This bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to report on U.S. Customs and Border Protection's effort to build an integrated biometric entry and exit data system. Within 180 days of enactment, DHS must send reports to specified House and Senate committees about the System's status, including impacts on arrival and departure wait times; audits and consultations with private-sector vendors; milestones and metrics; risks and mitigation plans; and the System's effects on legitimate travel and trade, counterterrorism, and identifying visa holders who break visa rules. DHS must try to collect biometric data with the least possible disruption to people and cargo.
The bill also requires a separate report, due in 180 days, explaining how the System matches biometric data for anyone departing the United States against biometric data previously provided for international travel. That report must not include information about U.S. citizens except to describe privacy protections for facial recognition. DHS must also report, within 180 days, on whether biographic data sharing from the Canadian Border Services Agency under the 2011 Beyond the Border agreement has occurred and what impacts it has had. The bill states it does not limit DHS authority to collect other biometric information and does not prohibit collection of certain user fees (19 U.S.C. 58c).
No publicly available information.
Proponents would point to the bill's stated goals: improving counterterrorism efforts and identifying visa holders who violate visa terms, while minimizing disruption to travel and trade. The bill creates specific reporting deadlines and topics to let Congress review progress and risks.
No publicly available information.