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Title 8, Aliens and NationalityRelease 119-110

§1716 State Border Security Reinforcement Fund

Title 8 › CHAPTER 15 — ENHANCED BORDER SECURITY AND VISA ENTRY REFORM › SUBCHAPTER I — FUNDING › § 1716

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a fund at the Department of Homeland Security called the State Border Security Reinforcement Fund and provides $10,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, available until September 30, 2034. The money can be given as grants to State agencies and local governments for work on the southern border like building or installing walls, fences, barriers, or buoys (including planning, buying materials, and staffing); preparing land for such construction; detecting and stopping illegal drugs and people who committed crimes and turning them over to DHS as allowed by law; and moving unlawfully present people from small towns to other places in the country. Grants may pay for projects completed, ongoing, or new that took place on or after January 20, 2021. States must apply for grants and explain what they will use the money for and how they will divide it. The Secretary must start accepting applications not later than 90 days after July 4, 2025. The grants do not let States or local governments take over immigration or border powers that only the federal government has. FEMA may use up to 1 percent of the fund to run the grant program.

Full Legal Text

Title 8, §1716

Aliens and Nationality, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(1)Establishment
There is established, in the Department of Homeland Security, a fund to be known as the “State Border Security Reinforcement Fund.”
(2)Purposes
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall use amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for the Fund for grants to eligible States and units of local government for any of the following purposes:
(A)Construction or installation of a border wall, border fencing or other barrier, or buoys along the southern border of the United States, which may include planning, procurement of materials, and personnel costs related to such construction or installation.
(B)Any work necessary to prepare the ground at or near land borders to allow construction and maintenance of a border wall or other barrier fencing.
(C)Detection and interdiction of illicit substances and aliens who have unlawfully entered the United States and have committed a crime under Federal, State, or local law, and transfer or referral of such aliens to the Department of Homeland Security as provided by law.
(D)Relocation of aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States from small population centers to other domestic locations.
(3)Appropriation
In addition to amounts otherwise available for the purposes described in paragraph (2), there is appropriated for fiscal year 2025, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to the Department of Homeland Security for the State Border Security Reinforcement Fund established by paragraph (1), $10,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2034, for qualified expenses for such purposes.
(4)Eligibility
The Secretary of Homeland Security may provide grants from the fund established by paragraph (1) to State agencies and units of local governments for expenditures made for completed, ongoing, or new activities, in accordance with law, that occurred on or after January 20, 2021.
(5)Application
Each State desiring to apply for a grant under this subsection shall submit an application to the Secretary containing such information in support of the application as the Secretary may require. The Secretary shall require that each State include in its application the purposes for which the State seeks the funds and a description of how the State plans to allocate the funds. The Secretary shall begin to accept applications not later than 90 days after July 4, 2025.
(6)Terms and conditions
Nothing in this subsection shall authorize any State or local government to exercise immigration or border security authorities reserved exclusively to the Federal Government under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) or the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.). The Federal Emergency Management Agency may use not more than 1 percent of the funds made available under this subsection for the purpose of administering grants provided for in this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Immigration and Nationality Act, referred to in par. (6), is act June 27, 1952, ch. 477, 66 Stat. 163, which is classified principally to chapter 12 (§ 1101 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1101 of this title and Tables. The Homeland Security Act of 2002, referred to in par. (6), is Pub. L. 107–296, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2135, which is classified principally to chapter 1 (§ 101 et seq.) of Title 6, Domestic Security. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 101 of Title 6 and Tables. Codification Section is comprised of subsec. (b) of section 90005 of Pub. L. 119–21. Subsec. (a) of section 90005 of Pub. L. 119–21 is not classified to the Code. Section was enacted as part of Pub. L. 119–21, July 4, 2025, 139 Stat. 72, popularly known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and also as an act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of H. Con. Res. 14 for the 119th Congress, and not as part of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 which comprises this chapter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

8 U.S.C. § 1716

Title 8, Aliens and Nationality

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110