Build up Illegal Line Defenses with Assets Lawfully Lifted Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-1067
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5]
Introduced: 2017-02-15
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration

Civil actions and liability

Congressional oversight

Currency

Department of Justice

Drug trafficking and controlled substances

Executive agency funding and structure

Fraud offenses and financial crimes

Government studies and investigations

Latin America

Mexico

Smuggling and trafficking
Latest action: action_date: 2017-03-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-02-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Build up Illegal Line Defenses with Assets Lawfully Lifted Act of 2017</b></p> <p>This bill amends the federal judicial code to require the Department of Justice to: (1) report annually on the total amount of funds deposited into the Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Fund that are derived from Mexican cartels, and (2) study how to derive more such funds from Mexican cartels.</p> <p>50% of the funds derived from Mexican cartels must be made available to construct physical barriers and roads to deter illegal border crossings into the United States.</p> <p>Additionally, the bill amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the release of seized currency or contraband that belongs to or supports a foreign, illegal trafficking organization while a civil forfeiture action is pending.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1067 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 15, 2017 Mr. Sensenbrenner introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend section 524(c) of title 18, United States Code, to use lawfully forfeited drug seizures to increase border security.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Build up Illegal Line Defenses with Assets Lawfully Lifted Act of 2017 . 2. Reservation of portion of forfeits in the Department of Justice Civil Asset Forfeiture Fund for building a physical barrier or advanced technology to prevent illegal entry over our southern border Section 524(c) of title 28, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting , except as provided in paragraph (12), before be available to the Attorney General ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (12) (A) Not later than on December 1 of each year, the Attorney General shall report to Congress the total of any funds in the Fund as of October 1 which are derived from Mexican cartels. (B) The Attorney General shall conduct an ongoing study with a view to deriving more funds than have historically been the case for the Fund from Mexican cartels. The Attorney General shall report from time to time to Congress any suggestions found through the study. The first such report shall be transmitted not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this paragraph. (C) An amount equal to 50 percent of the total reported under subsection (a) shall be made available without fiscal year limitation to install additional physical barriers and roads (including the removal of obstacles to detection of illegal entrants) in the vicinity of the United States border to deter illegal crossings in areas of high illegal entry into the United States. . 3. Limitation on release of property Section 983(f)(8) of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking or at the end of subparagraph (C); (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (D) and inserting ; or ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (E) is currency or contraband likely to belong to or used in support of a foreign, illegal trafficking organization. .