(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents in 
section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 2009 
the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 2010. Operation Stonegarden.’’. 
SEC. 12. AIR AND MARINE OPERATIONS FLIGHT HOURS. 
(a) AIR AND MARINE OPERATIONS FLIGHT HOURS.— 
Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall ensure that not fewer than 110,000 
annual flight hours are carried out by Air and Marine Op-
erations of CBP. 
(b) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.—The Secretary, 
after coordination with the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration, shall ensure that Air and Marine 
Operations operate unmanned aircraft systems on the 
southern border of the United States for not less than 24 
hours per day. 
(c) PRIMARY MISSIONS.—The Commissioner shall en-
sure the following: 
(1) The primary missions for Air and Marine 
Operations are to directly support the following: 
(A) U.S. Border Patrol activities along the 
borders of the United States. 
(B) Joint Interagency Task Force South 
and Joint Task Force East operations in the 
transit zone. 
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(2) The Executive Assistant Commissioner of Air 
and Marine Operations assigns the greatest priority 
to support missions specified in paragraph (1). 
(d) HIGH DEMAND FLIGHT HOUR REQUIREMENTS.— 
The Commissioner shall— 
(1) ensure that U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chiefs 
identify air support mission-critical hours; and 
(2) direct Air and Marine Operations to support 
requests from such Sector Chiefs as a component of 
the primary mission of Air and Marine Operations 
in accordance with subsection (c)(1)(A). 
(e) CONTRACT AIR SUPPORT AUTHORIZATIONS.—The 
Commissioner shall contract for air support mission-crit-
ical hours to meet the requests for such hours, as identified 
pursuant to subsection (d). 
(f) SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Chief of the U.S. Border 
Patrol shall be the executive agent with respect to the 
use of small unmanned aircraft by CBP for the pur-
poses of the following: 
(A) Meeting the unmet flight hour oper-
ational requirements of the U.S. Border Patrol. 
(B) Achieving situational awareness and 
operational control of the borders of the United 
States. 
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(2) COORDINATION.—In carrying out paragraph 
(1), the Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol shall coordi-
nate— 
(A) flight operations with the Administrator 
of the Federal Aviation Administration to ensure 
the safe and efficient operation of the national 
airspace system; and 
(B) with the Executive Assistant Commis-
sioner for Air and Marine Operations of CBP 
to— 
(i) ensure the safety of other CBP air-
craft flying in the vicinity of small un-
manned aircraft operated by the U.S. Bor-
der Patrol; and 
(ii) establish a process to include data 
from flight hours in the calculation of got 
away statistics. 
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Paragraph (3) 
of section 411(e) of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 211(e)) is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon at the end; 
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
subparagraph (D); and 
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(C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the 
following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) carry out the small unmanned aircraft 
(as such term is defined in section 44801 of title 
49, United States Code) requirements pursuant 
to subsection (f) of section 12 of the Border Rein-
forcement Act of 2023; and’’. 
(g) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section may be 
construed as conferring, transferring, or delegating to the 
Secretary, the Commissioner, the Executive Assistant Com-
missioner for Air and Marine Operations of CBP, or the 
Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol any authority of the Sec-
retary of Transportation or the Administrator of the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration relating to the use of airspace 
or aviation safety. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) GOT AWAY.—The term ‘‘got away’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 1092(a)(3) of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2017 (Public Law 114–328; 6 U.S.C. 223(a)(3)). 
(2) TRANSIT
ZONE.—The term ‘‘transit zone’’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 
1092(a)(8) of the National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 6 U.S.C. 
223(a)(8)). 
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SEC. 13. ERADICATION OF CARRIZO CANE AND SALT CEDAR. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordina-
tion with the heads of relevant Federal, State, and local 
agencies, shall hire contractors to begin eradicating the 
carrizo cane plant and any salt cedar along the Rio Grande 
River that impedes border security operations. Such eradi-
cation shall be completed— 
(1) by not later than September 30, 2027, except 
for required maintenance; and 
(2) in the most expeditious and cost-effective 
manner possible to maintain clear fields of view. 
(b) APPLICATION.—The waiver authority under sub-
section (c) of section 102 of the Illegal Immigration Reform 
and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1103 
note), as amended by section 4 of this Act, shall apply to 
activities carried out pursuant to subsection (a). 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate a strategic plan to 
eradicate all carrizo cane plant and salt cedar along the 
Rio Grande River that impedes border security operations 
by not later than September 30, 2027. 
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(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated $7,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2028 to the Secretary to carry out this 
subsection. 
