Secure Borders Act

Bill: 108-hr-5130
Sponsor: Rep. Turner, Jim [D-TX-2]
Introduced: 2004-09-23 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative fees
Administrative procedure
Admission of nonimmigrants
Aerial photography
Air travel
Alien labor
Aliens
Americans in foreign countries
Animals
Arizona
Armed Forces and National Security
Arrest
Bicycles
Border patrols
Boundaries
Canada
Computer matching
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Conspiracy
Containerization
Cost accounting
Criminal aliens
Criminal investigation
Criminal justice information
Customs administration
Data banks
Department of Homeland Security
Deportation
Detention of persons
Diplomats
Dogs
Driver licenses
Drone aircraft
Drug abuse
Drug law enforcement
EBB Terrorism
Economic impact statements
Economics and Public Finance
Electronic data interchange
Electronic government information
Electronic surveillance
Embassies
Emergency medicine
Employee training
Environmental Protection
Executive reorganization
Explosives
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to law enforcement
Federal employees
Federal law enforcement officers
Federal-Indian relations
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Fines (Penalties)
Fingerprints
Fire fighters
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Foreign service
Fraud
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Government statistics
Government trust funds
Governmental investigations
Grants-in-aid
Health
Homicide
Identification devices
Identification of criminals
Illegal aliens
Immigrants
Immigration
Indian lands
Indian law enforcement
Information technology
Informers
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Intermodal transportation
International Affairs
Judges
Labor and Employment
Laboratories
Language and languages
Larceny
Latin America
Law
Mass rapid transit
Mexico
Minorities
Native Americans
Nuclear terrorism
Ombudsman
Paramedical personnel
Passports
Pedestrians
Planning
Police
Police training
Prison alternatives
Prisoners
Prosecution
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Public prosecutors
Public service advertising
Radar
Radiation
Recruiting of employees
Remote sensing
Reprogramming of appropriated funds
Research and development
Risk
Salaries
Science, Technology, Communications
Security clearances
Security measures
Sentencing guidelines
Signs and symbols
Smuggling
Space activities
Spanish language
Standards
Technological innovations
Technology assessment
Terrorism
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation safety
Transportation workers
Travel
Treaties
Truck drivers
Virgin Islands
Visas
Weapons of mass destruction
Witnesses

Summary:
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: 
Secure Borders Act - Establishes the Land Border Infrastructure Improvement Fund.
 
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to conduct a vulnerability assessment of land ports of entry (POEs).
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) make permanent specified pre-enrollment programs that allow expedited inspections at POEs for participants; (2) develop a comprehensive plan to deploy technological surveillance systems along U.S. borders; (3) increase the number of K-9 units working within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); (4) ensure that radiation portal monitors are installed at all southern border POEs no later than September 30, 2005; (5) contract with an independent entity to study the necessary allocation of personnel at POEs and Border Patrol sectors; and (6) provide ongoing training for inspectors. 
 
Requires the Commissioner of Customs to submit a report to Congress on the One Face at the Border Initiative (a Department of Homeland Security [DHS] initiative that unifies customs, immigration, and agricultural inspection functions by cross-training CBP personnel) that addresses: (1) the effectiveness of the initiative in enhancing security and facilitating trade; (2) the number of CBP personnel who worked for the former Customs Service or the former Immigration and Naturalization Service before the DHS was established and the number hired after its establishment; (3) training time provided to each employee for initiative components; (4) steps taken by CBP to ensure that expertise is retained with regard to customs, immigration, and agriculture inspection functions under the initiative; and (5) whether the missions of customs, agriculture, and immigration are equally emphasized. Requires the Comptroller General to review such reports and report on the effectiveness of the initiative.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit unclassified and classified versions of a comprehensive border security strategy; (2) integrate the IDENT and IAFIS databases; and (3) make interoperable those databases used by inspectors in secondary inspections.
 
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create the positions of Northern Border Coordinator and Southern Border Coordinator within the DHS's Directorate of Border and Transportation Security.
 
Requires the President to submit information regarding progress toward implementation of the Smart Border Accords.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that Mexicans and Canadians should be treated with parity in establishing periods of lawful admission. 
 
States that, once the entry-exit data system required by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is fully implemented, the period of admission for aliens holding border crossing cards shall be six months.
 
Requires the Secretary to create an Office of US-VISIT Outreach to inform local border officials, residents, and businesses about developments in the US-VISIT program.
 
Amends the Immigration and Naturalization Service Data Management Improvement Act of 2000 to reconstitute the integrated entry-exit system task force.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure implementation of electronic arrival/departure records no later than December 1, 2005; (2) report on the development and distribution of a transportation worker identification card; and (3) establish standards and verification procedures for the security of intermodal cargo containers.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress regarding the need for additional staff for the U.S. Consulate-General in Mexico.
 
Establishes the Office of Tribal Security within DHS.
 
Requires the Secretary to transfer the CBP Customs Patrol Officers unit operating on the Tohono O'odham Indian reservation (known as the Shadow Wolves) to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
 
Requires development and implementation of State identification document standards as a prerequisite for the acceptance of such documents by Federal agencies. Requires the Secretary to make grants to assist States and localities in issuing documents that meet those standards.
 
Authorizes appropriations for an increase in staff and detention space for ICE.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) immigration cases involving incarcerated criminal aliens should be processed while the alien is in prison; and (2) appropriations should be authorized for staff increases for judicial and prosecutorial offices to better enforce immigration laws.
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new subclass in the S (witness or informant) nonimmigrant visa category for certain aliens in possession of critical reliable information regarding commercial alien smuggling organizations or enterprises. Provides for adjustment of status for such nonimmigrants.
 
Imposes increased penalties for, and establishes a rewards program to combat, aggravated alien smuggling. Requires the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) to promulgate sentencing guidelines that reflect enhanced sentences and fines for alien smuggling. 
 
Amends the Federal criminal code to enhance penalties for smuggling merchandise into the United States. Requires the USSC to amend sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for merchandise smuggling that results in a death.
 
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create an Office of Overseas Service within DHS's Office of International Affairs.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) report on implementation of prior recommendations regarding visa security; (2) establish an electronic advance passenger screening system for visa waiver program (VWP) participants as part of an integrated entry-exit system; (3) create a VWP Office; and (4) provide fraud detection and foreign language training for inspectors inspecting VWP aliens.
 
Requires the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Ombudsman to launch a public information campaign and to establish an advisory group that provides private sector input.
 
Directs the Comptroller General to assess CIS and report findings to the Secretary, the Secretary of State, and appropriate congressional committees.
 
Requires the Secretary to study biometric identifiers that might be used for immigration benefit applications and petitions. Requires all fingerprints taken for adjudicating such applications or petitions to be digitized, and all such applications or petitions to be registered using a biometric identifier, no later than January 1, 2005.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-11-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims.
action_date: 2004-10-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
action_date: 2004-10-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Border Security.
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and Homeland Security (Select), 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.
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and Homeland Security (Select), 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.
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and Homeland Security (Select), 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.
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and Homeland Security (Select), 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.
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Ways and Means, and Homeland Security (Select), 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.
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2004-09-23
text: Introduced in House