This bill tells U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to create a plan for using new and advanced technologies to improve how they monitor and secure the border. The technologies could include things like artificial intelligence, cameras with special sensors, radar systems, and computer programs that can identify and categorize what they're seeing.

To make this happen, CBP can set up special teams called Innovation Teams that will research new technologies—including ones already used by other government agencies or sold commercially—and figure out how to adapt them for border security work. These teams will test and recommend which technologies actually work well.

Within six months, CBP has to give Congress a detailed plan explaining what they're doing, including their goals and timeline for using these technologies, how they'll measure whether the new systems actually work better, and importantly, how these technologies might affect privacy and security for people living in border communities. After that, CBP has to report back to Congress every year about what the Innovation Teams are accomplishing. The goal is to modernize border security while being thoughtful about the impact on the people who live near the border.

Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act

Correa, J. Luis

Emerging Innovative Border Technologies ActThis bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security to develop a plan to identify, integrate, and deploy emerging and innovative technologies to improve border security operations. Such technologies may incorporate artificial intelligence, machine-learning, automation, fiber-optic sensing technology, nanotechnology, optical and cognitive radar, modeling and simulation technology, hyperspectral and LIDAR sensors, and imaging, identification, and categorization systems.&nbsp;The bill authorizes CBP to establish one or more Innovation Teams to research and adapt commercial technologies that may be used by CBP.The plan must describe how the Innovation Teams have been implemented and also detail<ul><li>goals and timelines for adoption of qualifying technologies,</li><li>metrics and key performance parameters for determining the plan's effectiveness,</li><li>which technologies used by other federal agencies CBP may also utilize,</li><li>which existing authorities CBP may use to procure technologies,</li><li>how CBP legacy border technology programs may be replaced,</li><li>the expected privacy and security impact of security-related technology on border communities, and</li><li>recent technological advancements in specified technologies.</li></ul>CBP must provide the plan to Congress within 180 days of the bill’s enactment.&nbsp;The bill also requires CBP to annually report to Congress regarding the activities of the Innovation Teams.