Keeping Our Agents on the Line Act

Bill Number

S. 3571

Origin Chamber

Senate

Congress

119th Congress, Session 1

Policy Area

Immigration

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2025-12-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Last Updated

2026-01-21T08:03:45Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The Keeping Our Agents on the Line Act aims to restrict U.S. Border Patrol personnel to their core duties of securing the U.S. land border, preventing them from conducting operations deep inside the country. It addresses concerns that Border Patrol has expanded into interior enforcement roles, such as arrests without warrants, which overlap with other agencies and risk civil rights violations due to inadequate training.

Key Provisions

• Findings Section: Outlines congressional concerns, including Border Patrol agents' desire to focus on border duties rather than administrative tasks like processing asylum seekers; expanded interior arrest powers in 2025 leading to duplication of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) roles; arrests of U.S. citizens without judicial warrants; patrols beyond traditional border areas; and violent encounters stemming from agents' lack of training for complex interior investigations.
• 25-Mile Limitation (Section 3):
• Defines "immigration officers and employees of U.S. Border Patrol" as any Border Patrol staff, contractors, or temporary assignees.
• Defines "reasonable distance" as no more than 25 miles from any U.S. international land border or territorial sea (coastal waters).
• Prohibits Border Patrol from exercising immigration enforcement powers under Section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (which allows warrantless arrests and searches near borders) beyond 25 miles.
• Bans delegating expanded authority to Border Patrol for interior operations unless:
• Requested by state or local officials for an emergency where lives are in immediate danger, per state/local law; or
• Authorized by the President's declaration of a major disaster under federal disaster relief law.
• Data Collection and Reporting (Section 4):
• Checkpoint Data: Within 90 days of enactment, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner must:
• Set milestones for a "checkpoint performance model" to measure detections (apprehensions and seizures) against undetected illegal activity.
• Publish findings and data annually on a public website.
• Implement internal controls for data accuracy and completeness.
• Report total encounters at checkpoints, broken down by U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and non-citizens (aliens).
• Arrest Data: Within 30 days of enactment, the CBP Commissioner must:
• Report the number of Border Patrol agents operating in the U.S. interior.
• Detail each agent's training on searches and seizures compliant with the Fourth Amendment (which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures).
• Document and publicly report outcomes of interior interactions with U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or non-citizens, including arrests, detentions, stops, or charges (criminal or civil).

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Reinforces and strictly enforces the existing "reasonable distance" limit (historically interpreted as about 100 miles but often 25 miles in practice) under immigration law, explicitly tying it to 25 miles and prohibiting its expansion without exceptions.
• Introduces new restrictions on delegating interior enforcement powers to Border Patrol, which were apparently granted in 2025 without such limits, reducing overlap with ICE.
• Adds mandatory public reporting and transparency requirements for checkpoints and interior operations, which were not previously required at this level of detail or frequency.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: Limits CBP/Border Patrol's operational scope, potentially redirecting agents to border duties and increasing reliance on ICE for interior immigration enforcement. Requires new data systems and reporting, increasing administrative burdens on CBP but improving oversight.
• Citizens: Reduces risks of unwarranted interior arrests or encounters for U.S. citizens and residents, especially near borders, by curbing Border Patrol's inland activities and mandating Fourth Amendment training documentation.
• Immigrants and Asylum Seekers: May streamline border processing by freeing agents from interior tasks but could shift enforcement pressures to other agencies; requires disaggregated checkpoint data, aiding transparency on encounters.
• International Relations: Minimal direct impact, though stricter border focus might signal a more targeted U.S. immigration approach without broader inland pursuits.

Main Stakeholders Affected

• U.S. Border Patrol and CBP: Directly constrained in duties and required to implement reporting; agents may benefit from returning to preferred border roles.
• ICE and Other Federal Agencies: Gains clearer division of labor, reducing duplication in interior enforcement.
• U.S. Citizens and Residents: Protected from expanded interior patrols, particularly in border states; benefits from public data on encounters.
• State and Local Officials: Can request Border Patrol aid in true emergencies but lose flexibility for non-urgent interior support.
• Immigrants, Asylum Seekers, and Non-Citizens: Affected by checkpoint transparency and limited inland pursuits, potentially reducing arbitrary stops.
• Civil Rights Advocates and Oversight Groups: Empowered by new reporting to monitor compliance and abuses.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Codifies limits on immigration enforcement authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act, potentially challenging recent expansions of Border Patrol powers and emphasizing judicial warrants for interior arrests to align with statutory intent.
• Constitutional: Strengthens Fourth Amendment protections by restricting warrantless actions inland and requiring training documentation, addressing concerns over citizen arrests without probable cause (reasonable suspicion of a crime).
• Political: Highlights partisan debates on immigration enforcement, border security versus civil liberties; introduced by Senate Democrats, it critiques 2025 expansions (likely under a prior administration) and promotes accountability, but could face opposition from those favoring broad federal powers. If enacted, it may set precedents for agency jurisdictional boundaries in future immigration reforms.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]

Cosponsors (1)

Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]

Recent Actions

• 2025-12-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• 2025-12-18: Introduced in Senate

Bill Versions

• Keeping Our Agents on the Line Act — issued 2025-12-18 — PDF (6 pages)