H.R. 2 would limit the ability of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide parole to aliens (non-U.S. nationals), which allows them to temporarily enter the United States, in part by defining the reasons for which that parole may be granted. The bill also would change how DHS treats aliens applying for asylum and unaccompanied alien children crossing the border. The bill also would change the department’s procedures for interacting with aliens seeking to enter the United States without authorization. H.R. 2 would require the Department of State to negotiate with countries in the Western Hemisphere, particularly El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, concerning agreements related to claims for asylum.
H.R. 2 would require all employers to use E-Verify, a federal web-based system that allows public- and private-sector employers to confirm that employees are eligible to work in the United States. H.R. 2 would phase in the requirement over several years, with deadlines depending on the size of an employer’s workforce. In addition, the bill would modify existing civil and criminal penalties for hiring people without work authorization.
H.R. 2 would require DHS to resume activities related to building a wall along the southwestern border of the United States, as planned or under construction before January 20, 2021 (the date on which that project was paused), and would require DHS to construct at least 900 miles of wall and physical barriers along that border. The bill also would direct Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to hire enough border patrol agents to maintain staffing at 22,000.
In addition, the bill would require CBP to hire new polygraph examiners to test candidate agents, increase annual flight hours for manned surveillance operations, and operate unmanned aircraft systems around the clock along the southern U.S. border. The bill also would authorize appropriations for various programs within DHS, including Operation Stonegarden (a grant program), eradicating invasive vegetation along the Rio Grande, and upgrading technology at ports of entry.
