Permanent Trump Secure Border Act

Key Points

• The bill requires resuming border wall construction within seven days and mandates at least 900 miles of physical barriers, tactical infrastructure, and technology along the southwest border. It authorizes annual benchmarks for 200 miles of wall construction and broad waiver authority to bypass legal requirements for expeditious building.
• The bill dramatically restricts asylum by creating a safe third country bar, raising the credible fear standard to "more likely than not," requiring asylum seekers to apply at a port of entry, imposing application fees, and expanding the list of criminal convictions that disqualify someone from asylum eligibility.
• For the first time, overstaying a visa by 10 or more days would become a federal crime punishable by fines and up to six months in jail for a first offense, or up to two years for repeat offenses. Civil penalties of $500 to $1,000 per violation would also apply.
• The bill requires a minimum of 22,000 full-time Border Patrol agents and authorizes up to $100 million in retention bonuses for agents at GS-12 or below with five or more years of service who commit to two additional years. It also limits the CBP One app to perishable cargo inspections only.
• Parole authority is severely restricted to narrow case-by-case determinations for urgent humanitarian reasons like medical emergencies, organ donations, or funerals, and for significant public benefit limited to law enforcement assistance. Parole recipients generally cannot accept employment.
• Unaccompanied children from all countries, not just those bordering the U.S., would be subject to swift repatriation if they are not trafficking victims and do not have a credible fear of return. The bill also eliminates government-funded legal counsel for these children and requires sponsors to be reported to immigration authorities.