Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
Washington, D.C. – Congressmen Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) and Michael McCaul (R-Texas) reintroduced the Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) Authorization Act. The legislation would authorize a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program that works with international partners to identify and stop dangerous criminals and potential terrorists before they reach U.S. borders.
The Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) would enable the U.S. government to provide partner countries with specialized training and technology to collect biometric and biographic data from individuals traveling along irregular migration routes. The objective is to identify high-risk individuals earlier in the process, prior to their arrival at U.S. ports of entry. The bill would formally establish the program within DHS and strengthen congressional oversight of its implementation and results. It also maintains that U.S. citizens may opt out of providing biometrics for the entry and exit system.
“Strong border security depends on international coordination and having the resources to stop threats before they reach our communities. The BITMAP Authorization Act will help us identify dangerous individuals earlier, expand collaboration with regional partners, and strengthen congressional oversight through firm reporting requirements on partner agreements and program outcomes,” said Congressman Cuellar. “As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, I thank my friend and colleague Congressman McCaul for his collaboration on this bipartisan effort to ensure law enforcement has what it needs to protect the American people and stay ahead of future security threats.”
“High-risk individuals such as traffickers, terrorists, and transnational gang members may attempt to conceal their identities to enter our country undetected, but they cannot falsify biometric data,” said Congressman McCaul. “The successful BITMAP program empowers our regional partners to identify and stop these individuals long before they reach our borders. I’m proud to reintroduce this bill on a bipartisan basis with Congressman Cuellar. The more we extend our security efforts beyond our borders, the safer our homeland will be.”
