# 119-hr-8253: BITMAP Authorization Act

119-hr-8253, BITMAP Authorization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] (R-TX); status in_committee (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8253
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8253
- Congress: 119
- Title: BITMAP Authorization Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-04-13
- Sponsor: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Establishes a biometric data-sharing program to identify and deter transnational security and terrorism threats before they reach U.S. borders.** The Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) sets up multinational biometric enrollment, data matching, and capacity-building to spot high-risk individuals abroad. - Partner countries get training, equipment, and support to voluntarily collect and compare biometric and biographic data and to enroll individuals. New partner agreements set program goals and require DHS to notify Congress within 60 days after an agreement enters into force. - The program is run through the Department of Homeland Security, acting through the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and coordinates with the State Department and intelligence community to compare foreign-collected data against U.S. security databases such as IDENT, NGI, and the Terrorist Screening Database. - BITMAP includes built-in oversight and limits: it must expunge U.S. citizens' biometric or biographic data from uploaded databases unless retained for specific law enforcement or intelligence purposes, submit a comprehensive report 180 days after establishment and annually for five years, undergo a Government Accountability Office audit within six months and every three years, and sunsets after six years.

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] (D-TX), 2026-04-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salazar, Maria Elvira [R-FL-27] (R-FL), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2] (R-SC), 2026-04-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- New biometric border screening program: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create the Biometric Identification Transnational Migration Alert Program (BITMAP) inside the Department of Homeland Security. The Secretary, acting through the Director of ICE, would run BITMAP to spot national security, border, and terrorism risks before people reach U.…
- Reports, audits, and briefings: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require a detailed DHS report 180 days after BITMAP starts and then yearly for five years. Reports would cover goals, partner progress, partner agreements where practicable, budgets and funding sources, DHS personnel and equipment by country, numbers of people enrolled by…
- Rules for foreign partner agreements: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require DHS to sign an agreement with a foreign government before doing BITMAP work there. The agreement, made in consultation with the Secretary of State, would set program goals and include training, guidance, and enrollment best practices. A country would become a part…
- Data sharing and privacy rules: mixed, high. If enacted, the bill would require DHS to help partner countries collect biometric and biographic data and let them compare it to U.S. security databases, including IDENT, the FBI Terrorist Screening Database, NGI, and ABIS. The Secretary would coordinate with the State Department and the Director…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-1144: Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9535: Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8253 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8253)

## Related
- [119-hr-1144: Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorizatio…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1144)
- [119-hr-9535: Securing Agriculture's Workforce Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9535)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-1422: Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1422)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8253 (as of 2026-09-21).