No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section sets forth congressional findings on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staffing, including a nationwide shortage of 5,800 CBP officers identified by CBP's Workload Staffing Model, CBP officers' eligibility for enhanced law enforcement retirement (age 50 with 20 years of service or any age with 25 years), and a projected 400 percent increase in retirements in 2028 that will disproportionately affect northern border ports of entry due to unique recruitment challenges (e.g., harsh winters, isolation). It expresses the sense of Congress that CBP must begin a hiring surge of qualified recruits at northern border ports of entry to address current shortages and impending retirement surges.
This section revises the northern border security threat analysis requirements of the Northern Border Security Review Act (P.L. 114-267) by (1) requiring submission not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act and every five years thereafter (previously, 180 days after enactment of that Act); (2) expanding the contents of the analysis to address current U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer and agent deployments along the northern border compared to projected demand, future retirement surges and mitigation plans, housing challenges, and development of local recruiting plans; (3) requiring additional elements in the analysis, including a plan to address retirement surges, staffing challenges, and shortages along the northern border and an assessment of recruitment and retention tools such as direct hire authority, bonuses, additional pay, and student loan repayment programs; and (4) defining “local recruiting plans” as plans to motivate, recruit, hire, assist, and mentor local qualified candidates for CBP careers at nearby northern ports of entry.