S. 850: Northern Border Security Enhancement and Review Act

Introduced Mar 5, 20254 cosponsors

Sponsor

Maggie Hassan

Democrat · NH

The northern border deserves more than a one-time threat check

4 min readLast updated September 28, 2026

Why it matters

The northern border runs roughly 5,500 miles, and the 2016 law that covers it asked DHS for one threat analysis. S. 850 turns that into a standing duty: a new analysis within 180 days, another every 3 years, a strategy rewrite every 5 years, and a classified briefing for Congress after each review. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent in August 2026.

In 2016, Congress told the Department of Homeland Security to study threats along the U.S.-Canada border once. S. 850 makes that study recurring. DHS would have to deliver a fresh threat analysis within 180 days of enactment and then every 3 years, so the assessment behind northern border policy cannot sit untouched for years at a time.

Each analysis would also have to answer a new question: how apprehensions at the northern border are changing, both in number and in who is being stopped. DHS would have to break that down sector by sector, so a spike near Swanton, Vermont does not disappear inside a border-wide average.

The analysis then feeds the plan. The Secretary of Homeland Security would update the department's Northern Border Strategy within 18 months and every 5 years after that, each time built on the most recent threat analysis. Within 30 days of every analysis, the Secretary would brief the relevant congressional committees in a classified setting.

One provision reaches beyond paperwork. Within 180 days, CBP's Air and Marine Operations would have to develop performance measures for how well its aircraft and boats secure the northern border between official crossings, a step the bill ties to Government Accountability Office recommendations.

None of this comes with new money: the bill states that no additional funds are authorized, so DHS and CBP would carry the added work inside their current budgets.

Bill Progress

IntroducedMar 5

Committee

Pass SenateAug 5

Pass House

Signed

Law

Latest Action · Aug 10, 2026

1/3

Passed the Senate, received in House

S. 850 Bill Summary

What S. 850 actually does.

A threat review that repeats instead of expiring

DHS would submit a northern border threat analysis within 180 days of enactment and every 3 years after that. The 2016 law set a single 180-day deadline with no follow-up schedule.

Apprehension changes tracked by sector

Each analysis would assess recent changes in the number and demographics of people apprehended at the northern border, with a breakdown at the Border Patrol sector level.

A border strategy rebuilt on current data

The Secretary of Homeland Security would update the Northern Border Strategy within 18 months and every 5 years after that, incorporating the most recent threat analysis each time.

Classified briefings within 30 days

After each threat analysis is submitted, the Secretary would have 30 days to brief the appropriate congressional committees in a classified setting.

Benchmarks for patrols by air and water

Within 180 days, CBP's Air and Marine Operations would develop performance measures to assess how effectively it secures the northern border between ports of entry, in the air and on the water. The bill frames this as implementing GAO recommendations.

No new funding

The bill states that no additional funds are authorized to carry it out. DHS and CBP would absorb the analyses, strategy updates, briefings, and performance measures within existing appropriations.

Who benefits from S. 850?

Towns along the U.S.-Canada line

From Washington's San Juan Islands to northern Maine, border communities would get sector-level tracking of apprehension changes, so a local shift shows up in the federal assessment instead of being averaged away.

Senators and House members who oversee DHS

The homeland security committees would receive a classified briefing within 30 days of every threat analysis, on a fixed 3-year cycle rather than on request.

Border Patrol sectors and field planners

Agents and managers in northern sectors would work from a strategy required to be refreshed every 5 years and grounded in the latest threat analysis.

Researchers and journalists following border trends

Recurring reports on apprehension volume and demographics give a steadier baseline for comparing the northern border over time, to the extent DHS releases unclassified findings.

Who is affected by S. 850?

Department of Homeland Security

DHS takes on a recurring workload: a threat analysis every 3 years, a strategy update every 5 years, and the first versions of both on 180-day and 18-month deadlines.

CBP Air and Marine Operations

The office that flies and patrols the northern border would have 180 days to set measures for judging its own effectiveness between ports of entry, and would then be evaluated against them.

DHS and CBP budgets

Because no new funding is authorized, staff time and analysis capacity for these reports would come out of existing appropriations.

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On the Record

What Congress Is Saying

S. 850 has come up 17 times in the Congressional Record so far.

S. 850 also appeared in 2 more Senate floor references and 7 routine cosponsor filings.

S850 Legislative Journey

5 actions

House: Action Taken

Aug 10, 2026

Held at the desk.

