Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act

S 1897 requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to hire 500 additional officers and purchase 50 non-intrusive imaging systems for inspections of vehicles, pedestrians, and other transportation traveling *from the U.S. to Mexico* along the southern border. It also mandates hiring 100 new Homeland Security Investigations agents to investigate smuggling of currency and firearms, and sets a requirement that 20% of vehicles traveling southbound be inspected. The bill mandates quarterly reports on seizures of currency, firearms, and ammunition from outbound inspections, along with annual reports detailing infrastructure limitations and plans to expand inspection capacity. These provisions directly affect travelers and commercial traffic crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in both directions, focusing on preventing the smuggling of contraband southbound.