Sec. 505. Pilot program for electronic field processing

328 words·~1 min read·/bill/113/hr/2278/rh/section-505

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The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish a pilot program in at least five of the 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices with the largest removal caseloads to allow Immigration and Customs deportation officers and immigration enforcement agents to— electronically process and serve charging documents, including Notices to Appear, while in the field; and electronically process and place detainers while in the field. The pilot program described in subsection

(a)shall be designed to allow deportation officers and immigration enforcement agents to use handheld or vehicle-mounted computers to— enter any required data, including personal information about the alien subject and the reason for issuing the document; apply the electronic signature of the issuing officer or agent; set the date the alien is required to appear before an immigration judge, in the case of Notices to Appear; print any documents the alien subject may be required to sign, along with additional copies of documents to be served on the alien; and interface with the ENFORCE database so that all data is stored and retrievable. The pilot program described in subsection

(a)shall be designed to replace, to the extent possible, the current paperwork and data-entry process used for issuing such charging documents and detainers. The Secretary shall initiate the pilot program described in subsection

(a)within 6 months of the date of enactment of this Act. The Government Accountability Office shall report to the Judiciary Committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives no later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act on the effectiveness of the pilot program and provide recommendations for improving it. The ICE Advisory Council established by section 504 shall include an recommendations on how the pilot program should work in the first quarterly report of the Council, and shall include assessments of the program and recommendations for improvement in each subsequent report. This section shall take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.