Sec. 610. Mental health at the border
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This section may be cited as the . Immigrants’ Mental Health Act of 2020 In this section: The term forward operating base means a permanent facility established by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in forward or remote locations, and designated as such by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The term U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility means any of the following facilities at which migrants are typically detained on behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection: U.S. Border Patrol stations.
Ports of entry. Checkpoints. Forward operating bases. Secondary inspection areas. Short-term custody facilities. The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, and nongovernmental experts in the delivery of health care in humanitarian crises and in the delivery of health care to children, shall develop and implement a training curriculum for U.S.
Customs and Border Protection agents and officers assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities to enable such agents and officers to identify the risk factors and warning signs in immigrants and refugees of mental health issues relating to trauma. The training curriculum described in subparagraph
(A)shall— apply to all U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers working at U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities; provide for crisis intervention using a trauma-informed approach; and provide for mental health screenings for immigrants and refugees arriving at the border in their preferred language or with appropriate language assistance. The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, and nongovernmental experts in the delivery of mental health care, shall develop and implement a training curriculum for U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities to address the mental health and wellness of individuals working at such facilities. The training curriculum described in subparagraph
(A)shall be designed to help U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and officers working at U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities— to better manage their own stress and the stress of their coworkers; and to be more aware of the psychological pressures experienced during their jobs. Beginning with respect to fiscal year 2022, the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use shall— conduct an annual review of the training implemented pursuant to paragraphs
(1)and (2); and submit the results of each such review, including any recommendations for improvement of such training, to— the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate ; the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate ; the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate ; the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives ; the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives ; the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives ; and the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives . There is authorized to be appropriated, to carry out this subsection— for fiscal year 2021, $50,000 to develop the training required under paragraphs
(1)and (2); and for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026— $20,000 to implement the training required under paragraphs
(1)and (2); and such sums as may be necessary to review and make recommendations for such training pursuant to paragraph (3). The Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall adequately evaluate the mental health needs of immigrants, refugees, border patrol agents, and staff by assigning not fewer than 1 qualified mental or behavioral health expert to each U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility. A mental or behavioral health expert is qualified for an assignment described in paragraph
(1)if the expert— is bilingual; is well-versed in culturally appropriate and trauma-informed interventions; and has particular expertise in child or adolescent mental health or family mental health. There is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this subsection. The officers, employees, and agents of the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Office of Refugee Resettlement, may not share with the Department of Homeland Security, and the officers, employees, and agents of the Department of Homeland Security may not request or receive from the Department of Health and Human Services, for the purposes of an asylum determination, immigration hearing, or deportation proceeding, any information or record that— concerns the mental health of an alien; and was obtained or produced by a mental or behavioral health professional while the alien was in a shelter or otherwise in the custody of the Federal Government.