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Creates a five-year pilot inside CBP’s Office of Field Operations to hire two new Image Technician job levels (Image Technician 1 and 2) who will review non-intrusive inspection images at five regional command centers. The pilot sets duties, training, supervision, and annual testing for those positions and requires CBP to begin regular reports and twice-yearly briefings about the new positions starting within 180 days after the first hire.
Add a new Image Technician pilot program to section 411(g) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 211(g)).
Create Image Technician 1 positions in the Office of Field Operations to be filled in accordance with chapter 33 and chapters 51 and 53 of title 5 (competitive service appointments, classification, and pay).
Conditions for Image Technician 1 positions: may be filled by existing CBP employees; are not law enforcement officer positions; may not be filled by independent contractors; and must be assigned to a regional command center (subparagraph (F)).
Duties of Image Technician 1: review non-intrusive inspection images of conveyances and containers entering or exiting the U.S. through land, sea, air ports of entry or international rail crossings; assess images for anomalies indicating contraband, persons unlawfully seeking to enter or exit, or illicitly concealed merchandise (including illicit drugs and terrorist weapons); recommend entry/exit release to the inspecting CBP Officer when no noticeable anomalies exist; and recommend further inspection when anomalies are reasonably believed to be present.
Create Image Technician 2 positions in the Office of Field Operations to be filled in accordance with chapter 33 and chapters 51 and 53 of title 5 (competitive service appointments, classification, and pay).
Who is affected and how:
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations: The Office of Field Operations will create and manage new job categories, set training and testing standards, and build or designate five regional command centers. CBP human-resources and budget offices will need to plan hiring, training, facility capacity, and IT/security for image-review work.
CBP frontline officers and port staff: Local ports may see changes in how image reviews are conducted — some image review workload may shift to centralized technicians, which could reduce or reallocate local screening tasks but also require new coordination and supervisory interfaces.
Border travelers and cargo operators: The pilot could change the flow or timing of non-intrusive inspections (faster or more consistent image reviews), but any actual effect on processing times will depend on staffing, technology, and operational choices made during the pilot.
Oversight bodies and Congress: The recurring report and briefing schedule creates a predictable stream of information for oversight, enabling periodic assessment of effectiveness, costs, and privacy/security implications.
Privacy, civil‑liberties, and data-security stakeholders: Centralizing image review raises potential concerns about data access, retention, and safeguards. The law requires reporting but does not itself prescribe data-protection specifics, so privacy and security policies will be important implementation considerations.
Budget and resource implications: Although the bill directs program creation and reporting, it does not appropriate funds. Implementing the pilot (hiring, training, centers, IT) will likely require personnel, facilities, and systems spending that must be handled through CBP’s existing budget and future appropriations.
Overall effect: The legislation is an operational pilot to test a centralized, standardized approach to reviewing inspection imagery, paired with built-in oversight reporting. It is administrative in nature but will require CBP planning and likely additional resources to implement well. The five-year sunset limits long-term commitment unless renewed.
Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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Introduced February 13, 2025 by Juan Ciscomani · Last progress February 13, 2025
BEST Facilitation Act
Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.
Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Introduced in House