# 119-s-5371: Stopping Border Surges Act

119-s-5371, Stopping Border Surges Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT); status introduced (as of 2026-09-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5371
- As of: 2026-09-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5371
- Congress: 119
- Title: Stopping Border Surges Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-08-07
- Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT] (R-UT)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-19

## Summary

**This bill would tighten asylum rules and speed processing for children and families.** It focuses on who can apply for asylum, new safe-third-country rules, faster placement and hearing timelines for unaccompanied children, and tougher fraud and recordkeeping rules.

## Cosponsors (7)

- Sen. Tuberville, Tommy [R-AL] (R-AL), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL] (R-AL), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL] (R-FL), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN] (R-IN), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] (R-AR), 2026-09-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO] (R-MO), 2026-09-17T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More criminal risk for false asylum claims: cost, high. If enacted, asylum forms would show a written warning about false claims. The bill would let DHS or the Attorney General find a claim frivolous after the applicant had a chance to explain. A finding would make the person permanently ineligible for immigration benefits under the immigration chapter.…
- Harder asylum rules at border: mixed, high. If enacted, this would make it harder for many people to apply for asylum. To apply you would generally have to have arrived at a port of entry. The bill would shorten a filing window from 1 year to 6 months, raise credible‑fear screening to a "more probable than not" standard, and add internal rel…
- New rules for children and families: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would change how children and families caught at the border are handled. Unaccompanied children who do not meet certain criteria would go to HHS within 30 days and get an immigration‑judge hearing within 14 days after screening. HHS would have to give DHS placement details befo…
- Broader country return negotiations: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary of Homeland Security would be able to negotiate return or placement agreements with any foreign country, not just neighboring countries. This is an administrative change about where the government can arrange returns or placements. It could make returns more likely in some…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025
- 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025
- 119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-s-3697: SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-5371 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5371)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-587)
- [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186)
- [119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-6)
- [119-s-3697: SAVE Moms and Babies Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3697)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5371 (as of 2026-09-19).