BORDER PATROL AGENTS AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL.

SEC. 101. BORDER PATROL AGENTS AND SUPPORT PERSONNEL. (a) Increased Number of Border Patrol Agents.— The Attorney General in each of fiscal years 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001 shall increase by not less than 1,000 the number of positions for full-time, active-duty border patrol agents within the Immigration and Naturalization Service above the number of such positions for which funds were allotted for the preceding fiscal year. (b) Increase in Border Patrol Support Personnel.— The Attorney General, in each of fiscal years 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 110 STAT. 3009–554and 2001, may increase by 300 the number of positions for personnel in support of border patrol agents above the number of such positions for which funds were allotted for the preceding fiscal year. (c) Deployment of Border Patrol Agents.— The Attorney General shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that additional border patrol agents shall be deployed among Immigration and Naturalization Service sectors along the border in proportion to the level of illegal crossing of the borders of the United States measured in each sector during the preceding fiscal year and reasonably anticipated in the next fiscal year. (d) Forward Deployment.— (1) In general.— The Attorney General shall forward deploy existing border patrol agents in those areas of the border identified as areas of high illegal entry into the United States in order to provide a uniform and visible deterrent to illegal entry on a continuing basis. The previous sentence shall not apply to border patrol agents located at checkpoints. (2) Preservation of law enforcement functions and capabilities in interior states.— The Attorney General shall, when deploying border patrol personnel from interior stations to border stations, coordinate with, and act in conjunction with, State and local law enforcement agencies to ensure that such deployment does not degrade or compromise the law enforcement capabilities and functions currently performed at interior border patrol stations. (3) Report.— Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall submit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives and of the Senate a report on— (A) the progress and effectiveness of the forward deployment under paragraph (1); and (B) the measures taken to comply with paragraph (2).