Sponsors (2)
The bill aims to accelerate and coordinate deployment of advanced border technologies with accountability measures to improve security and create innovation opportunities, but it increases risks of invasive surveillance, biased automated decisions, rushed procurement, and additional taxpayer costs unless strong safeguards and oversight are enforced.
Border communities and law enforcement: CBP and DHS must deliver a coordinated plan within 180 days to identify and deploy advanced technologies to strengthen border and port-of-entry capabilities.
Immigrants and border communities: the required privacy, civil rights, civil liberties, and safety impact assessments with mitigation measures aim to reduce harms from new surveillance technologies.
Small and disadvantaged businesses: mandated coordination with DHS S&T, AI policy officials, industry, and universities can accelerate responsible innovation and create contracting opportunities.
Immigrants and border communities: expanded deployment of advanced surveillance and detection technologies could increase invasive monitoring of travelers and residents.
Immigrants and people with disabilities: broader use of AI and automated systems at the border risks biased or inaccurate decisions that harm individuals unless robust safeguards and enforcement are in place.
Law enforcement and immigrants: rapid procurement and scaling of new technologies may lead to rushed acquisitions with limited oversight, increasing privacy and civil-rights risks despite required assessments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires DHS/CBP to deliver a 180-day plan to identify, assess, and plan deployment of emerging border technologies with privacy and procurement analyses.
Official title: Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a plan to identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other emerging or advanced technologies that are safe and secure to enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection's capabilities to meet its mission needs along international borders and at ports of entry.
Introduced May 22, 2025 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress May 22, 2025
Requires the Department of Homeland Security, through CBP leadership and the DHS Science & Technology office, to deliver a plan within 180 days to identify, evaluate, and deploy emerging and innovative technologies to strengthen Customs and Border Protection operations at international borders and ports of entry. The plan must describe use of CBP Innovation Team authorities, procurement authorities and gaps, how to scale pilot efforts into programs of record, security objectives and timelines, and assessments of privacy, civil rights, civil liberties, and safety impacts with mitigation measures. The legislation also directs coordination with DHS research and AI officials, calls for identification of legacy systems that could be phased out with cost estimates, and emphasizes collaboration with industry (including small and disadvantaged businesses), federal labs, universities, and other agencies to accelerate adoption of privacy-enhancing and other advanced technologies for border security.