S. 3996 — DHS Hiring Review Act

This section defines key terms for purposes of the Act, including—(1) "appropriate congressional committees" to mean the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committees on the Judiciary and Appropriations of the Senate, and the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committees on the Judiciary and Appropriations of the House of Representatives; (2) "CBP" to mean U.S. Customs and Border Protection; (3) "ICE" to mean U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and (4) "Under Secretary" to mean the Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security.

This section directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management, to conduct an audit of hiring records for employees hired by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after the enactment of Public Law 119-21 to certify that all hiring requirements, including background checks, were complete and consistent with applicable Office of Personnel Management hiring standards.

This section requires the Under Secretary to cross-reference all new employees hired for positions at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since January 20, 2025, with State-level misconduct files—including police records and employment records of law enforcement agencies—to determine whether such information was considered during their pre-hiring evaluation.

This section directs the Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, not later than 180 days after enactment, to certify that every agent or officer of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has completed required training for their positions—including the ICE Academy, U.S. Border Patrol agent basic training, and CBP Field Operations Academy. The certifications must indicate the length of training completed by each individual.

This section directs the Comptroller General of the United States to submit to the appropriate congressional committees, not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, a report that includes (1) the findings from the audit conducted pursuant to section 3; (2) a description of the Under Secretary's determination of the use of state-level misconduct files during the evaluation of potential new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) employees; and (3) an audit of pass and fail rates for training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) for ICE and CBP agents and officers.