To require annual reports on counter illicit cross-border tunnel operations, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to provide annual reports to Congress on two border security issues: (1) operations to counter illegal cross-border tunnels, and (2) encounters with "special interest aliens" - individuals from countries with potential security concerns. It also requires DHS to publish some of this information publicly.
Who Benefits and How
- Congress and the public benefit from increased transparency and oversight of border security operations
- National security agencies benefit from clearer reporting requirements and accountability frameworks
- Advocacy groups and researchers gain access to previously unavailable data on border encounters
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Department of Homeland Security must compile and submit detailed annual reports, creating administrative workload
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection must track and report disaggregated data on special interest alien encounters
- DHS leadership faces new accountability requirements and must develop a public information plan within 60 days
Key Provisions
- Amends existing law to require annual (not one-time) reports on cross-border tunnel counter-operations
- Creates new annual reporting requirement for special interest alien encounters with detailed breakdowns by outcome
- Requires DHS to develop a plan for publicly posting encounter statistics within 60 days
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires the Department of Homeland Security to submit annual reports on cross-border tunnel operations and special interest alien encounters to improve congressional oversight of border security threats.
Key Policy Areas
Homeland Security, Immigration, Border Security
Primary Purpose
Requires the Department of Homeland Security to submit annual reports on cross-border tunnel operations and special interest alien encounters to improve congressional oversight of border security threats.
Policy Domains
Cross-Border Tunnel Report Act
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Congress
- General public
- Border security oversight advocates
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReported by Mr. Peters, with an amendment
Mr. Peters (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following …
Mr. Peters (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Sinema, and Mr. …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Congressional oversight committees, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security
Positive-direction: Congressional oversight committees
Negative-direction: Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of Homeland Security
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
An encounter during which individuals from countries with potential security concerns are screened by U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the bill requires reporting on the specific factors and criteria used to make this designation
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology