S.Amdt. 3537

SA 3537, also known as the Creating Uniform Security and Transit Over Migratory Sectors Act (or the CUSTOMS Act), aims to change how land ports of entry along United States international borders are managed.

The primary purpose of this amendment is to transfer the custody and management of all land ports of entry from the Administrator of General Services to the Secretary of Homeland Security within five years.

Key Changes and Additions

• Custody Transfer: It establishes a timeline and process for the Secretary to assume sole custody of all land ports of entry, including a period of joint custody and interim management.
• Operational Management: It requires the creation of new offices within U.S. Customs and Border Protection to handle contracting, leasing, title acquisitions, and relationships with other government entities.
• Asylum Processing: Once the transfer is complete, the Secretary must identify at least 15 ports of entry on the Mexico border and 15 on the Canada border with high asylum seeker volumes. For these sites, the amendment seeks to establish dedicated pedestrian lanes and detail asylum officers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
• Staffing and Contracting: The Secretary is granted direct hire authority to staff these sites and must create a streamlined process for expediting contracts and interagency agreements.
• Accountability and Reporting: The amendment adds several reporting requirements:
  • Annual reports on port inventories, maintenance, and personnel actions.
  • Implementation reports regarding asylum processing facilities.
  • Biannual reports from the Comptroller General reviewing donations to ensure there is no waste, fraud, corruption, or abuse.