Sponsors (12)
The bill strengthens federal tools to secure local cooperation with immigration detainers and expands civil remedies for some crime victims, but does so by increasing legal and administrative pressure on state and local governments, risking chilled cooperation from immigrant communities and shifting budgetary and accountability consequences across local and federal governments.
State and local governments: receive clearer federal legal definitions and obligations for responding to immigration information‑sharing and detainer requests, reducing uncertainty about when to comply.
Victims of qualifying violent crimes and their families: can sue jurisdictions that failed to honor DHS detainer/notification requests and may recover compensatory damages and attorneys' fees, improving access to civil remedies.
State and local officers/agencies that follow DHS detainers: when acting under detainers they are treated as federal agents, which can shift legal responsibility to the United States and reduce local financial liability for compliance.
State and local governments and taxpayers: increased legal liability and litigation costs from suits tied to detainer/'sanctuary' policies could reduce funds for public services or lead to higher local taxes.
Immigrants and law enforcement: the bill may chill trust and cooperation—immigrant communities could be less willing to report crimes or access services if jurisdictions increase cooperation with federal enforcement or alter victim‑witness protections.
Local governments and law enforcement: the measure effectively federalizes certain local duties by compelling compliance with DHS detainers, increasing administrative burdens, blurring lines of accountability, and complicating federal‑local coordination.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes victims of qualifying crimes by noncitizens to sue sanctuary jurisdictions, conditions certain federal grants on waiving sovereign immunity, and shields officers who comply with DHS detainers by treating them as federal agents.
Official title: Provide a civil remedy for individuals harmed by sanctuary jurisdiction policies, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 22, 2025 by Thomas Roland Tillis · Last progress January 22, 2025
Creates a federal private right of action that lets victims (or their close family) of certain violent felonies committed by noncitizens sue States or localities that have “sanctuary” statutes, policies, or practices if those jurisdictions failed to honor DHS detainer or notification requests. It conditions some federal grants on waiver of sovereign immunity for these sanctuary-related civil actions and provides liability protections for state or local officers who comply with DHS detainers by treating them as federal agents. The bill defines “sanctuary jurisdiction,” limits eligible claims to violent crimes (including murder and rape) or state-defined felonies with at least one-year sentences, sets a 10-year filing window, allows recovery of attorney and expert fees for prevailing plaintiffs, and preserves existing civil-rights claims for intentional violations despite the immunity provisions for compliance with detainers.