Cortez Masto Introduces Legislation to Enhance Border Security Technology

The Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act Would Improve Areas Where High-Tech Solutions Can Enhance Border Security

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced legislation to strengthen border security by helping U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) better integrate innovative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, infrared sensing, and nanotechnology at the border.

"Law enforcement officers at the border need advanced tools to detect drug smuggling, crack down on human trafficking, and keep our communities safe - and we have the power to help deliver them," said Senator Cortez Masto. "This bipartisan legislation will help CBP identify and deploy emerging technologies and ensure our border security operations are sophisticated, comprehensive, and effective."

Investment in cutting-edge technologies - from infrared cameras to AI-powered image recognition - can help CBP better identify life-threatening situations, respond to cases of human trafficking and drug smuggling, and detect and classify illicit substances at ports of entry. In 2018, the CBP Commissioner created the Innovation Team to more quickly deliver critical technologies to support CBP operations. The Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act ensures the Innovation Team continue to stay at the forefront of technological advancements. Specifically, it would:

1. Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a timely, comprehensive plan to Congress to identify, integrate, and deploy emerging technologies into border security operations;
2. Formally codify the CBP Innovation Team model, standardize operating procedures, and authorize these teams to research and adapt new commercial technologies to best assist in border security operations.

The companion version of the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act was introduced by Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.-46) and Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-Texas-8) and passed out of the House on September 23, 2024. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs passed this bill out of Committee on November 20, 2024. The National Treasury Employees Union has endorsed this bill.

You can read the bill text HERE.

Senator Cortez Masto has been working to support border security and crack down on illicit drugs since she was first elected Attorney General, when she worked with Nevada's Republican governor, law enforcement, and Mexican officials to combat the rise of cross-border drug trafficking. In the Senate, she has consistently pushed for critical border security measures and has called on the Biden administration to prioritize additional resources to stop the flow of illicit drugs like fentanyl through ports of entry along the border. This year, she repeatedly voted to advance legislation to provide nearly $14 billion in funding to strengthen border security, support law enforcement and the southern border, and humanely process migrants.

###