SEC. 14. BORDER PATROL STRATEGIC PLAN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this section and biennially there-
after, the Commissioner, acting through the Chief of the 
U.S. Border Patrol, shall issue a Border Patrol Strategic 
Plan (referred to in this section as the ‘‘plan’’) to enhance 
the security of the international borders of the United 
States. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The plan shall include the following: 
(1) A consideration of Border Patrol Capability 
Gap Analysis reporting, Border Security Improve-
ment Plans, and any other strategic document au-
thored by the U.S. Border Patrol to address security 
gaps between ports of entry, including efforts to miti-
gate threats identified in such analyses, plans, and 
documents. 
(2) Information relating to the dissemination of 
information relating to border security or border 
threats with respect to the efforts of the Department 
and other appropriate Federal agencies. 
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(3) Information relating to efforts by U.S. Bor-
der Patrol to— 
(A) increase situational awareness, includ-
ing— 
(i) surveillance capabilities, such as 
capabilities developed or utilized by the De-
partment of Defense, and any appropriate 
technology determined to be excess by the 
Department of Defense; and 
(ii) the use of manned aircraft and un-
manned aircraft; 
(B) detect and prevent terrorists and in-
struments of terrorism from entering the United 
States; 
(C) detect, interdict, and disrupt between 
ports of entry aliens unlawfully present in the 
United States; 
(D) detect, interdict, and disrupt human 
smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking, 
and other illicit cross-border activity; 
(E) focus intelligence collection to disrupt 
transnational criminal organizations outside of 
the international and maritime borders of the 
United States; and 
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(F) ensure that any new border security 
technology can be operationally integrated with 
existing technologies in use by the Department. 
(4) Information relating to initiatives of the De-
partment with respect to operational coordination, 
including any relevant task forces of the Department. 
(5) Information gathered from the lessons 
learned by the deployments of the National Guard to 
the southern border of the United States. 
(6) A description of cooperative agreements relat-
ing to information sharing with State, local, Tribal, 
territorial, and other Federal law enforcement agen-
cies that have jurisdiction on the borders of the 
United States. 
(7) Information relating to border security infor-
mation received from the following: 
(A) State, local, Tribal, territorial, and 
other Federal law enforcement agencies that have 
jurisdiction on the borders of the United States 
or in the maritime environment. 
(B) Border community stakeholders, includ-
ing representatives from the following: 
(i) Border agricultural and ranching 
organizations. 
(ii) Business and civic organizations. 
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(iii) Hospitals and rural clinics within 
150 miles of the borders of the United 
States. 
(iv) Victims of crime committed by 
aliens unlawfully present in the United 
States. 
(v) 
Victims 
impacted 
by 
drugs, 
transnational criminal organizations, car-
tels, gangs, or other criminal activity. 
(vi) Farmers, ranchers, and property 
owners along the border. 
(vii) Other individuals negatively im-
pacted by illegal immigration. 
(8) Information relating to the staffing require-
ments with respect to border security for the Depart-
ment. 
(9) A prioritized list of Department research and 
development objectives to enhance the security of the 
borders of the United States. 
(10) An assessment of training programs, in-
cluding such programs relating to the following: 
(A) Identifying and detecting fraudulent 
documents. 
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(B) Understanding the scope of CBP en-
forcement authorities and appropriate use of 
force policies. 
(C) Screening, identifying, and addressing 
vulnerable populations, such as children and vic-
tims of human trafficking. 
SEC. 15. U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION SPIR-
ITUAL READINESS. 
Not later than one year after the enactment of this Act 
and annually thereafter for five years, the Commissioner 
shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report 
on the availability and usage of the assistance of chaplains, 
prayer groups, houses of worship, and other spiritual re-
sources for members of CBP who identify as religiously-af-
filiated and have attempted suicide, have suicidal ideation, 
or are at risk of suicide, and metrics on the impact such 
resources have in assisting religiously-affiliated members 
who have access to and utilize such resources compared to 
religiously-affiliated members who do not. 
SEC. 16. RESTRICTIONS ON FUNDING. 
(a) ARRIVING ALIENS.—No funds are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Department to process the entry into 
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the United States of aliens arriving in between ports of 
entry. 
(b) RESTRICTION ON NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZA-
TION SUPPORT FOR UNLAWFUL ACTIVITY.—No funds are 
authorized to be appropriated to the Department for dis-
bursement to any nongovernmental organization that facili-
tates or encourages unlawful activity, including unlawful 
entry, human trafficking, human smuggling, drug traf-
ficking, and drug smuggling. 
(c) RESTRICTION ON NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZA-
TION FACILITATION OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION.—No funds 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Department for 
disbursement to any nongovernmental organization to pro-
vide, or facilitate the provision of, transportation, lodging, 
or immigration legal services to inadmissible aliens who 
enter the United States after the date of the enactment of 
this Act. 
