S. 3571, the "Keeping Our Agents on the Line Act," would restrict U.S. Border Patrol officers to conducting their traditional duties within 25 miles of the U.S. border. The bill responds to concerns that Border Patrol has expanded its operations into the interior of the country, making arrests far from the border without adequate training for complex law enforcement activities, and sometimes without proper warrants. The legislation would prohibit Border Patrol from operating beyond the 25-mile zone except in emergency situations or following a presidential disaster declaration, returning the agency's focus to border security rather than interior immigration enforcement. The bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection to report within 30 days on interior operations and within 90 days to establish data collection systems for checkpoint performance and arrests, with findings posted publicly. This affects Border Patrol officers and employees nationwide while potentially shifting interior immigration enforcement responsibilities back to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which receives more specialized training for such operations.
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