Protecting the Property Rights of Border Landowners Act

Bill: 115-hr-3943
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. O'Rourke, Beto [D-TX-16]
Introduced: 2017-10-04
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration

Land transfers

Latin America

Mexico

Property rights
Latest action: action_date: 2017-10-20
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-10-04
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Protecting the Property Rights of Border Landowners Act</b></p> <p>This bill amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as well as the Department of Justice (DOJ), to acquire by purchase or gift any interest in land near an international border deemed essential to guard U.S. boundaries or borders, and (2) prohibit DHS or DOJ from using condemnation authority to acquire land to construct a wall or other physical barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3943 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 4, 2017 Mr. O'Rourke (for himself, Mr. Gallego , Mr. Grijalva , Mr. Gonzalez of Texas , Mr. Vela , Mr. Cuellar , Mr. Serrano , Mr. Vargas , Mr. Peters , and Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security , and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary , 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 Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney General from using eminent domain to acquire land for the purpose of constructing a wall, or other physical barrier, along the international border between the United States and Mexico, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting the Property Rights of Border Landowners Act . 2. Use of eminent domain to acquire land for purposes of border wall prohibited Section 103(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1103(b) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)— (A) by striking Attorney General may and inserting Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security may ; and (B) by striking the Attorney General deems and inserting the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security, as applicable, deems ; (2) in paragraph (2)— (A) by striking Attorney General may and inserting Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security may ; and (B) by striking the Attorney General considers and inserting the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security, as applicable, considers ; (3) in paragraph (3)— (A) by striking Attorney General and the lawful owner and inserting Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security, as applicable, and the lawful owner ; (B) by striking Attorney General may and inserting Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security, as applicable, may ; and (C) by inserting before the period at the end the following: , except that neither the Attorney General nor the Secretary may commence any such proceedings for the acquisition of any interest in land for the purpose of constructing a wall, or other physical barrier, along the international border between the United States and Mexico ; and (4) in paragraph (4), by striking Attorney General may and inserting Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security may .