Passed

Aug 5, 2026

Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S4481)

+2 more actions this day

Committee Action

Nov 3, 2025

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Paul without amendment. Without written report.

Passed Committee

Jul 30, 2025

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.

Committee Action

Mar 5, 2025

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

About the Sponsor

Maggie Hassan

Democrat, NH · 9 years in Congress

Committees: Joint Economic Committee, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Veterans' Affairs

View full profile →

Cosponsors (4)

No new cosponsors in 575 days — momentum stalled

This bill has 4 cosponsors: 1 Democrat, 3 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 3 states: Maine, North Dakota, New York.

1Democrat3Republicans·3 statesBipartisan

Kevin Cramer

Republican · ND

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democrat · NY

Susan Collins

Republican · ME

John Hoeven

Republican · ND

Committee Sponsors

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

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0 of 15 committee members cosponsored

No committee members have cosponsored this bill

7 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents

S. 850 Quick Facts

Cosponsors

Committee: Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Chamber: Senate
Policy: Immigration
Introduced: Mar 5, 2025

Passed the Senate, received in House

Aug 10, 2026

Constituent Resources

Find your legislators on S. 850

Get notified when this bill moves

Official Sources

S. 850 on Congress.gov

Official bill page with the text, cosponsors, and Senate passage by unanimous consent on August 5, 2026.

CBO Cost Estimate for S. 850

CBO estimates that the recurring reports, strategy updates, and performance measures would cost less than $500,000 over 2025-2030, subject to appropriations.

Northern Border Security Review Act (Public Law 114-267)

The 2016 law that set the one-time northern border threat analysis; S. 850 amends Section 3 to make it recur every 3 years.

DHS Northern Border Strategy

The current Northern Border Strategy (June 2018, with the 2012 version) that S. 850 would require DHS to update within 18 months and every 5 years.

GAO-19-470: Northern Border Security Performance Measures

The GAO recommendation that Air and Marine Operations develop performance measures for securing the northern border between ports of entry, which the bill writes into law.

GAO-26-109195: Northern Border Staffing and Performance Measurement

GAO follow-up from June 2026 finding that CBP had not yet fully implemented its northern border performance measure recommendations.

CBP Air and Marine Operations

The CBP office whose aircraft and vessel operations would be assessed under the performance measures S. 850 requires.

CBP Nationwide Encounters Data

CBP encounter data by region and sector, including the northern land border, the kind of apprehension trends the threat analysis would have to assess.

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S. 850 Common Questions

What would S. 850 change about northern border security?

It turns a one-time study into a schedule. DHS would deliver a northern border threat analysis within 180 days and every 3 years after, update its border strategy every 5 years, and brief Congress within 30 days of each analysis.

What is the Northern Border Security Review Act?

It is a 2016 law that directed DHS to produce a threat analysis of the U.S.-Canada border within 180 days. S. 850 amends that law to make the analysis recur every 3 years and to require regular strategy updates.

Does S. 850 add agents, fencing, or new border crimes?

No. It does not fund personnel, build barriers, or create penalties. It sets reporting and planning deadlines for DHS and requires performance measures for CBP's air and marine units.

Would DHS report who is being apprehended at the northern border?

Yes. Each threat analysis would assess recent changes in both the number and the demographics of people apprehended at the northern border, broken down by Border Patrol sector.

How often would the Northern Border Strategy be updated?

The first update would be due within 18 months of enactment, then every 5 years. Each update would have to incorporate the most recent threat analysis.

What would the bill require of CBP Air and Marine Operations?

Within 180 days, it would have to develop performance measures for how well its aircraft and vessels secure the northern border between ports of entry. The bill ties this to GAO recommendations.

Does S. 850 come with new funding?

No. The bill states that no additional funds are authorized, so DHS and CBP would do the work within their existing budgets.

Has S. 850 passed?

It passed the Senate by unanimous consent on August 5, 2026, and is held at the desk in the House. It still needs a House vote and the President's signature to become law.

Based on S. 850 bill text

S. 850 Bill Text

PDF

“To amend the Northern Border Security Review Act to require updates to the northern border threat analysis and northern border strategy, and for other purposes.”

Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office