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• Border Security: Barriers and Technology. Authorizes $25 billion, available in
segments until fiscal year (FY) 2031, to complete “an impenetrable border infrastructure
system.” This system would include physical barriers and barrier levees. It would also
include associated detection technology, roads, lighting, and technology to fully secure the
border.
o The bill includes several provisions related to border infrastructure and
technology, including investing in tunnel task forces, nonintrusive inspection
operations, use of an electromagnetic spectrum, and more. It also updates current
law to explicitly authorize the construction of physical barriers and barrier levees.
• Ports of Entry. Authorizes $10 billion over fiscal years (FYs) 2024 to 2028, or $2 billion
each year, for improvements, including the construction of new ports or modernization
and expansion of current ports as needed.
o Within five years, DHS must expand vehicle, cargo, and pedestrian inspection
lanes at ports of entry.
• Personnel. The bill requires CBP to hire, train, and maintain by September 30, 2025 a
minimum staffing level of 22,478 Border Patrol agents, 27,725 Office of Field Operations
(OFO) officers at ports of entry, and 1,200 CBP processing coordinators.
o The bill authorizes recruitment and retention bonuses, as well as special pay for
personnel assigned to remote and hard-to fill locations. It also increases the
minimum pay for Border Patrol agents at the GS-12 level by at least 14 percent.
• Biometric Exit. The bill directs DHS to implement a biometric exit data system at all air,
land, and sea ports within five years. It authorizes $100 million in funding.
• Operation Stonegarden. Under the bill, this grant program is funded at $110 million
for fiscal years (FYs) 2024 to 2028, up from $90 in FY 2023. The grant provides funds to
state, county, tribal, and other entities near the border to help enhance border security.
The bill establishes an Immigration Infrastructure Fund, which would be used to pay for the
new infrastructure, personnel, and others costs associated with the bill. Under the bill, a fee of 1.5
percent would be levied from the income of individuals provided work authorization under the
Dignity Program (described in Division B). That money would then be deposited into the
immigration infrastructure fund.
Asylum Reform
The bill would reform the U.S. asylum system to adjudicate most asylum claims made at the
border via an asylum officer within 60 days and prevent the release of most individuals from
custody while they wait for a final determination on their claim.
• Establish Five Humanitarian Campuses. The bill would create five humanitarian
campuses (HC’s) managed by CBP along the southern border. Migrants would be held in
these facilities. Asylum officers would conduct asylum interviews and make final
determinations on these campuses. Migrants would have access to medical staff, licensed
social workers, mental health professionals, child advocates, and private organizations
that provide humanitarian assistance and legal counsel.