According to a committee fact sheet, the bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to restart construction of border barriers, using funds already set aside by Congress for that purpose in prior years. Congress appropriated some funds for border wall construction during the Trump administration, but President Joe Biden halted construction via executive order shortly after taking office.
The bill would also ramp up hiring of Border Patrol agents, with a goal to have 22,000. Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Troy Miller told congressional appropriators last week that the agency currently has about 19,000 Border Patrol agents.
The draft bill would prevent the agency from allowing migrants to schedule appointments at the border to make asylum claims via the CBP One app, which was recently expanded for that purpose. The bill would permit the app to be used “only for inspection of perishable cargo.”
Other provisions aim to boost retention of Border Patrol agents and modernize surveillance technology.
The bill would require DHS to submit a report to Congress on whether certain Mexican cartels should be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican on the Homeland Security Committee who has raised concerns about his party’s border security proposals, has identified this issue as a priority for him.
