[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2202 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2202

 To expedite detainee transport to border patrol processing facilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 22, 2019

 Mr. Heinrich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To expedite detainee transport to border patrol processing facilities.

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

SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Homeland Security and 
                Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (C) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; 
                and
                    (D) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Remote border patrol station.--The term ``remote border 
        patrol station'' means a border patrol station located in an 
        area within the United States along the international border 
        between the United States and Mexico that is not within an area 
        defined and designated by the Bureau of the Census as an 
        urbanized area.

SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL DRIVER PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection shall establish a program to expedite detainee transport to 
border patrol processing facilities by ensuring that, beginning not 
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act--
            (1) not fewer than 300 border patrol agents assigned to 
        remote border patrol stations have a commercial driver's 
        license with a passenger endorsement for detainee transport;
            (2) not fewer than 5 border patrol agents who have a 
        commercial driver's license with a passenger endorsement for 
        detainee transport are available at each remote border patrol 
        station during every shift;
            (3) not fewer than 3 buses are assigned to each of the El 
        Paso, Laredo, Rio Grande Valley, San Diego, and Tucson sectors 
        and parked (when not in use) at a U.S. Customs and Border 
        Protection facility located in the respective sector; and
            (4) not fewer than 2 buses are assigned to each of the Big 
        Bend, Del Rio, El Centro, and Yuma sectors and parked (when not 
        in use) at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility 
        located in the respective sector.
    (b) Relocation.--Buses assigned to specific Border Patrol Sectors 
pursuant to subsection (a) may be relocated to other sectors in 
response to changing immigration patterns.
    (c) Reducing Wait Times at Remote Border Patrol Stations.--The 
Commissioner shall ensure that sufficient buses are available in each 
border patrol sector to avoid subjecting detainees to long wait times 
at remote border patrol stations.
    (d) Reporting Requirement.--The Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall submit quarterly reports to the appropriate congressional 
committees regarding the average length of detainees' stay at border 
patrol processing centers.
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