H.R. 5518 — Integrated Cross-Border Law Enforcement Operations Expansion Act

This section states the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Homeland Security should, to the greatest extent practicable and consistent with U.S. foreign policy objectives, use authorities provided in this legislation to negotiate or amend agreements with Canada for integrated cross-border aerial, maritime, and land law enforcement operations.

This section amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to (1) authorize the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to enter into treaties or agreements extending privileges and immunities equivalent to those of U.S. Customs Service officers to designated foreign officers; and (2) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to use U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations and support funds to pay tort claims arising in foreign countries from CBP operations, using the settlement procedures authorized in the first paragraph of section 2672 of title 28, United States Code (i.e., agency head authority under the Federal Tort Claims Act to ascertain, adjust, compromise, and settle tort claims, subject to a $25,000 limit without Attorney General approval). (As background, the Federal Tort Claims Act generally excludes claims arising in foreign countries.) This section also amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General to station or deploy U.S. law enforcement officers and personnel in foreign countries and to accept foreign law enforcement officials and personnel in the United States to enhance border security, law enforcement cooperation, and joint operations across land, air, and maritime domains; and authorizes the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary or Attorney General, to enter into treaties or agreements extending necessary privileges and immunities to such foreign personnel. This section makes a clerical amendment to the table of contents for the Homeland Security Act of 2002.