# What This Bill Does

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to publicly release monthly reports showing how many known or suspected terrorists have been caught trying to enter the United States. Right now, this information isn't regularly published for the public to see, so this bill would make it transparent and available to everyone. The reports would need to be posted on the DHS website by the 15th of each month, covering the previous month's encounters.

The reports would break down the numbers in different ways to give people a fuller picture. They'd show the total count of suspected terrorists encountered, but also separate those numbers by geographic region—showing where these encounters happened (at the southern border, northern border, airports, seaports, etc.) and whether they occurred on land, in the air, or at sea. This level of detail would let Americans and lawmakers see patterns about where security concerns are greatest.

The practical impact is mainly about transparency and public information. Citizens, news organizations, and elected officials would have regular, detailed data about terrorism-related border security encounters instead of having to request this information through other channels or relying on occasional announcements. This could inform public debate about border security priorities and resource allocation. However, it's worth noting that the bill doesn't change how border security actually works—it only requires reporting numbers that DHS already collects. The bill also references the "Terrorist Screening Database," which is the government's watch list of known and suspected terrorists, so the reports would include anyone on that list who attempts entry.

To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to publish the number of known or suspected terrorists encountered attempting to enter the United States on a monthly basis, and for other purposes.

 <p>This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to publish, by the 15th day of each month, the number of known or suspected terrorists, and individuals whose identities are included in the Terrorist Screening Database, encountered attempting to enter the United States during the immediately preceding month.</p>