Border Workforce Improvement Act

This bill tells the Department of Homeland Security to study how many workers are needed at the southern border. Within 90 days of becoming law, DHS must review how Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) assign staff now, including the effects of filling gaps with temporary details and overtime. It must also look at what’s driving heavy workloads, what DHS can fix on its own, what might need Congress’s help, and where there are gaps in people, technology, and risk systems across these agencies.

After the study is finished, DHS has 180 days to send a report to Congress with the findings and how leaders at CBP, ICE, and USCIS should carry out the recommendations. The bill does not add new staff or funding by itself; it sets up a plan to figure out what’s needed and what changes might help.

Key points

• Who is affected: DHS, including CBP, ICE, and USCIS; communities along the southern border.
• What changes: A required assessment of staffing needs, a review of current staffing methods and overtime use, and identification of gaps in people, technology, and risk management; a follow-up report to Congress with recommended actions.
• When: Start the assessment within 90 days of the law taking effect; submit the report within 180 days after the assessment is complete.