Underwood Introduces Legislation to Improve Medical Screenings at the U.S.-Mexico Border

WASHINGTON— Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), Vice Chair of the Committee on Homeland Security, today introduced the U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening and Standards Act (H.R. 3525) to ensure appropriate medical safeguards for individuals apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The legislation would require standardized processes and training to ensure consistent medical screenings for all people and directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to research innovative approaches to address capability gaps associated with the provision of medical screening to individuals apprehended on the border, and to consider what challenges exist to the achievement of interoperability of electronic health records for the individuals they screen. Today Underwood also voted to provide the Department of Homeland Security $4.65 billion in resources to address the humanitarian crisis at the border. This funding was in addition to the over $1 billion Underwood supported in February.

"This week we were haunted by the photo of a father and his 23-month-old daughter washed up on the Rio Grande. It wasn't the first time we've seen the horror of the humanitarian crisis at our border, and I saw it for myself when I went to the border this spring. What is happening is unacceptable. It's not reflective of our values or our strengths as Americans, and it's not contributing to the security of our country, which is my most important responsibility," Congresswoman Underwood said.

"As a nurse and as an American, the conditions I witnessed at the border were deeply troubling. That's why I introduced this legislation to help ensure children and vulnerable families who arrive at the border receive appropriate medical screenings and care. When any human being enters into U.S. custody, both U.S. policy and our moral duty require that we provide safe and sanitary conditions, especially to children and the most vulnerable among them. The Department of Homeland Security asked Congress for resources and I voted for the bipartisan emergency funding bill to give DHS the resources they need to address the influx of migrants at our southern border. I will uphold my responsibility to conduct thorough oversight and hold the Administration accountable for spending these resources to address the humanitarian crisis in a manner that keeps our country safe and reflects American values."

Specifically, the U.S. Border Patrol Medical Screening and Standards Act requires:

• Consistent Medical Screening Standards. CBP, in coordination with DHS' Chief Medical Officer, is required to establish standards and training for an initial medical screening process within 12 hours of apprehension. The screening must include specified basic elements and training must be made available to all appropriate personnel. This new process would provide more uniform medical screening standards in line with other DHS components.
• Process Improvements. The Department is required to research innovative approaches to address gaps in medical screening provided by Border Patrol. This research must be done in consultation with national medical professional associations who have expertise in emergency medicine, nursing, pediatric care, and other relevant medical skills. Upon completion of the research, DHS must submit a report to Congress that includes recommendations for improving medical screening, access to emergency care, and steps the Department plans to take in response.
• Assessing Potential Implementation of an e-Health Record System. Within 120 days of enactment, the DHS Chief Information Officer is required to assess the potential establishment of an electronic health record (EHR) system for individuals apprehended at U.S. borders. The intent of this EHR is to make initial screenings more efficient and streamline administrative workload of Border Patrol Officers, and allow medical information to follow individuals as they are transferred to other DHS components or another federal department such as Health and Human Services.

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