II 
Calendar No. 724 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6439 
[Report No. 115–419] 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 5, 2018 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
DECEMBER 5, 2018 
Reported by Mr. JOHNSON, with amendments 
[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 
AN ACT 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish 
in the Department of Homeland Security the Biometric 
Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program, 
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 ‘‘Biometric Identifica-
tion Transnational Migration Alert Program Authoriza-
tion Act of 2018’’. 
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SEC. 2. BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION TRANSNATIONAL MI-
GRATION ALERT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle D of title IV of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 251 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 447. BIOMETRIC IDENTIFICATION TRANSNATIONAL 
MIGRATION ALERT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Department a program to be known as the Biometric 
Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (re-
ferred to in this section as ‘BITMAP’) to address and re-
duce national security, border security, and terrorist 
threats before such threats reach the international border 
of the United States. 
‘‘(b) DUTIES.—In carrying out BITMAP operations, 
the Secretary, acting through the Director of U.S. Immi-
gration and Customs Enforcement, shall— 
‘‘(1) coordinate, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of State, appropriate representatives of for-
eign governments, and the heads of other Federal 
agencies, as appropriate, to facilitate the voluntary 
sharing of biometric and biographic information col-
lected from foreign nationals for the purpose of iden-
tifying and screening such nationals to identify those 
nationals who may pose a terrorist threat or a threat 
to national security or border security; 
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‘‘(2) provide capabilities, including training and 
equipment, to partner countries to voluntarily collect 
biometric and biographic identification data from in-
dividuals to identify, prevent, detect, and interdict 
high risk individuals identified as national security, 
border security, or terrorist threats who may at-
tempt to enter the United States utilizing illicit 
pathways; 
‘‘(3) provide capabilities, including training and 
equipment, to partner countries to compare foreign 
data against appropriate United States national se-
curity, border security, terrorist, immigration, and 
counter-terrorism data, including— 
‘‘(A) the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 
Terrorist Screening Database, or successor 
database; 
‘‘(B) the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 
Next Generation Identification database, or suc-
cessor database; 
‘‘(C) the Department of Defense Auto-
mated Biometric Identification System (com-
monly known as ‘ABIS’), or successor database; 
‘‘(D) the Department’s Automated Biomet-
ric Identification System (commonly known as 
‘IDENT’), or successor database; and 
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‘‘(E) any other database, notice, or means 
that the Secretary, in consultation with the 
heads of other Federal departments and agen-
cies responsible for such databases, notices, or 
means, designates; and 
‘‘(4) provide partner countries with training, 
guidance, and best practices recommendations regard-
ing the enrollment of individuals in BITMAP; and 
‘‘(4)(5) ensure biometric and biographic identi-
fication data collected pursuant to BITMAP are in-
corporated into appropriate United States Govern-
ment databases, in compliance with the policies and 
procedures established by the Privacy Officer ap-
pointed under section 222. 
‘‘(c) COLLABORATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that BITMAP operations include participation from rel-
evant components of the Department, and request partici-
pation from other Federal agencies, as appropriate. 
‘‘(d) AGREEMENTS.—Before carrying out BITMAP 
operations in a foreign country that, as of the date of the 
enactment of this section, was not a partner country de-
scribed in this section, the Secretary, in consultation with 
the Secretary of State, shall enter into agreement or ar-
rangement with the government of such country that sets 
forth program goals for such country, includes training, 
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guidance, and best practices recommendations regarding 
the enrollment of individuals in BITMAP, and outlines 
such operations in such country, including related depart-
mental operations. Such country shall be a partner coun-
try described in this section pursuant to and for purposes 
of such agreement or arrangement. 
‘‘(e) NOTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
60 days before an agreement with the government of a 
foreign country to carry out BITMAP operations in such 
foreign country enters into force, the Secretary shall pro-
vide the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate with a copy 
of the agreement to establish such operations, which shall 
include— 
‘‘(1) the identification of the foreign country 
with which the Secretary intends to enter into such 
an agreement; 
‘‘(2) the location at which such operations will 
be conducted; and 
‘‘(3) goals for BITMAP operations in the foreign 
country; and 
‘‘(3)(4) the terms and conditions for Depart-
ment personnel operating at such location. ’’. 
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‘‘(f) CAPTURED INFORMATION
OF UNITED STATES 
CITIZENS.—The Secretary shall ensure that any biometric 
and biographic identification data of United States citizens 
that is captured by BITMAP operations is expunged from 
all databases to which such data was uploaded, unless the 
information is retained for specific law enforcement or in-
telligence purposes.’’. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
on which the Biometric Identification Transnational Mi-
gration Alert Program (BITMAP) is established under 
section 447 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (as 
added by subsection (a) of this section) and annually 
thereafter for the following five years, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security 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 that details the effectiveness 
of BITMAP operations in enhancing national security, 
border security, and counterterrorism operations. that— 
(1) outlines the strategic goals and operational 
plans for BITMAP; 
(2) outlines key efforts and the progress made 
with each partner country; 
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(3) provides a description of the agreement or 
arrangement with the government of each partner 
country, if practicable; 
(4) provides budget information related to ex-
penditures in support of BITMAP, including the 
source of funding and the anticipated expenditures; 
(5) sets forth the department personnel, equip-
ment, and infrastructure support to be used by 
BITMAP, broken down by country and number; 
(6) includes the number of individuals each part-
ner country enrolled into BITMAP during the report-
ing period, broken down by key categories, as deter-
mined by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment; 
(7) includes the training, guidance, and best 
practices recommendations provided pursuant to sec-
tion 447(b)(4) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, 
as added by subsection (a); 
(8) includes a review of the redress process for 
BITMAP; and 
(9) details the effectiveness of BITMAP oper-
ations in enhancing national security, border secu-
rity, and counterterrorism operations. 
(c) BRIEFINGS.—Shortly after each report is submitted 
pursuant to subsection (b), the Secretary of Homeland Se-
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curity shall brief the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives regard-
ing— 
(1) individuals enrolled in BITMAP who have 
been apprehended at the United States border or in 
the interior of the United States; and 
(2) asylum claims that were submitted by indi-
viduals who are enrolled in BITMAP; 
(d) GAO AUDIT.—Not later than 6 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and every 3 years there-
after, the Comptroller General of the United States shall— 
(1) conduct an audit that analyzes the effective-
ness of BITMAP operations; and 
(2) submit a report containing the results of such 
audit to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security of the House of Rep-
resentatives. 
(e) SUNSET.—Section 447 of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a) shall be repealed 
on the date that is 6 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(c)(f) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 
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2002 is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 446 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 447. Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program.’’. 
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Calendar No. 724 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6439 
[Report No. 115–419] 
AN ACT 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
establish in the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity the Biometric Identification Transnational 
Migration Alert Program, and for other pur-
poses. 
DECEMBER 5, 2018 
Reported with amendments 
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