Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-1358
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2021-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Arizona
Assault and harassment offenses
Border security and unlawful immigration
California
Census and government statistics
Charitable contributions
Child health
Child safety and welfare
Congressional oversight
Crime prevention
Crimes against children
Criminal justice information and records
Department of Homeland Security
Detention of persons
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Domestic violence and child abuse
Due process and equal protection
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Employee hiring
Foreign aid and international relief
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health personnel
Health promotion and preventive care
Human trafficking
Immigrant health and welfare
Immigration status and procedures
Infectious and parasitic diseases
International law and treaties
Judicial procedure and administration
Latin America
Lawyers and legal services
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Mental health
Mexico
New Mexico
Performance measurement
Public contracts and procurement
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Sex offenses
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Specialized courts
Texas
Transportation safety and security
Violent crime
Women's health
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-22
text: 

Bipartisan Border Solutions Act of 2021

 
This bill establishes regional processing centers for conducting immigration-related activities and addresses other related issues.
 
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall establish at least four regional processing centers along the southern border in high-traffic Border Patrol sectors. These centers shall conduct processing activities such as criminal history checks, medical screenings, asylum interviews and credible fear determinations, and short-term detention of individuals. 
 
The bill imposes various requirements, such as requiring the centers to (1) allow nongovernmental entities access to detained individuals to provide humanitarian or legal assistance, and (2) provide detained aliens access to legal counsel for certain asylum proceedings. 
 
The bill also requires DHS and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to develop pilot programs to improve asylum decisions, credible fear determinations, access to counsel, and case management of aliens awaiting asylum hearings or decisions.
 
DOJ shall, to the greatest extent practicable, prioritize removal cases involving aliens apprehended while entering the United States during an irregular migration influx. 
 
Before placing an unaccompanied alien child with an individual, the Department of Health and Human Services must conduct a criminal background check of each adult member of that individual's household. An alien child may not be placed in a household where an individual has been convicted of certain crimes, including offenses involving sex or domestic violence. 
 
The bill also makes it a crime to make a materially false statement or knowingly use a false document to obtain custody of an unaccompanied alien child. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2173-2175)
action_date: 2021-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate