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Here's what you need to know about the border security compromise that could avert another government shutdown
Here's what you need to know about the border security compromise that could avert another government shutdown
Joe PerticoneFeb 15, 2019, 00:59 IST
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)Associated Press
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The bipartisan conference committee unveiled their border security compromise late Wednesday night.
The White House is currently reviewing the package, but President Trump is expected to sign it.
The compromise was crafted to avert another government shutdown.
The bipartisan, bicameral conference committee released their border security compromise late Wednesday night. The plan includes funding for a number of key areas regarding United States national security and protection along the southern and northern borders.
The bill is 1,159 pages. Here are some of the key elements of the plan.
President Donald Trump requested 52,000 detention beds for undocumented immigrants. But the compromise plan is designed to bring the number of detention beds from 49,000 down to 40,520 by the end of fiscal year 2019.
A huge increase in Customs and Border Protection funding.
Nearly $15 billion will be dedicated to Customs and Border Protection, up $942 million from 2018.
In the CBP funding, ports of entry will received a $564 million boost for equipment, $100 million for border security technology, and $414.7 million to help with medical care and living conditions for migrants apprehended at the border.
ICE's budget will also dramatically increase.
The agreement will give $7.6 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an increase from $511 million from last year's budget. The funding will add to ICE's efforts to combat human trafficking and opiod smuggling.
ICE will now have to submit weekly reports to Congress accounting for the average daily detained population.
The deal includes funding for physical barriers along the border.
The bill includes $1.375 billion for physical barriers along the US-Mexico border. That money will translate to 55 miles of pedestrian and levee fencing along the Rio Grande Valley.
However, fencing will be prohibited in certain areas.
Fencing will be prohibited in certain areas as well, including:
Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge
Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park
La Lomita Historical Park
National Butterfly Center
Vista del Mar Ranch tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Refuge
Cybersecurity funding decreases from previous year.
At a little more than $1 billion, the cybersecurity decreases by $48 million from fiscal year 2018. That's still more the White House's initial request.
According to a summary of the plan, $33 million will be provided for identifying "vulnerabilities in election systems."
The Secret Service gets a boost.
The United States Secret Service will receive $2.3 billion, a much larger amount than Trump's initial request.
"An increase of $24 million is for initial training and preparation for the 2020 Presidential campaign," according to a summary from the Senate Appropriations Committee.
