S. 625 — Veterans Border Patrol Training Act

This section establishes an interdepartmental pilot program, not later than 180 days after enactment, through which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in collaboration with the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs, uses the DOD SkillBridge program (i.e., internships for transitioning servicemembers in their final 180 days of service) to train and hire such servicemembers as Border Patrol agents for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In implementing the pilot, DHS and DOD shall use authorities available under 10 U.S.C. §1143 (i.e., employment skills training, verification, and assistance for separating servicemembers).

This section directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs, to submit to the Senate and House Committees on Homeland Security, Armed Services, and Veterans' Affairs a report on the pilot program under section 2(a) not later than one year after the program's establishment and annually thereafter until the date specified in section 4. The report must include, for the reporting period, (1) the number of participants; (2) the number of eligible participants who applied; and (3) the number of participants who are members of the Armed Forces, reserve members of the Armed Forces, commissioned or non-commissioned officers, enlisted members of the Armed Forces, veterans, spouses of such members or veterans, or dependents of such members or veterans.