H.R. 6907 — Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act

This section defines, for purposes of the Act, (1) "appropriate congressional committees" as the Senate Committees on Appropriations, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Judiciary, and the House Committees on Appropriations, Homeland Security, and the Judiciary; and (2) "Southern border" as the international land border between the United States and Mexico.

This section authorizes the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to purchase up to 50 additional non-intrusive imaging systems (i.e., vehicle scanning equipment), procure associated supporting infrastructure, and acquire alternative inspection equipment for deployment along the U.S.-Mexico border to inspect persons, conveyances, or transportation modes traveling from the United States to Mexico. The purchase and procurement authorities sunset five years after enactment.

This section directs the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hire, train, and assign (1) at least 100 new Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents primarily for investigations of currency and firearms smuggling from the United States to Mexico, and (2) at least 100 new HSI special agents for investigations of contraband smuggling, human trafficking and smuggling (including of children), drug smuggling, and unauthorized entry from Mexico. The section further authorizes the hiring, training, and assignment of necessary additional support staff for these agents.

This section directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, a report that—(1) identifies resources provided, including equipment, personnel, infrastructure, and annual budgets, for outbound and inbound inspections of individuals and modes of transportation between the United States, Mexico, and Canada; (2) describes the operational cadence of such inspections, expressed as a percentage of total encounters or total number conducted; (3) describes plans for alternative inspection sites near ports of entry; (4) estimates the number of vehicles and conveyances inspectable with up to 50 additional non-intrusive imaging systems dedicated to southbound inspections and up to 50 additional such systems dedicated to inbound southwest border inspections; and (5) assesses the capability of inbound inspections by Mexican government authorities, in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies, to detect and interdict illicit weapons and currency smuggled between the United States and Mexico. The report, or any part of it, may be classified or provided with other appropriate safeguards to prevent public dissemination.

This section directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure, to the extent practicable, that at least 10% of all conveyances and other modes of transportation traveling from the United States to Mexico are inspected before leaving the United States by March 30, 2027, using authorized methods such as non-intrusive imaging, physical inspections by officers or canine units, or other means determined by the Secretary. The section further requires the Secretary to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees by March 30, 2028, assessing the Department of Homeland Security's timeline and resource requirements to increase southbound inspection rates to 15% and 20%, respectively.

This section directs the Commissioner for U.S. Customs and Border Protection to submit quarterly reports to the appropriate congressional committees, beginning 90 days after enactment and continuing every 90 days thereafter for four years, describing seizures of currency, firearms, and ammunition attempted to be trafficked out of the United States from outbound inspections at U.S. ports of entry. Each report must include, for the most recent 90-day period for which data is available, (1) the total number of currency seizures and associated dollar amount, (2) the total number of firearms seized, (3) the total number of ammunition rounds seized, and (4) the total number of firearm and ammunition seizure incidents.