# What the "Securing our Border Act" Actually Does

Despite its name, this bill isn't primarily about border security in the traditional sense. It's actually about redirecting money that was originally intended for something completely different—specifically, it takes unspent funds from the IRS enforcement account and repurposes them for border-related activities. The bill splits these redirected funds into two main parts: one-third goes toward upgrading scanning technology at border checkpoints, and two-thirds goes toward building border wall construction.

The scanning technology portion aims to inspect every vehicle crossing the northern and southern borders by 2034. Currently, only about 2 percent of passenger vehicles and 20 percent of commercial vehicles get scanned for drugs and other contraband. The bill's supporters argue this is necessary because large quantities of fentanyl and other drugs are crossing the border—over 275,000 pounds were seized in 2024 alone. The wall construction portion would fund physical barrier construction along the southwest border over the next decade, with the Department of Homeland Security required to submit quarterly progress reports to Congress.

The bill also includes provisions to help recruit and retain border patrol agents by offering bonuses: up to $15,000 for newly hired agents who complete training, annual retention bonuses up to 15 percent of an agent's salary, and relocation bonuses up to 15 percent of salary for agents willing to transfer to understaffed locations. Additionally, the bill changes how the government handles asylum seekers arriving from neighboring countries, requiring them to either be returned to their home country or a "safe third country" while their asylum cases are processed, rather than being released into the United States.

Securing our Border Act

Moore, Tim

Securing our Border ActThis bill addresses issues concerning border security and immigration, including by transferring unobligated funds from the Internal Revenue Service to certain border-related projects.Specifically, the bill transfers certain unobligated funds previously appropriated for tax enforcement activities (e.g., collecting owed taxes and conducting criminal investigations) to fund (1) nonintrusive inspection systems along the northern border and southwest border of the United States, and (2) the construction of a border wall system along the southwest border.The bill also authorizes the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to pay recruitment, retention, and relocation bonuses, subject to various requirements and limitations. For example, a relocation bonus may not exceed 15% of the agent's annual basic bay and must be conditioned on the agent agreeing to serve for at least three years at the new duty station.The bill also modifies the treatment of non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) arriving by land from a country next to the United States. Specifically, if such an individual is not clearly entitled to admission into the United States, the Department of Justice must (1) return the individual to that neighboring country or a safe third country while removal proceedings are pending, or (2) detain the individual while the individual's asylum application is under consideration. (Current law authorizes DOJ to return the individual to the neighboring country but does not require such action or detention.)