Tennessee U.S. Rep. and Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green Introduces the Border Reinforcement Act

Kaitlin Housler

Tennessee U.S. Representative and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security Mark Green (R-TN-07) led Republican members of the committee in introducing the Border Reinforcement Act of 2023.

The legislation, according to Green’s office, “ensures U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with state and local law enforcement, have the tools needed to respond to this record-breaking border crisis created by President Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ refusal to enforce our laws and secure our sovereign borders.”

If signed into law, the legislation (H.R.2794) would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to implement the following:

  • Immediately resume construction of the border wall;
  • Mandate hiring to meet the need of 22,000 Border Patrol agents;
  • Require CBP to develop a technology investment plan, while also upgrading existing technology;
  • Require DHS to disclose to Congress and make public all monthly data, including monthly known gotaway numbers, which are currently not public, on or before the 7th day of each month;
  • Establish retention bonuses for U.S. Border Patrol personnel who meet certain requirements;
  • Provide increased support through Operation Stonegarden grants to local law enforcement jurisdictions in land and maritime border states to enhance border security measures; and
  • Reinstate the CBP One app’s function to its original intent by barring DHS from using it for non-commercial purposes, including immigration processing.

The bill, nearly 70 pages long, was filed Monday. The bill’s introduction comes more than one month after the House Committee on Homeland Security held a field hearing in Texas and heard testimony from U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz and other CBP agents regarding the U.S.-Mexico border crisis.

“This legislation demands transparency from DHS and ensures CBP and border states have the infrastructure, personnel, and technology needed to take back control of our sovereign borders. It’s time to put the cartels in their place and put the protection of our communities first,” Chairman Green said in a statement.

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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Image “Rep. Mark Green” by Rep Mark Green.

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