CBP SW Border Supplemental Funding Bill Passed by House
On July 28, 2010, the House passed H.R. 5875, the 2010 Supplemental Appropriations: Border Security bill. H.R. 5875 would provide a total of $701 million to help address the threat of increased violence along the Southwest Border by strengthening border security and enforcement efforts.
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Although the House has passed H.R. 5875, it is not yet in effect. Generally, in order for a bill to be implemented, identical versions of that bill must be passed by both the House and Senate, and then the bill must be approved (enacted) by the President.
Additional CBP Staffing, Enforcement at SW Border Funding
H.R. 5875 would provide $500 million for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to strengthen enforcement on the southern border, including:
- $136 million to maintain current Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer staffing levels and add 500 additional officers at ports of entry along the Southwest Border;
- $14 million for designing, building, and deploying an improved tactical communications system for support of enforcement activities on the Southwest Border;
- $9 million for the construction of three forward operating bases along the Southwest Border for improved border enforcement activities;
- $32 million to procure two additional CBP unmanned aircraft systems;
- $208.4 million for 1,200 additional Border Patrol agents deployed between the ports of entry along the Southwest Border;
- $50 million for Operation Stonegarden grants to support local law enforcement activities on the border; and
- $10 million for a surge of workforce integrity investigations designed to prevent corruption among CBP officers and agents.
These Funding Provisions Were Previously Part of Another Supplemental Bill
The above funding provisions were previously included in the House-passed version of the FY 2010 Supplemental Appropriations bill, but were subsequently removed by the Senate.
(See ITT’s Online Archives or 07/15/10 news, 10071526. for BP summary of House-passed 2010 Supplemental Appropriations bill.)
Bill Would Also Fund ATF’s SW Border Project Gunrunner
H.R. 5875 would also provide $201 million for Justice Department programs, including $39 million for the continued expansion of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive’s Project Gunrunner, which targets firearms trafficking across the Southwest border, and to increase ATF’s capacity to complete firearms trace requests related to border cases.