A new bipartisan bill in the House would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deliver a plan to Congress on how it can integrate emerging technology such as AI and machine learning at the border.
Reps. Lou Correa, D-Calif., and Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, introduced the bill – titled the Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act – on April 2 in an effort to enhance border security operations and help Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to better identify threats.
“Border security means keeping drug and human traffickers away from our communities – and new, bleeding-edge technology that is already available for commercial use would give our hard-working officers the tools they need to keep us safe,” Rep. Correa said in a press release.
“Through this bipartisan effort, Congress will better-understand how our officers can use new technology to stop smugglers, as well as identify and respond when migrants are crossing in remote and deadly conditions, and hopefully deliver them the resources they so desperately need,” Rep. Correa added.
The members of Congress explained that remote sensing technologies – such as infrared cameras and ground-based sensors – can help law enforcement to “detect and respond to migrants crossing in remote and deadly conditions, as well as cases of human trafficking and smuggling.”
Additionally, they said AI technologies can help to identify illicit substances at ports of entry.
In addition to the congressional report, the bill would also require one or more CBP Innovation Teams to research and adapt commercial innovative technologies that could address capability gaps at the border.
“As cartels and foreign adversary operations become more sophisticated amidst the ongoing border crisis, the United States must deploy the latest and most advanced technologies available to our borders to disrupt these threats,” Rep. Luttrell said.
“I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation with my colleague, Representative Correa, that aims to combat and neutralize threats at our borders. I’ll continue to push for effective measures to safeguard our country and enforce our laws,” he added.
The bill comes weeks after DHS published its first-ever AI Roadmap, which lays out the agency’s AI initiatives, describes the potential of AI technologies across the department, and offers clearer visibility into DHS’s approach to AI.
According to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the agency is launching three new pilot programs that will allow the department to assess the efficacy of AI in improving its mission capabilities.
