[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1690 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1690

 To authorize the Secretary of State to negotiate regional immigration 
                  agreements, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 22, 2023

  Mr. McCaul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of State to negotiate regional immigration 
                  agreements, 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 ``Regional Immigration Diplomacy and 
Enforcement Act'' or the ``RIDE Act''.

SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY REGARDING WESTERN HEMISPHERE COOPERATION 
              ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM.

    It is the policy of the United States to enter into agreements, 
accords, and memoranda of understanding with sovereign countries in the 
Western Hemisphere, the purposes of which are to advance the interests 
of the United States by reducing costs associated with illegal 
immigration and to protect the human capital, societal traditions, and 
economic growth of other sovereign nations in the Western Hemisphere. 
It is further the policy of the United States to ensure that 
humanitarian and development assistance funding aimed at reducing 
illegal immigration is not expended on programs that have not proven to 
reduce illegal immigrant flows in the aggregate.

SEC. 3. NEGOTIATIONS BY SECRETARY OF STATE.

    (a) Authorization To Negotiate.--The Secretary of State shall seek 
to negotiate agreements, accords, and memoranda of understanding 
between the United States, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, 
and other countries in the Western Hemisphere with respect to 
cooperation and burden sharing required for effective regional 
immigration enforcement, expediting legal claims by aliens for asylum, 
and the processing, detention, and repatriation of foreign nationals 
seeking to enter the United States unlawfully. Such agreements shall be 
designed to facilitate a regional approach to immigration enforcement 
and shall, at a minimum, provide that--
            (1) the Government of Mexico authorize and accept the rapid 
        entrance into Mexico of nationals of countries other than 
        Mexico who seek asylum in Mexico, and process the asylum claims 
        of such nationals inside Mexico, in accordance with both 
        domestic law and international treaties and conventions 
        governing the processing of asylum claims;
            (2) the Government of Mexico authorize and accept both the 
        rapid entrance into Mexico of all nationals of countries other 
        than Mexico who are ineligible for asylum in Mexico and wish to 
        apply for asylum in the United States, whether or not at a port 
        of entry, and the continued presence of such nationals in 
        Mexico while they wait for the adjudication of their asylum 
        claims to conclude in the United States;
            (3) the Government of Mexico commit to provide the 
        individuals described in paragraphs (1) and (2) with 
        appropriate humanitarian protections;
            (4) the Government of Honduras, the Government of El 
        Salvador, and the Government of Guatemala each authorize and 
        accept the entrance into the respective countries of nationals 
        of other countries seeking asylum in the applicable such 
        country and process such claims in accordance with applicable 
        domestic law and international treaties and conventions 
        governing the processing of asylum claims;
            (5) the Government of the United States commit to work to 
        accelerate the adjudication of asylum claims and to conclude 
        removal proceedings in the wake of asylum adjudications as 
        expeditiously as possible;
            (6) the Government of the United States commit to continue 
        to assist the governments of countries in the Western 
        Hemisphere, such as the Government of Honduras, the Government 
        of El Salvador, and the Government of Guatemala, by supporting 
        the enhancement of asylum capacity in those countries; and
            (7) the Government of United States commit to monitoring 
        developments in hemispheric immigration trends and regional 
        asylum capabilities to determine whether additional asylum 
        cooperation agreements are warranted.
    (b) Notification in Accordance With Case-Zablocki Act.--The 
Secretary of State shall, in accordance with section 112b of title 1, 
United States Code, promptly inform the relevant congressional 
committees of all agreements entered into pursuant to subsection (a). 
Such notifications shall be submitted not later than 48 hours after 
such agreements are signed.

SEC. 4. MANDATORY BRIEFING ON UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE 
              BORDER CRISIS.

    The Secretary of State or the Secretary's designee shall, not less 
frequently than every 90 days, brief the relevant congressional 
committees in person on efforts undertaken pursuant to the negotiation 
authority provided by section 4 to monitor, deter, and prevent illegal 
immigration to the United States, including by entering into 
agreements, accords, and memoranda of understanding with foreign 
countries and by using United States foreign assistance to allegedly 
stem the root causes of migration in the Western Hemisphere.

SEC. 5. FEASIBILITY STUDY AND STRATEGY FOR OPENING AN INTERNATIONAL LAW 
              ENFORCEMENT CENTER IN SOUTHERN MEXICO.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State, acting through the Director of the Bureau 
of Overseas Building Operations in conjunction with the Assistant 
Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Ambassador to 
Mexico, in consultation with interagency partners and appropriate 
counterparts of the Government of Mexico, shall--
            (1) conduct a feasibility study of opening a multi-purpose 
        United States International Law Enforcement Center in southern 
        Mexico to assist in United States efforts to facilitate 
        cooperation to combat transnational organized crime and drug 
        trafficking organizations, as well as to reduce illegal 
        immigration without processing any immigration related benefits 
        to the United States; and
            (2) submit to the relevant congressional committees a 
        strategy, including a timeline and expected costs, for opening 
        such a Center, incorporating the results of the feasibility 
        study.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Alien.--The term ``alien'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
        U.S.C. 1101).
            (2) Relevant congressional committees.--The term ``relevant 
        congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations of the Senate.
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