S.Amdt. 2297

SA 2297. Ms. HASSAN (for herself and Mr. Lankford) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4638, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle B of title X, add the following:

SECTION 1014. ENHANCING SOUTHBOUND INSPECTIONS TO COMBAT
CARTELS.

(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act''.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives;
(E) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Southern border.--The term ``Southern Border'' means
the international land border between the United States and
Mexico.
(c) Additional Inspection Equipment and Infrastructure.--
(1) Imaging systems.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection is authorized--
(A) to purchase up to 50 additional non-intrusive imaging
systems; and
(B) to procure additional associated supporting
infrastructure.
(2) Deployment.--The systems and infrastructure purchased
or otherwise procured pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
deployed along the Southern Border for the primary purpose of
inspecting any persons, conveyances, or modes of
transportation traveling from the United States to Mexico.
(3) Alternative equipment.--The Commissioner of U.S.
Customs and Border Protection is authorized to procure
additional infrastructure or alternative inspection equipment
that the Commissioner deems necessary for the purpose of
inspecting any persons, conveyances, or modes of
transportation traveling from the United States to Mexico.
(4) Sunset.--Paragraphs (1) and (3) shall cease to have
force and effect beginning on the date that is 5 years after
the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Additional Homeland Security Investigations Personnel
for Investigations of Southbound Smuggling.--
(1) HSI special agents.--The Director of U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement shall hire, train, and assign--
(A) not fewer than 100 new Homeland Security Investigations
special agents to primarily assist with investigations
involving the smuggling of currency and firearms from the
United States to Mexico; and
(B) not fewer than 100 new Homeland Security Investigations
special agents to assist with investigations involving the
smuggling of contraband, human trafficking and smuggling
(including that of children), drug smuggling, and
unauthorized entry into the United States from Mexico.
(2) Support staff.--The Director is authorized to hire,
train, and assign such additional support staff as may be
necessary to support the functions carried out by the special
agents hired pursuant to paragraph (1).
(e) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security
shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional
committees that--
(A) identifies the resources provided, including equipment,
personnel, and infrastructure, and the annual budget to carry
out outbound and inbound inspections, including, to the
extent practicable, resources specifically used for
inspections of any individuals and modes of transportation--
(i) from the United States to Mexico or to Canada; and
(ii) from Mexico or Canada into the United States.
(B) describes the operational cadence of all outbound and
inbound inspections of individuals and conveyances traveling
from the United States to Mexico or to Canada and from Mexico
or Canada into the United States, described as a percentage
of total encounters or as the total number of inspections
conducted;
(C) describes any plans that would allow for the use of
alternative inspection sites near a port of entry;
(D) includes an estimate of--
(i) the number of vehicles and conveyances that can be
inspected with up to 50 additional non-intrusive imaging
systems dedicated to southbound inspections;
(ii) the number of vehicles and conveyances that can be
inspected with up to 50 additional non-intrusive imaging
systems that may be additionally dedicated to inbound
inspections along the southwest border; and
(iii) the number of additional investigations and seizures
that will occur based on the additional equipment and
inspections; and
(E) assesses the capability of inbound inspections by
authorities of the Government of Mexico, in cooperation with
United States law enforcement agencies, to detect and
interdict the flow of illicit weapons and currency being
smuggled--
(i) from the United States to Mexico; and
(ii) from Mexico into the United States.
(2) Classification.--The report submitted pursuant to
paragraph (1), or any part of such report, may be classified
or provided with other appropriate safeguards to prevent
public dissemination.
(f) Minimum Mandatory Southbound Inspection Requirement.--
(1) Requirement.--Not later than March 30, 2027, the
Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure, to the extent
practicable, that not fewer than 10 percent of all
conveyances and other modes of transportation traveling from
the United States to Mexico are inspected before leaving the
United States.
(2) Authorized inspection activities.--Inspections required
pursuant to paragraph (1) may include nonintrusive imaging,
physical inspections by officers or canine units, or other
means authorized by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(3) Report on additional inspections capabilities.--Not
later than March 30, 2028, the Secretary of Homeland Security
shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional
committees that--
(A) assesses the Department of Homeland Security's timeline
and resource requirements for increasing inspection rates to
between 15 and 20 percent of all conveyances and modes of
transportation traveling from the United States to Mexico;
and
(B) includes estimates for the numbers of additional
investigations and seizures the Department expects if such
inspection rates are so increased.
(g) Currency and Firearms Seizures Quarterly Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter until
the date that is 4 years after such date of enactment, the
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall
submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees
that describes the seizure of currency, firearms, and
ammunition attempted to be trafficked out of the United
States.
(2) Contents.--Each report submitted pursuant to paragraph
(1) shall include, for the most recent 90-day period for
which such information is available--
(A) the total number of currency seizures that occurred
from outbound inspections at United States ports of entry;
(B) the total dollar amount associated with the currency
seizures referred to in subparagraph (A);
(C) the total number of firearms seized from outbound
inspections at United States ports of entry;
(D) the total number of ammunition rounds seized from
outbound inspections at United States ports of entry; and
(E) the total number of incidents of firearm seizures and
ammunition seizures that occurred at United States ports of
entry.
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