Title: Southwest Tourism Expansion Act
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Southwest Tourism Expansion Act
This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to waive the requirement to issue arrival-departure cards to certain Mexican nationals. Specifically, the waiver shall apply to a Mexican national who is (1) eligible for nonimmigrant admission into the United States, (2) exempt from visa and passport requirements or certain existing (and generally more limited) arrival-departure card requirements, and (3) admitted at a port of entry in Arizona on the U.S.-Mexico border for visiting Arizona for up to 30 days.
The waiver program shall be in effect for five years. Before the program expires, DHS shall report to Congress on issues including (1) the estimated economic impact of the program, and (2) the number of Mexican nationals who overstayed their visa in Arizona during the first four years in which the program was in effect.


[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5405 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5405

 To establish a pilot program waiving the Form I-94 document issuance 
               requirement for certain Mexican nationals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2019

 Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. Schweikert) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, 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 establish a pilot program waiving the Form I-94 document issuance 
               requirement for certain Mexican nationals.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Southwest Tourism Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. TEMPORARY WAIVER OF FORM I-94 BORDER CROSSING CARDS AND 
              EXTENSION FOR CERTAIN MEXICAN NATIONALS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall waive the 
requirement to issue a Arrival-Departure Record Card (commonly known as 
``Form I-94'') as evidence of admission to the United States for any 
national of Mexico who--
            (1) is eligible for admission to the United States as a 
        nonimmigrant;
            (2) is exempt from--
                    (A) the visa and passport requirement pursuant to 
                section 212.1(c)(1)(i) of title 8, Code of Federal 
                Regulations; or
                    (B) the Form I-94 requirement under section 
                235.1(h) of such title; and
            (3) is admitted at a port of entry in the State of Arizona 
        that is on the international border between the United States 
        and Mexico for the purpose of visiting the State of Arizona for 
        a period not to exceed 30 days.
    (b) Sunset.--This section shall remain in effect during the 5-year 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 3. REPORT.

    Not later than 270 days before the end of the 5-year period 
referred to in section 2(b), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
submit a report to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, 
the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, and 
the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives that 
identifies--
            (1) the difference between the number of Mexican nationals 
        who entered the United States at a port of entry in the State 
        of Arizona during the first 4 years of the 5-year period 
        referred to in section 2(b) and the number of such entries 
        during such 4-year period;
            (2) the estimated economic impact on Arizona generated by 
        the additional Mexican nationals visiting the State;
            (3) the difference between the number of Mexican nationals 
        who overstayed their visa after entering the United States 
        through a port of entry in the State of Arizona during the 
        first 4 years of the 5-year period referred to in section 2(b) 
        and the number of such overstays during such 4-year period; and
            (4) the improvements to border security and the cost 
        savings realized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as a 
        result of the waiver under section 2(a), which reduced the 
        number of personnel needed to process Form I-94 documents and 
        using a portion of such savings to enhance law enforcement 
        functions.
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