1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2018 . 2. Findings; definition (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) All claims of United States citizenship and nationality must be treated with the utmost respect and care, with adherence to procedures necessary and sufficient to guard against the serious risk of United States citizens and nationals being deprived of the rights, privileges, and benefits attendant to such citizenship and nationality or the denial of valid claims thereto. (2) The right to travel abroad and return home is an important and protected element of United States citizenship. This right should not be denied on the basis of race or ancestry or for reasons that are arbitrary and capricious. (3) Millions of United States citizens live in United States border communities and regularly cross the border for family, work, business, and personal reasons, and passports or other conforming documents are required to do so. (4) In recent years, certain United States citizens living or born in States bordering Mexico have been formally or effectively denied United States passports as a result of a process that often lacks due process, imposes a heightened burden of proof on certain passport applicants, and results in decisions that are inadequately supported by an evidentiary record. (b) Definitions (1) Applicant The term applicant means a person who submits a United States passport application. (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of State and any individual designated by the Secretary of State to adjudicate United States passport applications under an Act to regulate the issue and validity of passports, and for other purposes (July 3, 1926