# Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act of 2023

This bill focuses on making it easier for goods and people to move across U.S. borders while also strengthening security and enforcement efforts. The main goal is to streamline the process at border checkpoints so that legitimate trade and travel happen faster, while giving border officials better tools to catch smuggling, human trafficking, and other illegal activities.

The bill addresses a common frustration: long wait times at borders can hurt businesses and travelers, but security can't be compromised. It does this by modernizing how border agencies work together and giving them updated technology and resources. For example, it aims to improve information sharing between different government agencies so they can identify problems more quickly. It also focuses on hiring and training more border personnel, particularly in areas that are understaffed. The bill includes provisions to help process legitimate trade documents faster while maintaining strict checks on suspicious shipments and people.

For everyday people, this could mean shorter waits when crossing the border for vacation or work, and potentially lower costs for imported goods if trade moves more smoothly. For businesses that import or export products, faster processing could reduce delays and expenses. However, the bill also emphasizes enforcement, so it strengthens penalties for smuggling and illegal border crossing. The bill essentially tries to balance two competing goals: making legitimate border crossing more efficient while making it harder for criminals and contraband to get through.

Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act of 2023

Lankford, James

Border Enforcement, Security, and Trade (BEST) Facilitation Act of 2023 This bill establishes positions within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to review inspection images of vehicles and cargo entering or exiting the United States. Specifically, the bill establishes the position of image adjudicator within the CBP Office of Field Operations. An image adjudicator must (1) review nonintrusive inspection images of vehicles and cargo entering or exiting the United States; (2) assess whether such vehicles and cargo contain contraband, illicit drugs, weapons, or persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States; and (3) refer suspicious vehicles and cargo for further inspection by a CBP officer. The bill also establishes the position of supervisory image adjudicator with additional responsibilities, including receiving and reporting intelligence to the National Targeting Center about techniques used by malign actors to transport contraband, illicit drugs, weapons, and persons seeking to unlawfully enter the United States. The bill establishes annual training requirements for both image adjudicator and supervisory image adjudicator positions, including training on privacy and civil liberties and how to analyze inspection images. Within a year of this bill's enactment, CBP must develop a workforce staffing model for these positions. The Government Accountability Office must validate the model within six months of the model's completion.