This bill, called the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act, would change many border security and immigration rules. It directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to resume and expand construction of physical barriers along the southern border, build associated roads and tactical infrastructure, and deploy many types of surveillance technology. The bill sets requirements for CBP staffing and equipment, including a target of at least 22,000 full-time equivalent Border Patrol agents and specified flight-hour goals for Air and Marine Operations. It requires plans, staffing models, and regular reports by DHS, CBP, inspectors general, and the Government Accountability Office. The bill also creates or reauthorizes grant programs (for example, Operation Stonegarden) and directs vegetation removal along the Rio Grande.
Division B would change asylum and admission rules. It expands the safe-third-country concept, changes the credible-fear standard to a "more likely than not" test, narrows who is eligible for asylum, adds fees, and limits employment authorization for many asylum applicants. It modifies procedures for unaccompanied children, clarifies family detention standards, raises penalties for visa overstays, and narrows parole authority with new conditions and reporting requirements. The bill also repeals certain H-2A agricultural rulemakings.
The bill text includes several specific authorizations and funding limits:
The bill also identifies programs for which no funds are authorized or that are limited (for example, restrictions on funding for certain DHS programs and a prohibition on additional funds for a new acquisition management section). For many provisions, the bill requires plans, reports, or certifications but does not list a dollar amount in the text.
The bill text states that its purpose is to secure the borders and achieve "situational awareness and operational control" of the southwest border. Provisions and findings in the bill describe goals such as deterring unlawful entry, reducing cross-border criminal activity (including drug and human smuggling), restoring detention capacity, improving CBP staffing and technology, and protecting children from trafficking and exploitation by changing asylum and repatriation rules. The bill includes multiple reporting and planning requirements intended to guide construction, technology investment, and staffing decisions.
No publicly available information.