Border security and immigration

Grant's Law

This bill requires the Department of Justice to detain a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) found to be unlawfully present in the United States and arrested for various crimes that would render the individual deportable or inadmissible.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may release the individual to an appropriate authority for proceedings related to the arrest, but DHS must resume custody for any period that the individual is not in such authority's custody.

If the individual is not convicted of crimes for which the individual was arrested, DHS must continue to detain the individual until removal proceedings are completed. DHS must complete such removal proceedings within 90 days.

Congressional Border Security Assessment Act

This bill grants Members of Congress and their accompanying staff lawful access to Indian reservations for the purpose of assessing national security, public safety, and the security of the border. Specifically, the bill applies to an Indian reservation that includes 50 or more contiguous miles of the U.S.-Mexico border.

College Employment Accountability Act

This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) from receiving certain federal funds or participating in federal student aid programs if the IHE does not take certain actions to prohibit the employment at the IHE of non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who do not have work authorization.

Specifically, the bill prohibits an IHE from receiving federal funds for student assistance or institutional aid if the IHE employs unauthorized individuals in violation of a specified section of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). (The section prohibits an employer from knowingly hiring, recruiting or referring for a fee, or continuing to employ a non-U.S. national who lacks work authorization.)

Additionally, the bill requires an IHE that participates in federal student aid programs to participate in the E-Verify system. (This system allows employers and recruiters to verify an individual's eligibility for employment. The system is largely voluntary; however, federal employers, including federal contractors, must use E-Verify. Some IHEs currently participate in the system.)

The bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to, every six months, monitor whether an IHE is participating in the E-Verify system. Further, DHS must notify the Department of Education within 10 days of finding that an IHE (1) employs unauthorized individuals in violation of the INA, or (2) is not participating in the E-Verify system.

Border Airport Fairness Act of 2025

This bill requires the President to designate certain primary airports near the border as ports of entry and terminate the user fee requirement for customs services at these airports.

Diverting IRS Resources to the Exigent Crisis Today Act or the DIRECT Act

This bill rescinds unobligated funds that were provided for Internal Revenue Service enforcement activities by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. It also reallocates the funds to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the salaries and expenses of new agents and officers hired for the security of the southern border.

Fund and Complete the Border Wall Act

This bill establishes funding for a U.S.-Mexico border barrier and revises how border patrol agents are compensated for overtime.

The Department of the Treasury shall set up an account for funding the design, construction, and maintenance of the barrier. The funds in the account are appropriated only for that purpose and for vehicles and equipment for border patrol agents.

For each fiscal year, financial assistance to a country shall be reduced by $2,000 for each citizen or national of that country apprehended for illegally entering the United States through its southern border. The reduced amount shall be transferred to the border barrier account. The Department of State may opt not to reduce amounts appropriated to Mexico for various military and law enforcement-related activities.

This bill establishes a 5% fee on foreign remittance transfers and increases the fee for the arrival/departure I-94 form for various aliens entering the United States, with part of the fees going to the border barrier account.

By December 31, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security shall (1) take all actions necessary, including constructing barriers, to prevent illegal crossings along the U.S.-Mexico barrier; and (2) achieve operational control over all U.S. international borders.

The bill changes how border patrol agents receive overtime pay when working up to 100 hours in a two-week period. For hours worked above 80, an agent shall receive at least 150% of the agent's regular hourly rate.

Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy Act

This bill provides statutory authority for the requirement for the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to include a Caribbean Border Counternarcotics Strategy in its National Drug Control Strategy. This strategy must include measures for preventing the illegal trafficking of drugs through the Caribbean region into the United States, including measures to combat drug trafficking and drug-related violent crime in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The bill also revises ONDCP's authorization to (1) add definitions for state and for United States to specify that its authorization includes U.S. territories and possessions, and (2) revise the definition for supply reduction to ensure that the National Drug Control Strategy includes efforts to disrupt the financial networks of drug trafficking organizations.

Veterans Border Patrol Training Act

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collaborate with the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a five-year interdepartmental pilot program, under which DHS must use the DOD SkillBridge Program to train and hire transitioning servicemembers as border patrol agents for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Restoring Faith in Elections Act

This bill establishes certain standards for voting, including voting by mail, in federal elections. It also establishes certain requirements for voter registration and maintenance of official lists of eligible voters.

First, the bill establishes certain requirements for voting by mail in federal elections, including by requiring mail-in ballots to be received by the time the polls close on election day.

Additionally, the bill makes it unlawful to possess or return a mail-in ballot completed by another person (commonly referred to as ballot harvesting), with exceptions. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to one year, or both.

Further, the bill establishes certain requirements for reporting results of federal elections, including by requiring states to count all eligible ballots within 24 hours after the election.

Next, the bill provides for the automatic registration of eligible voters. The Election Assistance Commission must make grants to states to implement these automatic voter registration programs.

It also requires states and jurisdictions to use standards that apply equally to all methods of voting used in federal elections, including standards related to signature verification.

Finally, the bill establishes the National Deconfliction Voting Database and Clearinghouse to serve as a database and clearinghouse for voter registration records and lists of eligible voters. Additionally, each state must certify that it has removed ineligible voters from the official list of eligible voters prior to the federal election.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Relocation Act or the CBP Relocation Act

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to relocate the headquarters of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (including the functions, personnel, and real assets of the headquarters) to Texas no later than January 1, 2026.

CBP Workload Staffing Model Act

This bill requires the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop and implement a workload staffing model for each of the U.S. Border Patrol and Air and Marine Operations.

Such model shall include (1) consideration for essential frontline operator activities and functions, (2) variations in operating environments, and (3) present and planned infrastructure and technology. The CBP must also develop standard operating procedures for a workforce tracking system, train the workforce on the use of such system, and implement internal controls to ensure timely and accurate scheduling and reporting.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must review the model and provide feedback regarding the degree to which it is responsive to certain DHS recommendations.