Special to the News-Times
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, and Lou Correa, D-Calif., members of the House Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee, recently introduced the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act, which officially passed in the U.S. House of Representatives today with strong bipartisan support.
This legislation will require the Department of Homeland Security to present a comprehensive plan to Congress aimed at identifying, integrating, and deploying cutting-edge technologies to enhance border security operations.
“As cartels and foreign adversary operations become more sophisticated amidst the ongoing border crisis, the United States must deploy the latest and most advanced technologies available to our borders to disrupt these threats,” Luttrell said. “I’m proud of the bipartisan work we’ve done with Congressman Correa. I’ll continue to push for effective measures to safeguard our country and enforce our laws.”
“Border security means keeping drugs and other negative elements away from our communities — and cutting-edge technology that is already available for commercial use gives our hard-working officers the tools they need to keep us safe,” Correa said. “Through this bipartisan effort, Congress will better understand how our officers can use new technology to stop smugglers crossing in remote and deadly conditions, and hopefully deliver our officers the resources they so desperately need. I look forward to seeing this legislation pass the United States Senate and make its way to President Biden’s desk.”
Specifically, the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act would:
• Require the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 180 days, to submit a comprehensive plan to Congress to identify, integrate, and deploy new, innovative, disruptive, or other emerging technologies into border security operations.
• Authorize one or more CBP Innovation Teams to research and adapt commercial technologies that are new, innovative, or disruptive into border security operations to address both capability gaps and urgent mission needs and assess their potential outcomes.
• Require each CBP Innovation Team to have both operating procedures that clarify roles and responsibilities within such team with respect to DHS and non-Federal partners as well as protocols for entering agreements to rapidly transition technologies into new or existing programs of record.
