[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6664-S6665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        JAIME ZAPATA BORDER ENFORCEMENT SECURITY TASK FORCE ACT

  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed 
to consideration of Calendar No. 497, H.R. 915.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (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.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill 
which has been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs, with an amendment to strike all after the 
enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

     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.

       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

[[Page S6665]]

     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 also face 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 participating in BEST 
     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) In General.--Subtitle C of title IV of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 231 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 432. BORDER ENFORCEMENT SECURITY TASK FORCE.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the 
     Department a program to be known as the Border Enforcement 
     Security Task Force (referred to in this section as `BEST').
       ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of BEST 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 Establishment of Units.--
       ``(1) Composition.--BEST units may be comprised of 
     personnel from--
       ``(A) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
       ``(B) U.S. Customs and Border Protection;
       ``(C) the United States Coast Guard;
       ``(D) other Department personnel, as appropriate
       ``(E) other Federal agencies, as appropriate;
       ``(F) appropriate State law enforcement agencies;
       ``(G) foreign law enforcement agencies, as appropriate;
       ``(H) local law enforcement agencies from affected border 
     cities and communities; and
       ``(I) appropriate tribal law enforcement agencies.
       ``(2) Establishment of units.--The Secretary is authorized 
     to establish BEST units in jurisdictions in which such units 
     can contribute to BEST missions, as appropriate. Before 
     establishing a BEST unit, the Secretary shall consider--
       ``(A) whether the area in which 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 in the country; and
       ``(D) whether or not an Integrated Border Enforcement Team 
     already exists in the area in which the BEST unit would be 
     established.
       ``(3) Duplication of efforts.--In determining whether to 
     establish a new BEST unit or to expand an existing BEST unit 
     in a given jurisdiction, the Secretary shall ensure that the 
     BEST unit under consideration does not duplicate the efforts 
     of other existing interagency task forces or centers within 
     that jurisdiction.
       ``(d) Operation.--After determining the jurisdictions in 
     which to establish BEST units under subsection (c)(2), and in 
     order to provide Federal assistance to such jurisdictions, 
     the Secretary may--
       ``(1) direct the assignment of Federal personnel to BEST, 
     subject to the approval of the head of the department or 
     agency that employs such personnel; and
       ``(2) take other actions to assist Federal, State, local, 
     and tribal entities to participate in BEST, including 
     providing financial assistance, as appropriate, for 
     operational, administrative, and technological costs 
     associated with the participation of Federal, State, local, 
     and tribal law enforcement agencies in BEST.
       ``(e) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date on 
     which BEST is established under this section, and annually 
     thereafter for the following 5 years, the Secretary shall 
     submit a report to Congress that describes the effectiveness 
     of BEST 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.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents under 
     section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
     101(b)) is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
     section 431 the following:

``Sec. 432. Border Enforcement Security Task Force.''.

  Mr. PRYOR. I ask unanimous consent the committee-reported substitute 
amendment be agreed to and the bill as amended be read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was ordered to 
be engrossed and the bill read a third time.
  Mr. PRYOR. I know of no further debate on the bill.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question is 
on passage of the measure.
  The bill (H.R. 915), as amended, was read the third time and passed.
  Mr. PRYOR. I ask unanimous consent the motion to reconsider be laid 
upon the table with no intervening action or debate and any related 
statements be printed in the Record as if read.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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