SEC. 17. COLLECTION OF DNA AND BIOMETRIC INFORMA-
TION AT THE BORDER. 
Not later than 14 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure and certify to the 
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate that CBP is fully com-
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pliant with Federal DNA and biometric collection require-
ments at United States land borders. 
SEC. 18. ERADICATION OF NARCOTIC DRUGS AND FORMU-
LATING EFFECTIVE NEW TOOLS TO ADDRESS 
YEARLY LOSSES OF LIFE; ENSURING TIMELY 
UPDATES TO U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER 
PROTECTION FIELD MANUALS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently 
than triennially thereafter, the Commissioner of U.S. Cus-
toms and Border Protection shall review and update, as 
necessary, the current policies and manuals of the Office 
of Field Operations related to inspections at ports of entry, 
and the U.S. Border Patrol related to inspections between 
ports of entry, to ensure the uniform implementation of in-
spection practices that will effectively respond to techno-
logical and methodological changes designed to disguise un-
lawful activity, such as the smuggling of drugs and humans, 
along the border. 
(b) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 90 
days after each update required under subsection (a), the 
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall 
submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
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mental Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
Senate a report that summarizes any policy and manual 
changes pursuant to subsection (a). 
SEC. 19. PUBLICATION BY U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PRO-
TECTION OF OPERATIONAL STATISTICS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than the seventh day of 
each month beginning with the second full month after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection shall publish on a publicly 
available website of the Department of Homeland Security 
information relating to the total number of alien encounters 
and nationalities, unique alien encounters and nationali-
ties, gang affiliated apprehensions and nationalities, drug 
seizures, alien encounters included in the terrorist screening 
database and nationalities, arrests of criminal aliens or in-
dividuals wanted by law enforcement and nationalities, 
known got aways, encounters with deceased aliens, and all 
other related or associated statistics recorded by U.S. Cus-
toms and Border Protection during the immediately pre-
ceding month. Each such publication shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(1) The aggregate such number, and such num-
ber disaggregated by geographic regions, of such re-
cordings and encounters, including specifications re-
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lating to whether such recordings and encounters were 
at the southwest, northern, or maritime border. 
(2) An identification of the Office of Field Oper-
ations field office, U.S. Border Patrol sector, or Air 
and Marine Operations branch making each record-
ing or encounter. 
(3) Information relating to whether each record-
ing or encounter of an alien was of a single adult, an 
unaccompanied alien child, or an individual in a 
family unit. 
(4) Information relating to the processing dis-
position of each alien recording or encounter. 
(5) Information relating to the nationality of 
each alien who is the subject of each recording or en-
counter. 
(6) The total number of individuals included in 
the terrorist screening database (as such term is de-
fined in section 2101 of the Homeland Security Act 
of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 621)) who have repeatedly at-
tempted to cross unlawfully into the United States. 
(7) The total number of individuals included in 
the terrorist screening database who have been appre-
hended, including information relating to whether 
such individuals were released into the United States 
or removed. 
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(b) EXCEPTIONS.—If the Commissioner of U.S. Cus-
toms and Border Protection in any month does not publish 
the information required under subsection (a), or does not 
publish such information by the date specified in such sub-
section, the Commissioner shall brief the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af-
fairs of the Senate regarding the reason relating thereto, 
as the case may be, by not later than the date that is two 
business days after the tenth day of such month. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ALIEN ENCOUNTERS.—The term ‘‘alien en-
counters’’ means aliens apprehended, determined in-
admissible, or processed for removal by U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection. 
(2) GOT AWAY.—The term ‘‘got away’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 1092(a) of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2017 (6 U.S.C. 223(a)). 
(3) TERRORIST
SCREENING
DATABASE.—The 
term ‘‘terrorist screening database’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 2101 of the Homeland Se-
curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 621). 
(4) UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHILD.—The term 
‘‘unaccompanied alien child’’ has the meaning given 
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such term in section 462(g) of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g)). 
SEC. 20. ALIEN CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECKS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than seven days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Commissioner shall 
certify to the Committee on Homeland Security and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
Senate that CBP has real-time access to the criminal his-
tory databases of all countries of origin and transit for 
aliens encountered by CBP to perform criminal history 
background checks for such aliens. 
(b) STANDARDS.—The certification required under 
subsection (a) shall also include a determination whether 
the criminal history databases of a country are accurate, 
up to date, digitized, searchable, and otherwise meet the 
standards of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for crimi-
nal history databases maintained by State and local gov-
ernments. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.—The Secretary shall annually 
submit to the Committee on Homeland Security and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
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