Title 6Domestic SecurityRelease 119-73

§297 Reports and implementation plans

Title 6 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IV— - BORDER, MARITIME, AND TRANSPORTATION SECURITY › Part Part F— - General Immigration Provisions › § 297

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must send several reports to the House and Senate Appropriations and Judiciary Committees within 120 days after this chapter takes effect. One report must explain how money (including unspent funds, appropriations, and fees) will be split or moved between the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Border Security. Another must explain how staff will be divided between the two bureaus. The Secretary must also send an implementation plan within 120 days and then every 6 months until the end of fiscal year 2005. That plan must show how the two bureaus will be separated, including the field organization, chain of command, how they will work together, fraud detection, how removal cases will be handled (including expedited removal and relief requests), suggested changes to the Immigration and Nationality Act, a transition team, and how to phase in costs for separate administrative support systems. Starting 18 months after the transfer called for by section 251, the Comptroller General must report every 6 months until the work is finished on whether the transfers in parts D and E were completed and any problems. Within 4 years after that transfer, the Comptroller General must do a study and report whether the transfers improved operations, management, finances, and recordkeeping, explain why, and give recommendations. By 1 year after November 25, 2002, the Comptroller General must report on whether the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services can fund itself with fees without appropriations.

Full Legal Text

Title 6, §297

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary, not later than 120 days after the effective date of this chapter, shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the Senate a report on the proposed division and transfer of funds, including unexpended funds, appropriations, and fees, between the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Border Security.
(b)The Secretary, not later than 120 days after the effective date of this chapter, shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the Senate a report on the proposed division of personnel between the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Border Security.
(c)(1)The Secretary, not later than 120 days after the effective date of this chapter, and every 6 months thereafter until the termination of fiscal year 2005, shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the Senate an implementation plan to carry out this chapter.
(2)The implementation plan should include details concerning the separation of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Border Security, including the following:
(A)Organizational structure, including the field structure.
(B)Chain of command.
(C)Procedures for interaction among such bureaus.
(D)Fraud detection and investigation.
(E)The processing and handling of removal proceedings, including expedited removal and applications for relief from removal.
(F)Recommendations for conforming amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
(G)Establishment of a transition team.
(H)Methods to phase in the costs of separating the administrative support systems of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in order to provide for separate administrative support systems for the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Border Security.
(d)(1)Not later than 18 months after the date on which the transfer of functions specified under section 251 of this title takes effect, and every 6 months thereafter, until full implementation of this part has been completed, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report containing the following:
(A)A determination of whether the transfers of functions made by parts D and E of this subchapter have been completed, and if a transfer of functions has not taken place, identifying the reasons why the transfer has not taken place.
(B)If the transfers of functions made by parts D and E of this subchapter have been completed, an identification of any issues that have arisen due to the completed transfers.
(C)An identification of any issues that may arise due to any future transfer of functions.
(2)Not later than 4 years after the date on which the transfer of functions specified under section 251 of this title takes effect, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report, following a study, containing the following:
(A)Determinations of whether the transfer of functions from the Immigration and Naturalization Service to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Border Security have improved, with respect to each function transferred, the following:
(i)Operations.
(ii)Management, including accountability and communication.
(iii)Financial administration.
(iv)Recordkeeping, including information management and technology.
(B)A statement of the reasons for the determinations under subparagraph (A).
(C)Any recommendations for further improvements to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Border Security.
(3)Not later than 1 year after November 25, 2002, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the Senate a report examining whether the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services is likely to derive sufficient funds from fees to carry out its functions in the absence of appropriated funds.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The

Effective Date

of this chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a), (b), and (c)(1), is 60 days after Nov. 25, 2002, see section 4 of Pub. L. 107–296, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 101 of this title. This chapter, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 107–296, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2135, known as the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 101 of this title and Tables. The Immigration and Nationality Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(2)(F), is act June 27, 1952, ch. 477, 66 Stat. 163, which is classified principally to chapter 12 (§ 1101 et seq.) of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1101 of Title 8 and Tables. Parts D and E of this subchapter, referred to in subsec. (d)(1)(A), (B), was in the original “subtitles D and E”, meaning subtitles D (§§ 441–446) and E (§§ 451–462) of title IV of Pub. L. 107–296, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2192, 2195, which enacted parts D and E of this subchapter, amended section 1356 and 1573 of Title 8, Aliens and Nationality, and enacted provisions set out as a note under section 271 of this title. For complete classification of subtitles D and E to the Code, see Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Bureau of Border Security, referred to in text, changed to Bureau of Immigration and Customs

Enforcement

by Reorganization Plan Modification for the Department of Homeland Security, eff. Mar. 1, 2003, H. Doc. No. 108–32, 108th Congress, 1st Session, set out as a note under section 542 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

6 U.S.C. § 297

Title 6Domestic Security

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73