SECURE Act of 2017
Latest action. Read the second time. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 275.
Security, Enforcement, and Compassion United in Reform Efforts Act or the SECURE Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the U.S. southern border and to deter and detect illegal activity in high traffic areas.
The bill authorizes National Guard and Department of Defense support to secure such border.
DHS shall establish: (1) a National Border Security Advisory Committee, (2) the Integrated Border Enforcement Team program, (3) Tunnel Task Forces, and (4) a biometric exit data system to complete the required integrated biometric entry and exit data system.
The bill provides for: (1) additional border control and immigration personnel, (2) reimbursement to state and local prosecutors for federally initiated immigration-related criminal cases, (3) expansion of biometric technology and data, and (4) immigration detention capacity increases.
Operation Stonegarden is established in DHS.
DHS shall reinstate and operate the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program.
DHS may construct new ports of entry along the northern and southern borders.
The bill revises provisions regarding: (1) alien apprehension and detention, (2) nonimmigrant admissions, (3) parole authority, (4) sanctuary jurisdictions, (5) unaccompanied alien children, (6) human smuggling and trafficking, (7) drug trafficking and crimes of violence committed by illegal aliens, (8) visa and passport security, (9) background checks, (10) status adjustment, (11) naturalization, (12) asylum, (13) terrorists, (14) expedited removal, (15) immigration-related crimes and penalties, and (16) DHS positions in U.S. territories.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on December 5, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on December 6, 2017: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 275.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced it on December 5, 2017, and 5 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 5 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on December 5, 2017, 3201 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3200 days ago, on December 6, 2017.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers