the United States; and 
(2) submit to the relevant congressional com-
mittees a strategy, including a timeline and expected 
costs, for opening such a Center, incorporating the 
results of the feasibility study. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ALIEN.—The term ‘‘alien’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 101 of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101). 
(2) 
RELEVANT
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘relevant congressional commit-
tees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
Æ 
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