Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is introducing legislation to combat illegal southern border tunnel crossings, Breitbart News exclusively learned.
The legislation, titled the “Subterranean Border Defense Act,” specifically requires “annual reports on the implementation of the strategic plan to counter illicit cross-border tunnel operations.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
More specifically, it amends the Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2012 by requiring a yearly strategic report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on “efforts to counter illicit cross-border tunnel operations.” It reads in part:
Paragraph (2) of section 7134(a) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117–263; 6 U.S.C. 257 note) is amended by inserting ‘‘and annually thereafter’’ after ‘‘development of the strategic plan.’’
This comes on the heels of a recent Homeland Security Task Force investigation, which uncovered a cross-border tunnel spanning 1,933 feet, from Tijuana, Mexico, to near San Diego’s Otay Mesa Port of Entry. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the tunnel connected to retail store called “Buy 4 Less.”
A Homeland Security Task Force investigation uncovered a cross-border tunnel stretching about 1,933 feet from Tijuana, Mexico, to a supposed retail store called “Buy 4 Less” near San Diego’s Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The tunnel was equipped with reinforced walls, rail and ventilation systems, and electricity. (DHS)
Per ICE:
The Homeland Security Investigations Tunnel Task Force began surveilling Buy 4 Less in December 2025 due to suspicious activity — including minimal customer traffic and individuals transporting empty suitcases between the store and vehicles or across the border.
…
Officials executed search warrants at Buy 4 Less and the mechanic shop. They found the tunnel, accessible by a hydraulic lift, hidden under the store’s floor. The tunnel extended about 1,064 feet from Buy 4 Less to the U.S.-Mexico border and another 800 feet into Mexico.
Agents seized over 2,200 pounds of cocaine from the vehicles as a result of the search. Scott’s office notes that officials have uncovered more than 140 tunnels breaching the U.S. border over the last 30-plus years.
“For four miserable years, Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for human traffickers, drug smugglers, and other international criminals to illegally enter and terrorize our country,” Scott said in a statement.
“Our communities were flooded with drugs brought through border tunnels, and Americans paid the price,” he continued, showing the contrast with President Donald Trump at the helm.
“The discovery and dismantlement of this sophisticated cross-border tunnel, along with the seizure of more than a ton of cocaine, underscore the commitment and collaboration of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and our Homeland Security Task Force partners,” said HSI San Diego acting Special Agent in Charge Kevin Murphy. (DHS)
“Under President Trump, fentanyl deaths have plummeted, and our neighborhoods are safer, but we need to make sure it stays that way – and that no future president can bring back the chaos. This bill is a strong step to keeping America and her people safe in the long run,” he added.
Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ) originally passed the legislation last year and said in a statement that he is “grateful to Senator Rick Scott for leading the Subterranean Border Defense Act in the Senate.”
He continued, “This legislation strengthens our deterrence posture by increasing oversight of illicit cross-border tunnels. With the Trump administration successfully halting illegal crossings at our border, it’s never been more important to block alternative routes into our homeland.”
Crane added that lawmakers “owe it to the American people to do everything in our control to eliminate human trafficking, drug smuggling, and unlawful entries.”
U.S. Congressman Eli Crane speaking with attendees at the 2024 AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
“This bill already passed the House in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote, and today’s introduction in the upper chamber brings us one step closer to becoming law,” Crane said.
Earlier this summer, Sen. Scott also introduced legislation, the “Illegal Immigration Cost Recovery Act,” to raise civil fines on illegal aliens who enter or attempt to enter the U.S. unlawfully or fail to leave after receiving a removal order. The measure also increased penalties for those knowingly employing illegal workers:
The bill says that civil penalties for improper entry would rise from the current range of $50 to $250 to a new range of $200 to $1,000. The bill would also raise the civil penalty for failure to depart from $500 to $1,996.
The measure would also increase employer penalties for knowingly hiring unauthorized aliens. For a first offense, the bill would raise the penalty range from $250 to $2,000 to a new range of $1,432 to $11,448. For a second offense, the penalty range would rise from $2,000 to $5,000 to $11,448 to $28,616. For subsequent offenses, the penalty range would increase from $3,000 to $10,000 to $17,172 to $57,238.
“Illegal immigration is, in fact, illegal and has consequences,” Scott told Breitbart News at the time. “President Trump is working hard to restore law and order, and we in Congress need to do our part to help.”
