6 U.S.C. § 240 — Border Enforcement Security Task Force

submitted 14 years ago by Pub. L. 107-296 to r/title-6-DOMESTIC-SECURITY · 526 words · no verdicts yet

in plain englishAI-generated · not legal advice

The Department of Homeland Security creates Border Enforcement Security Task Force (BEST) units to fight border security threats and violence. These units combine federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement to share information and coordinate operations, and the Secretary must report to Congress on how well BEST is working.

(a) Establishment: The Department creates a program called the Border Enforcement Security Task Force, or "BEST." (b) Purpose: BEST's goal is to set up units that improve border security by cutting down border threats and violence. It does this by (1) getting federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement to work together on border and homeland security, and (2) sharing more information, including homeland security information, among those agencies. (c) Composition and establishment of units. (1) Composition: BEST units can include people from (A) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (B) U.S. Customs and Border Protection, (C) the Coast Guard, (D) other Department staff as needed, (E) other federal agencies as needed, (F) state law enforcement, (G) foreign law enforcement as needed, (H) local law enforcement from affected border cities, and (I) tribal law enforcement. (2) Establishing units: The Secretary may create BEST units wherever they'd help the mission. Before creating one, the Secretary must consider (A) whether the area is significantly hit by cross-border threats, (B) whether enough federal, state, local, tribal, and foreign resources are available to join, (C) how much harm border threats are causing in that area and others, and (D) whether an Integrated Border Enforcement Team already exists there. (3) Avoiding duplication: When deciding whether to create a new unit or expand an existing one, the Secretary must make sure it doesn't duplicate other task forces or centers already working in that area. (d) Operation: Once the Secretary picks the jurisdictions for BEST units, the Secretary may (1) assign federal staff to BEST, with approval from their home agency, and (2) take other steps to help federal, state, local, and tribal agencies join BEST — including financial help for operations, administration, salary reimbursement, and technology costs. (e) Report: No later than 180 days after BEST is established, and then every year for the next 5 years, the Secretary must report to Congress on how well BEST is reducing drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and across U.S. borders — measured using crime statistics like violent deaths, violent incidents, and drug-related arrests.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a) Establishment

There is established within the Department a program to be known as the Border Enforcement Security Task Force (referred to in this section as “BEST”).

(b) Purpose

The purpose of BEST is to establish units to enhance border security by addressing and reducing border security threats and violence by—

(1)

facilitating collaboration among Federal, State, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies to execute coordinated activities in furtherance of border security, and homeland security; and

(2)

enhancing information-sharing, including the dissemination of homeland security information among such agencies.

(1) Composition

BEST units may be comprised of personnel from—

(A)

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;

(B)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection;

(C)

the United States Coast Guard;

(D)

other Department personnel, as appropriate 1

(E)

other Federal agencies, as appropriate;

(F)

appropriate State law enforcement agencies;

(G)

foreign law enforcement agencies, as appropriate;

(H)

local law enforcement agencies from affected border cities and communities; and

(I)

appropriate tribal law enforcement agencies.

(2) Establishment of units

The Secretary is authorized to establish BEST units in jurisdictions in which such units can contribute to BEST missions, as appropriate. Before establishing a BEST unit, the Secretary shall consider—

(A)

whether the area in which the BEST unit would be established is significantly impacted by cross-border threats;

(B)

the availability of Federal, State, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement resources to participate in the BEST unit;

(C)

the extent to which border security threats are having a significant harmful impact in the jurisdiction in which the BEST unit is to be established, and other jurisdictions in the country; and

(D)

whether or not an Integrated Border Enforcement Team already exists in the area in which the BEST unit would be established.

(3) Duplication of efforts

In determining whether to establish a new BEST unit or to expand an existing BEST unit in a given jurisdiction, the Secretary shall ensure that the BEST unit under consideration does not duplicate the efforts of other existing interagency task forces or centers within that jurisdiction.

(d) Operation

After determining the jurisdictions in which to establish BEST units under subsection (c)(2), and in order to provide Federal assistance to such jurisdictions, the Secretary may—

(1)

direct the assignment of Federal personnel to BEST, subject to the approval of the head of the department or agency that employs such personnel; and

(2)

take other actions to assist Federal, State, local, and tribal entities to participate in BEST, including providing financial assistance, as appropriate, for operational, administrative, salary reimbursement, and technological costs associated with the participation of Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in BEST.

(e) Report

Not later than 180 days after the date on which BEST is established under this section, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that describes the effectiveness of BEST in enhancing border security and reducing the drug trafficking, arms smuggling, illegal alien trafficking and smuggling, violence, and kidnapping along and across the international borders of the United States, as measured by crime statistics, including violent deaths, incidents of violence, and drug-related arrests.

Source credit: (Pub. L. 107–296, title IV, § 432, as added Pub. L. 112–205, § 3(a), Dec. 7, 2012, 126 Stat. 1488; amended Pub. L. 117–159, div. A, title II, § 12004(j), June 25, 2022, 136 Stat. 1332.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

2012Enacted · Pub. L. 107-296 · 126 Stat. 1488
2022Amended · Pub. L. 117-159 · 136 Stat. 1332

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 107-296 on 2012-12-07.

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