H.R. 2 · 119th Congress · House
Secure the Border Act
Introduced 2025-01-09 · Sponsored by Mark Green (R-TN) · Last updated 2026-03-30
Last action (2025-06-02): Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Summary
A comprehensive immigration bill that would restart border wall construction, increase Border Patrol staffing, limit asylum claims, expand expedited removal, and require employers to use E-Verify. It also ends the practice of catch-and-release and restricts parole authority.
The Good
Addresses border security staffing shortages
Authorizes hiring of 22,000 additional Border Patrol agents over five years to address documented staffing shortfalls. The Government Accountability Office has repeatedly identified understaffing as a critical vulnerability.
Requires employer verification (E-Verify)
Mandates all employers use the E-Verify system to confirm work authorization, which could reduce demand for unauthorized labor. Studies show mandatory E-Verify in states that adopted it reduced unauthorized employment.
Targets drug trafficking infrastructure
Includes provisions to classify fentanyl trafficking as a national security threat, adds penalties for smuggling operations, and authorizes technology upgrades at ports of entry for drug detection.
The Bad
Severely limits asylum protections
Raises the initial asylum screening standard from 'credible fear' to 'reasonable probability of persecution,' which immigration lawyers say would disqualify many legitimate refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has expressed concern this violates international obligations.
Estimated cost exceeds $100 billion over 10 years
The Congressional Budget Office estimated significant costs including border wall construction ($4-8 billion per segment), staffing increases, detention facility expansion, and technology deployments, without identified funding offsets.
Restricts legal immigration pathways
Limits parole authority that has been used for decades to admit people for humanitarian and public interest reasons. Also eliminates the Diversity Visa Lottery program, which provides 55,000 visas annually to underrepresented countries.
E-Verify has known error rates affecting legal workers
Studies have shown E-Verify produces false negatives and false positives that disproportionately affect naturalized citizens and legal workers with name changes. The system could cause legal workers to lose jobs while resolving errors.
Vote Record
House, 2025-05-23
Passed House Vote Record
Individual vote records will be available once the data pipeline fetches roll call data from Congress.gov.
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