Immigration Bills

S. 653, Secure Travel and Counterterrorism Partnership Act, would grant DHS the authority to waive the Visa Waiver Program's (VWP) low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate requirements with respect to a country's participation in the VWP (i.e., have a low nonimmigrant visa refusal rate for two years) if the country has acceptable travel security measures and assists the U.S. in the War on Terror. It would require DHS to develop a system that collects basic biographical information and flight information of aliens traveling to the U.S.

S. 575, Border Infrastructure and Technology Modernization Act of 2007, would increase the numbers of full-time agents Immigration and Customs agents and full-time Customs and Border Protection inspectors, requiring both to complete the appropriate training programs. It also would require the Department of Homeland Security to put into place plans that improved border and trade security, respective to each organization.

S. 422, Secure Border Crossing Card Entry Act of 2007, would have established parity between Mexican nationals visiting the United States who possessed a valid biometric Border Crossing Card (BCC, also known as a laser visa) and have completed the necessary security checks, and Canadian visitors by allowing BCC bearers to remain in the United States for six months (Mexican nationals with BCCs may only stay in the United States for 30 days, while Canadians possessing tourist visas may stay up to one year).

H.Con.Res. 40 would express the sense of the House that the United States should not engage in the construction of a NAFTA Superhighway System and should not allow the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) to implement additional regulations to create a North American Union with Canada and Mexico. A so-called NAFTA Superhighway could have the effect of virtually eliminating U.S. borders, thus cosponsoring H.Con.Res. 40 is a step to protect U.S. sovereignty and border security.

S. 330, Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2007, would add an additional 3,000 Border Patrol agents authorized by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and would require that 20 percent of the annual net increase in agents be assigned to the northern border.