Eli Crane's Anti-Border Tunneling Bill Introduced in Senate by Rick Scott

Representative Eli Crane's (R-AZ) Subterranean Border Defense Act has finally received a Senate companion bill thanks to Senator Rick Scott (R-FL).

What the Bill Does

Rep. Crane's bill, which he originally introduced in 2024 with Representative Lou Correa (D-CA), would require Customs and Border Protection to report annually to Congress on anti-tunnel actions so strategies can be updated regularly.

Over 140 tunnels under the border have been discovered since 1990, and discoveries spiked by 80% since 2008.

Several of these tunnels have been quite sophisticated, including systems for electricity, drainage, rails, hoists, and even an elevator in a 2020 instance, with lengths reaching nearly a mile.

The bill passed the House by a vote of 402-1 in March 2025, and Sen. Scott introduced his companion bill last week.

What Crane and Scott are Saying

"I'm grateful to Senator Rick Scott for leading the Subterranean Border Defense Act in the Senate," said Rep. Crane in a press release. "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."

The Arizona congressman further emphasized that "As Arizona's only Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I will continue to do everything in my control to eliminate human trafficking, drug smuggling, and unlawful entries."

"This bill has already passed the House in an overwhelming bipartisan vote, and Senator Scott's introduction of the bill in the upper chamber brings it one step closer to becoming law," Crane concluded.

Sen. Scott previously commented, "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. Our communities were flooded with drugs brought through border tunnels, and Americans paid the price."

"Under President [Donald] 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," Sen. Scott concluded.