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Executive Summary

More than eight million people have been encountered at the southern border during the Biden administration. This does not include those who have crossed the border illegally without being stopped.

This ongoing crisis at the border poses a significant risk to national security and public safety across the United States, as well as operational and institutional challenges for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In FY2024, CBP reported encountering more than 33,000 noncitizen criminals and seizing nearly 20,000 pounds of fentanyl. The U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2024 threat assessment described transnational criminal organizations as threats to public health and the rule of law, and a driver of human trafficking. Moreover, the current crisis at the border invites additional national security threats.

Solving the border security crisis will require national action to address the push and pull factors that are driving the mass migration. It may also require erecting physical barriers where possible across the border. But these reforms have proven elusive to date on Capitol Hill, given the challenging politics of border security and immigration enforcement.

In the short term, Congress and the White House could significantly improve border security by leveraging technology and increasing staffing to support border security and enforcement efforts. Ongoing technical innovations, such as advancements in artificial intelligence, cargo scanning, and counter-drone technology, have the potential to be force multipliers for law enforcement.

To secure the border, Congress should:

• Together with the executive branch, commit to sustained funding increases to adequately staff and resource the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress and DHS should establish a sustained program to acquire and deploy necessary technologies, including autonomous systems that use AI, to support CBP’s mission and to enable U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to supervise the growing number of people on the immigration court docket.
• Require DHS to prepare a workforce and acquisitions plan to establish staffing and resource needs to fulfill DHS’s border security mission, including establishing operational control.
• Conduct ongoing oversight of DHS’s workforce planning, acquisitions management, and program operations to ensure that CBP accesses and uses appropriate technology and that DHS operations, including technological management, are conducted in a cost-effective manner consistent with civil liberties.