Members of the U.S. House of Representatives representing districts along the Northern and Southern U.S. borders introduced a bill that directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a strategy to integrate emerging technologies in the nation’s border security strategy.
The Integrating New Technologies to Empower Law-Enforcement (INTEL) at Our Borders Act was introduced by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Xochitl Torres Small (D-NM), and Van Taylor (R-TX).
The bill requires the DHS to assess how it is currently using emerging technologies for border security and assess existing gaps in situational awareness along the northern and southern borders to identify how emerging technology programs can help fill those gaps. This bill also points out that a lack of personnel exists along the northern border of the United States, despite it being twice the length of the southern border.
“As Co-Chair of the Northern Border Caucus, I work closely with local leaders to introduce legislation that supports our unique northern border needs,” Stefanik said. “I am proud to co-introduce this bipartisan legislation, which will shed light on the unique difficulties that our Customs and Border Protection personnel and other law enforcement experience, including a shortage of agents available, and provide DHS with a framework to make improvements. Because of the unique geography of the northern border, the implementation of new emerging technologies is also an important component of this bill. I will continue to work with our U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and DHS to advocate for our northern border at the federal level, and I look forward to advancing this legislation in a bipartisan fashion.”