Collins-Sponsored Bill to Require DHS to Report Data on Border Crisis Passes Senate

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Susan Collins applauded the Senate passage of the Southern Border Transparency Act, which would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to accurately report how it is handling migrants encountered at the border and ensure the American people have a full accounting of the number of migrants being released into the United States by the Biden-Harris Administration, along with information detailing where they are coming from.  The bill was introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), and Senator Collins was an original co-sponsor.

“The Southern Border Transparency Act will increase accountability and help Congress make informed decisions as it considers ways to enhance border security and reform our broken immigration system,” said Senator Collins. “Moreover, this legislation will help ensure that all Americans can understand the scope and scale of the crisis at the southern border."

The Southern Border Transparency Act would require DHS to fully report on how it is handling migrants encountered at the border, including:

1. The number of migrants paroled at each port of entry (POE) and in each Border Patrol sector;

2. The number of migrants apprehended at each POE and in each Border Patrol sector and how many were granted voluntary departure, placed into expedited removal, or simply released into the interior;

3. The number of petitions for parole received and granted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); and

4. The total number of migrants paroled into the United States each fiscal year, whether they are granted work authorization, and whether they ultimately depart the United States when their parole expires. 

Currently, the Biden-Harris Administration’s strategy for handling the influx of migrants at the border has been to use parole programs, including the Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan parole program, an expanded Central American Minors program that now includes adults, and the use of parole at POEs. Right now, there are only limited public data available on the total number of people who have been released into the U.S. under these programs, whether they are making asylum claims before they are released, what screenings are taking place, or whether these migrants ever depart the United States.

This legislation is also cosponsored by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), J.D. Vance (R-OH), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), James Lankford (R-OK), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), Todd Young (R-IN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Roger Marshall (R-KS), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Katie Britt (R-AL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Deb Fischer (R-NE).

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