Congress passed Sinema’s bill to crack down cartels’ smuggling operations

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema's bipartisan bill has passed through the United States Congress.

In a press release, the bill, DHS Illicit Cross-Border Tunnel Defense Act, is to improve border security by combatting cartels' human smuggling and drug trafficking operations.

Along with Sinema, Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas also introduced the bill's legislation.

“We’re cracking down on cartels smuggling drugs and people across our border by directing Customs and Border Protection to develop a plan to seal illegal underground tunnels on the Southwest Border,” said Sinema, Chair of the Senate Border Management Subcommittee.

Earlier this year, Sinema's bipartisan bill passed the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

In detail, the bill instructs Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop a plan to deal with the illicit cross-border tunnels. These instructions are the following:

• Identify
• Breach
• Remediate

The act also requires CBP to determine the technological and staffing needs necessary after the bill's implementation.

That and CBP must report to Congress a year after the bill's implementation.