Solving the Border Crisis Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Solving the Border Crisis Act
This bill addresses immigration and border security issues, including by restarting construction of a border wall.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must resume all activities related to the construction of a border wall system along the U.S.-Mexico border that were planned or underway prior to January 20, 2021.
Furthermore, this bill imposes limits on terminating the entry suspension policy known as Title 42. (Generally, Title 42 authorizes DHS to suspend the entry of certain non-U.S. nationals or imports on public health grounds. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, DHS used Title 42 to expel certain undocumented migrants without an opportunity to seek asylum.)
Under this bill, the COVID-19 Title 42 policy may not be terminated until at least 120 days after the Surgeon General notifies Congress that the COVID-19 emergency declaration has been terminated.
The bill also nullifies an interim final rule that authorizes asylum officers to determine whether non-U.S. nationals encountered at the border have a credible fear of persecution for asylum purposes.
Furthermore, for an individual arriving by land from a neighboring country and not clearly admissible into the United States, DHS may send that individual to a safe third country.
DHS must ensure certain staffing levels for various agencies involved with immigration enforcement, including the U.S. Border Patrol.
The bill also (1) authorizes DHS to use certain mandatory fees for expenses related to detaining non-U.S. nationals, and (2) requires DHS to ensure that there is enough detention capacity to comply with mandatory detention requirements.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on March 8, 2023. 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 March 8, 2023: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 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 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 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?
James Risch (R-ID) introduced it on March 8, 2023, 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 March 8, 2023, 1282 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1282 days ago, on March 8, 2023.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 118th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2025 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