[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 915 Reported in House (RH)]
Union Calendar No. 179
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 915
[Report No. 112-268]
To establish a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program to
enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal,
State, and local border and law enforcement officials to protect United
States border cities and communities from trans-national crime,
including violence associated with drug trafficking, arms smuggling,
illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along
and across the international borders of the United States, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 3, 2011
Mr. Cuellar (for himself and Mr. McCaul) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
November 4, 2011
Additional sponsors: Mr. Farenthold and Mr. Clarke of Michigan
November 4, 2011
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on March
3, 2011]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program to
enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal,
State, and local border and law enforcement officials to protect United
States border cities and communities from trans-national crime,
including violence associated with drug trafficking, arms smuggling,
illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along
and across the international borders of the United States, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement
Security Task Force Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) overriding
mission is to lead a unified national effort to protect the
United States. United States Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency within
DHS and is charged with enforcing a wide array of laws,
including laws related to securing the border and combating
criminal smuggling.
(2) Mexico's northern border with the United States has
experienced a dramatic surge in border crime and violence in
recent years due to intense competition between Mexican drug
cartels and criminal smuggling organizations that employ
predatory tactics to realize their profits.
(3) Law enforcement agencies at the United States northern
border face similar challenges from transnational smuggling
organizations.
(4) In response, DHS has partnered with Federal, State,
local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement counterparts to
create the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST)
initiative as a comprehensive approach to addressing border
security threats. These multi-agency teams are designed to
increase information-sharing and collaboration among the
participating law enforcement agencies.
(5) BEST teams incorporate personnel from ICE, United
States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and
the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), along with other key
Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.
(6) Foreign law enforcement agencies include Mexico's
Secretaria de Seguridad Publica (SSP), the Canada Border
Services Agency (CBSA), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP),
and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
SEC. 3. BORDER ENFORCEMENT SECURITY TASK FORCE.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a program known as a Border
Enforcement Security Task Force (referred to as ``BEST'').
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the BEST program is to establish units
to enhance border security by addressing and reducing border security
threats and violence by--
(1) facilitating collaboration among Federal, State, local,
tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies to execute
coordinated activities in furtherance of border security, and
homeland security; and
(2) enhancing information-sharing, including the
dissemination of homeland security information among such
agencies.
(c) Composition and Designation.--
(1) Composition.--BEST units may be comprised of personnel
from--
(A) United States Immigration and Customs
Enforcement;
(B) United States Customs and Border Protection;
(C) the United States Coast Guard;
(D) other Federal agencies, as appropriate;
(E) appropriate State law enforcement agencies;
(F) foreign law enforcement agencies, as
appropriate;
(G) local law enforcement agencies from affected
border cities and communities; and
(H) appropriate tribal law enforcement agencies.
(2) Designation.--The Secretary of Homeland Security,
acting through the Assistant Secretary for ICE, is authorized
to establish BEST units in jurisdictions where such units can
contribute to the BEST program's missions, as appropriate.
Prior to establishing a BEST unit, the Assistant Secretary
shall consider the following factors:
(A) Whether the area where the BEST unit would be
established is significantly impacted by cross-border
threats.
(B) The availability of Federal, State, local,
tribal, and foreign law enforcement resources to
participate in the BEST unit.
(C) The extent to which border security threats are
having a significant harmful impact in the jurisdiction
in which the BEST unit is to be established, and other
jurisdictions of the country.
(D) Whether or not an Integrated Border Enforcement
Team already exists in the area where the BEST unit
would be established.
(d) Operation.--After making a designation under subsection (c)(2),
and in order to provide Federal assistance to the area so designated,
the Secretary of Homeland Security may--
(1) obligate such sums as are appropriated for the BEST
program;
(2) direct the assignment of Federal personnel to the BEST
program, subject to the approval of the head of the department
or agency that employs such personnel; and
(3) take other actions to assist State, local, tribal, and
foreign jurisdictions to participate in the BEST program.
(e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
establishment of the BEST program under subsection (a) and annually
thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to Congress
a report on the effectiveness of the BEST program in enhancing border
security and reducing the drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal
alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and
across the international borders of the United States as measured by
crime statistics, including violent deaths, incidents of violence, and
drug-related arrests.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of Homeland Security $10,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2012 through 2016 to--
(1) establish and operate the BEST program, including to
provide for operational, administrative, and technological
costs to Federal, State, local, tribal and foreign law
enforcement agencies participating in the BEST program; and
(2) investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals
engaged in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien
trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and
across the international borders of the United States.
Union Calendar No. 179
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 915
[Report No. 112-268]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program to
enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal,
State, and local border and law enforcement officials to protect United
States border cities and communities from trans-national crime,
including violence associated with drug trafficking, arms smuggling,
illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along
and across the international borders of the United States, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
November 4, 2011
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed