[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1690 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1690
To authorize the Secretary of State to negotiate regional immigration
agreements, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 22, 2023
Mr. McCaul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the
Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of State to negotiate regional immigration
agreements, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Regional Immigration Diplomacy and
Enforcement Act'' or the ``RIDE Act''.
SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY REGARDING WESTERN HEMISPHERE COOPERATION
ON IMMIGRATION AND ASYLUM.
It is the policy of the United States to enter into agreements,
accords, and memoranda of understanding with sovereign countries in the
Western Hemisphere, the purposes of which are to advance the interests
of the United States by reducing costs associated with illegal
immigration and to protect the human capital, societal traditions, and
economic growth of other sovereign nations in the Western Hemisphere.
It is further the policy of the United States to ensure that
humanitarian and development assistance funding aimed at reducing
illegal immigration is not expended on programs that have not proven to
reduce illegal immigrant flows in the aggregate.
SEC. 3. NEGOTIATIONS BY SECRETARY OF STATE.
(a) Authorization To Negotiate.--The Secretary of State shall seek
to negotiate agreements, accords, and memoranda of understanding
between the United States, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala,
and other countries in the Western Hemisphere with respect to
cooperation and burden sharing required for effective regional
immigration enforcement, expediting legal claims by aliens for asylum,
and the processing, detention, and repatriation of foreign nationals
seeking to enter the United States unlawfully. Such agreements shall be
designed to facilitate a regional approach to immigration enforcement
and shall, at a minimum, provide that--
(1) the Government of Mexico authorize and accept the rapid
entrance into Mexico of nationals of countries other than
Mexico who seek asylum in Mexico, and process the asylum claims
of such nationals inside Mexico, in accordance with both
domestic law and international treaties and conventions
governing the processing of asylum claims;
(2) the Government of Mexico authorize and accept both the
rapid entrance into Mexico of all nationals of countries other
than Mexico who are ineligible for asylum in Mexico and wish to
apply for asylum in the United States, whether or not at a port
of entry, and the continued presence of such nationals in
Mexico while they wait for the adjudication of their asylum
claims to conclude in the United States;
(3) the Government of Mexico commit to provide the
individuals described in paragraphs (1) and (2) with
appropriate humanitarian protections;
(4) the Government of Honduras, the Government of El
Salvador, and the Government of Guatemala each authorize and
accept the entrance into the respective countries of nationals
of other countries seeking asylum in the applicable such
country and process such claims in accordance with applicable
domestic law and international treaties and conventions
governing the processing of asylum claims;
(5) the Government of the United States commit to work to
accelerate the adjudication of asylum claims and to conclude
removal proceedings in the wake of asylum adjudications as
expeditiously as possible;
(6) the Government of the United States commit to continue
to assist the governments of countries in the Western
Hemisphere, such as the Government of Honduras, the Government
of El Salvador, and the Government of Guatemala, by supporting
the enhancement of asylum capacity in those countries; and
(7) the Government of United States commit to monitoring
developments in hemispheric immigration trends and regional
asylum capabilities to determine whether additional asylum
cooperation agreements are warranted.
(b) Notification in Accordance With Case-Zablocki Act.--The
Secretary of State shall, in accordance with section 112b of title 1,
United States Code, promptly inform the relevant congressional
committees of all agreements entered into pursuant to subsection (a).
Such notifications shall be submitted not later than 48 hours after
such agreements are signed.
SEC. 4. MANDATORY BRIEFING ON UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE
BORDER CRISIS.
The Secretary of State or the Secretary's designee shall, not less
frequently than every 90 days, brief the relevant congressional
committees in person on efforts undertaken pursuant to the negotiation
authority provided by section 4 to monitor, deter, and prevent illegal
immigration to the United States, including by entering into
agreements, accords, and memoranda of understanding with foreign
countries and by using United States foreign assistance to allegedly
stem the root causes of migration in the Western Hemisphere.
SEC. 5. FEASIBILITY STUDY AND STRATEGY FOR OPENING AN INTERNATIONAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT CENTER IN SOUTHERN MEXICO.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of State, acting through the Director of the Bureau
of Overseas Building Operations in conjunction with the Assistant
Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and the Ambassador to
Mexico, in consultation with interagency partners and appropriate
counterparts of the Government of Mexico, shall--
(1) conduct a feasibility study of opening a multi-purpose
United States International Law Enforcement Center in southern
Mexico to assist in United States efforts to facilitate
cooperation to combat transnational organized crime and drug
trafficking organizations, as well as to reduce illegal
immigration without processing any immigration related benefits
to the United States; and
(2) submit to the relevant congressional committees a
strategy, including a timeline and expected costs, for opening
such a Center, incorporating the results of the feasibility
study.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Alien.--The term ``alien'' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1101).
(2) Relevant congressional committees.--The term ``relevant
congressional committees'' means the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate.
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