Border Security: Expanding U.S. Customs Waters
A senate committee must act next: committee consideration.
The bill has strong bipartisan support in the Senate and addresses a clear security gap, but it still needs to move through committees in both chambers.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
The bill lets Customs and Border Protection stop and search vessels suspected of immigration law violations out to 24 nautical miles from shore instead of 12. This gives agents more time and distance to intercept boats carrying migrants before they reach U.S. land, making unauthorized maritime entry harder to complete.
“the vessel is destined for the State or has violated or is attempting to violate the customs, fiscal, immigration, or sanitary laws and regulations of that State”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) introduced the House version of the bill (H.R. 1268) to expand CBP jurisdiction from 12 to 24 nautical miles. Salazar emphasized the need to stop drug smuggling and human trafficking in Florida's coastal waters before they reach the shore.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) has refiled the Extending Limits of United States Customs Waters Act for the 119th Congress. The legislation aims to double the enforcement zone for the Coast Guard and CBP to 24 miles to better intercept fast-moving smuggling vessels.
During a roundtable on the fentanyl crisis, Senator Rick Scott discussed his proposal to extend the waters that the U.S. Coast Guard is allowed to interdict ships in, pushing the limit from 12 to 24 miles out to address illegal drug trafficking.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Extending Limits of United States Customs Waters Act of 2025
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