[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 915 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 915

   To establish a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program to 
enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal, 
State, and local border and law enforcement officials to protect United 
    States border cities and communities from trans-national crime, 
 including violence associated with drug trafficking, arms smuggling, 
illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along 
  and across the international borders of the United States, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 3, 2011

Mr. Cuellar (for himself and Mr. McCaul) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a Border Enforcement Security Task Force program to 
enhance border security by fostering coordinated efforts among Federal, 
State, and local border and law enforcement officials to protect United 
    States border cities and communities from trans-national crime, 
 including violence associated with drug trafficking, arms smuggling, 
illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along 
  and across the international borders of the United States, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Jaime Zapata Border Enforcement 
Security Task Force Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATION OF PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) overriding 
        mission is to lead a unified national effort to protect the 
        United States. United States Immigration and Customs 
        Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency within 
        DHS and is charged with enforcing a wide array of laws, 
        including laws related to securing the border and combating 
        criminal smuggling.
            (2) Mexico's northern border with the United States has 
        experienced a dramatic surge in border crime and violence in 
        recent years due to intense competition between Mexican drug 
        cartels and criminal smuggling organizations that employ 
        predatory tactics to realize their profits.
            (3) Law enforcement agencies at the United States northern 
        border face similar challenges from transnational smuggling 
        organizations.
            (4) In response, DHS has partnered with Federal, State, 
        local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement counterparts to 
        create the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) 
        initiative as a comprehensive approach to addressing border 
        security threats. These multi-agency teams are designed to 
        increase information-sharing and collaboration among the 
        participating law enforcement agencies.
            (5) BEST teams incorporate personnel from ICE, United 
        States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug 
        Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, 
        Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATFE), the Federal Bureau of 
        Investigation (FBI), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and 
        the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), along with other key 
        Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies.
            (6) Foreign law enforcement agencies include Mexico's 
        Secretaria de Seguridad Publica (SSP), the Canada Border 
        Services Agency (CBSA), the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), 
        and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

SEC. 3. BORDER ENFORCEMENT SECURITY TASK FORCE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in United States 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a program known as a Border 
Enforcement Security Task Force (referred to as ``BEST'').
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the BEST program is to establish units 
to enhance border security by addressing and reducing border security 
threats and violence by--
            (1) facilitating collaboration among Federal, State, local, 
        tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies to execute 
        coordinated activities in furtherance of border security, and 
        homeland security; and
            (2) enhancing information-sharing, including the 
        dissemination of homeland security information among such 
        agencies.
    (c) Composition and Designation.--
            (1) Composition.--BEST units may be comprised of personnel 
        from--
                    (A) United States Immigration and Customs 
                Enforcement;
                    (B) United States Customs and Border Protection;
                    (C) the United States Coast Guard;
                    (D) other Federal agencies, as appropriate;
                    (E) appropriate State law enforcement agencies;
                    (F) foreign law enforcement agencies, as 
                appropriate;
                    (G) local law enforcement agencies from affected 
                border cities and communities; and
                    (H) appropriate tribal law enforcement agencies.
            (2) Designation.--The Secretary of Homeland Security, 
        acting through the Assistant Secretary for ICE, is authorized 
        to establish BEST units in jurisdictions where such units can 
        contribute to the BEST program's missions, as appropriate. 
        Prior to establishing a BEST unit, the Assistant Secretary 
        shall consider the following factors:
                    (A) Whether the area where the BEST unit would be 
                established is significantly impacted by cross-border 
                threats.
                    (B) The availability of Federal, State, local, 
                tribal, and foreign law enforcement resources to 
                participate in the BEST unit.
                    (C) The extent to which border security threats are 
                having a significant harmful impact in the jurisdiction 
                in which the BEST unit is to be established, and other 
                jurisdictions of the country.
    (d) Operation.--After making a designation under subsection (c)(2), 
and in order to provide Federal assistance to the area so designated, 
the Secretary of Homeland Security may--
            (1) obligate such sums as are appropriated for the BEST 
        program;
            (2) direct the assignment of Federal personnel to the BEST 
        program, subject to the approval of the head of the department 
        or agency that employs such personnel; and
            (3) take other actions to assist State, local, tribal, and 
        foreign jurisdictions to participate in the BEST program.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
establishment of the BEST program under subsection (a) and annually 
thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to Congress 
a report on the effectiveness of the BEST program in enhancing border 
security and reducing the drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal 
alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and 
across the international borders of the United States as measured by 
crime statistics, including violent deaths, incidents of violence, and 
drug-related arrests.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Homeland Security such funds as may be 
necessary for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016 to--
            (1) establish and operate the BEST program, including to 
        provide for operational, administrative, and technological 
        costs to Federal, State, local, tribal and foreign law 
        enforcement agencies participating in the BEST program; and
            (2) investigate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals 
        engaged in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien 
        trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and 
        across the international borders of the United States.
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