PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.1921 / 112th Congress

Build the Fence Now Act of 2011

Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 13, 2011

Build the Fence Now Act of 2011 - Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) construct two layers of reinforced fencing along the entire international land border between the United States and Mexico; (2) provide for the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, radars, and sensors along the entire length of the international border between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada; and (3) complete such work within two years along the U.S.-Mexico border and within five years along the U.S.-Canada border.

Increases the FY2012 budget of the Tunnel Task Force (a joint Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE], Customs and Border Patrol [CBP], and Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA] force tasked to pinpoint smuggling tunnels) by 100% above the FY2007 budget.

Directs the Secretary to implement a program to fully integrate and utilize aerial surveillance technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles, to enhance the security of the international borders between the United States and Mexico and the United States and Canada.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. Pompeo, Mike [R-KS-4] · R–KS

Committees

  • Homeland Security Committee
2 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security.

  2. Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.

  3. Introduced in House

  4. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.1921 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.1921 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.1921 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.1921 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources