House Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) in late July introduced a border security bill that targets billions of dollars in funding for physical barriers and to strengthen security at the nation’s ports of entry, but also calls for specific technology deployments at various sectors along the northern and southern borders of the United States.

McCaul’s bill followed the introduction of a separate border security bill in the House, this one a bipartisan measure from Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) that emphasizes technology for border security along the U.S. border with Mexico, and also calls for a comprehensive southern border strategy that examines existing physical barriers, technology and other tools, related costs and justifications. Hurd is a member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

And then earlier this month, four Republican senators introduced a border security bill that emphasizes infrastructure, technology and personnel. The Building America’s Trust Act (S. 1757) would authorize $15 billion over four years to allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deploy what it believes to be the right combination of wall, fencing, levees, technology or other physical barriers across the entire southern border.

The bill, which hasn’t been published, was introduced by John Cornyn (Texas), John Barrasso (Wyo.), Ron Johnson (Wisc.), and Thom Tillis (N.C.).  It also authorizes improvements to ports of entry, increases to Border Patrol agents, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, immigration judges, federal prosecutors, and agricultural inspectors.

The Republican senators’ bill would also fully deploy a Biometric Entry-Exit system at ports of entry and prohibit sanctuary cities.

McCaul’s 95-page bill, the Border Security for America Act, would authorize $10 billion for physical barriers and related infrastructure, technology, air assets and other barriers, and another $5 billion to improve and modernize U.S. ports of entry, to include intrusion and detection capabilities.

The legislation also calls for DHS to provide Congress with a report outlining CBP’s plans—including timelines and costs—for deploying a biometric exit system. It also requires the department to deploy a biometric exist system at the nation’s 15 largest airports, seaports and land border crossings within two years of enactment. CBP is currently evaluating biometric exit systems at international departure gates at six U.S. airports as part of an effort to better track visa overstays.

“We are talking about a historic, multi-layered defense system that makes it nearly impossible for bad actors to slip through the cracks,” says McCaul. “We must have physical barriers, including a wall where necessary and fencing when appropriate, the right technology, and more personnel in place to enforce our laws and detain those attempting to enter illegally.”

The bill would also expand the primary and secondary inspection lanes at the top 10 highest volume ports of entry on the southern border, and calls on DHS to ensure that all CBP and ICE officers have the broadband, secure and interoperable two-way communication equipment they need.

McCaul’s bill would also add 5,000 more Border Patrol agents and 5,000 additional CBP officers, and make it easier to hire veterans and law enforcement personnel for these jobs. It also authorizes the use of the National Guard to help with aviation and intelligence support.

Hurd’s 11-page bill, the Secure Miles with All Resources and Technology (SMART) Act, includes Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), David Valadao (R-Calif.), Steve Knight (R-Calif.), Steve Pearce (R-N.M.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Keith Rothfus (R-Pa.) as co-sponsors.

The measure would mandate that by Jan. 20, 2021, DHS “deploy the most practical and effective technology available along the United States border for achieving situational awareness and operational control of the border.” The technology includes radar surveillance, airborne vehicle dismounted radar exploitation radar, also called VADER, three-dimensional acoustic and ranging sensors for tunnel detection, unmanned cameras, man-portable and vehicle-mounted unmanned aerial vehicles, other sensors and advanced tools and devices.

“We need a smart wall that uses high-tech resources like sensors, radar, LIDAR, fiber optics, drones and cameras to detect and then track incursions across our border so we can deploy efficiently our most important resource, the men and women of Border Patrol to perform the most difficult task—interdiction,” says Hurd. “With a smart wall, we can have a more secure border at a fraction of the cost that can be implemented and fully operational in a year.”

The House in late July approved a minibus appropriations bill that includes President Donald Trump’s $1.6 billion request for new and replacement physical barriers on the southern border. Hurd at a recent hearing on border security called for a smarter approach to border security that takes advantage of technology, which he said costs a lot less than physical barriers.