I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2955
To amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility
Act of 1996 to clarify and improve the requirements for the development
of an automated entry-exit control system, to enhance land border control
and enforcement, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 8, 1997
Mr. LAFALCE (for himself, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. HOUGHTON,
Mr. QUINN, Mr. BEREUTER, Ms. FURSE, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. PETERSON
of Minnesota, and Mr. WALSH) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, 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 amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996 to clarify and improve the
requirements for the development of an automated entry-
exit control system, to enhance land border control and
enforcement, 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 ‘‘Border Improvement
and Immigration Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENT OF THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION RE-
FORM AND IMMIGRANT RESPONSIBILITY ACT
OF 1996.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 110(a) of the Illegal Im-
migration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of
1996 (8 U.S.C. 1221 note) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(a) SYSTEM.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2),
not later than 2 years after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Attorney General shall develop
an automated entry and exit control system that
will—
‘‘(A) collect a record of departure for every
alien departing the United States and match
the record of departure with the record of the
alien’s arrival in the United States; and
‘‘(B) enable the Attorney General to iden-
tify, through on-line searching procedures, law-
fully admitted nonimmigrants who remain in
the United States beyond the period authorized
by the Attorney General.
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—The system under para-
graph (1) shall not collect a record of arrival or de-
parture—
‘‘(A) at a land border of the United States
for any alien;
‘‘(B) for any alien lawfully admitted to the
United States for permanent residence; or
‘‘(C) for any alien for whom the documen-
tary requirements in section 212(a)(7)(B) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act have been
waived by the Attorney General and the Sec-
retary of State under section 212(d)(4)(B) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by
subsection (a) shall take effect as if included in the enact-
ment of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant
Responsibility Act of 1996 (division C of Public Law 104–
208; 110 Stat. 3009–546).
SEC. 3. REPORT.
(a) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than two years after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General
shall submit a report to the Committees on the Judiciary
of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the
feasibility of developing and implementing an automated
entry-exit control system that would collect a record of de-
parture for every alien departing the United States and
match the record of departure with the record of the
alien’s arrival in the United States, including departures
and arrivals at the land borders of the United States.
(b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Such report shall—
(1) assess the costs and feasibility of various
means of operating such an automated entry-exit
control system, including exploring—
(A) how, if the automated entry-exit con-
trol system were limited to certain aliens arriv-
ing at airports, departure records of those
aliens could be collected when they depart
through a land border or seaport; and
(B) the feasibility of the Attorney General,
in consultation with the Secretary of State, ne-
gotiating reciprocal agreements with the gov-
ernments of contiguous countries to collect such
information on behalf of the United States and
share it in an acceptable automated format;
(2) consider the various means of developing
such a system, including the use of pilot projects if
appropriate, and assess which means would be most
appropriate in which geographical regions;
(3) evaluate how such a system could be imple-
mented without increasing border traffic congestion
and border crossing delays and, if any such system
would increase border crossing delays, evaluate to
what extent such congestion or delays would in-
crease; and
(4) estimate the length of time that would be
required for any such system to be developed and
implemented.
SEC. 4. INCREASED RESOURCES FOR BORDER CONTROL
AND ENFORCEMENT.
(a) INCREASED NUMBER OF INS INSPECTORS AT
THE LAND BORDERS.—The Attorney General in each of
fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000 shall increase by not
less than 300 the number of full-time inspectors assigned
to active duty at the land borders of the United States
by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, above the
number of such positions for which funds were made avail-
able for the preceding fiscal year. Not less than one-half
of the inspectors added under the preceding sentence in
each fiscal year shall be assigned to the northern border
of the United States.
(b) INCREASED NUMBER OF CUSTOMS INSPECTORS
AT THE LAND BORDERS.—The Secretary of the Treasury
in each of fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000 shall increase
by not less than 150 the number of full-time inspectors
assigned to active duty at the land borders of the United
States by the Customs Service, above the number of such
positions for which funds were made available for the pre-
ceding fiscal year. Not less than one-half of the inspectors
added under the preceding sentence in each fiscal year
shall be assigned to the northern border of the United
States.
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