Sponsors
The bill strengthens federal immigration-enforcement coordination and preserves federal funding incentives for compliant jurisdictions, but it does so by limiting local control, expanding transfers to federal custody and data-sharing, and imposing financial, legal, privacy, and community-trust costs on immigrant-serving localities.
State and local governments that comply with federal information-sharing requirements remain eligible for DOJ law-enforcement grant funding, preserving resources for public-safety programs.
Federal immigration authorities (DHS) gain predictable notification and custody windows—scheduled releases require 48-hour notice and court-ordered releases permit up to 48 hours of federal custody—improving coordination of immigration enforcement.
State and local agencies that request verification can obtain timely immigration-status responses from DHS, enabling quicker determinations for eligibility, custody, or case processing.
Immigrants in state or local custody are more likely to be transferred into federal immigration custody, increasing risks of longer detention and deportation for noncitizens.
State and local governments may lose the ability to enact or maintain sanctuary or disclosure-limiting policies because the bill bars laws that 'materially restrict' sharing with DHS and authorizes AG enforcement, reducing local autonomy over immigration-related policing.
Localities that serve immigrant communities may see reduced trust and cooperation with residents—hurting reporting of crimes, use of social services, and community policing—because of increased federal enforcement pressure.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits state/local bans on sharing immigration/citizenship information with federal authorities, sets notice and short custody requirements for releases, and authorizes DOJ enforcement and grant penalties.
Prohibits states and local governments from adopting laws, policies, or practices that bar, condition, delay, or discipline government employees for sharing immigration- or citizenship-related information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or other federal, state, or local government entities. Rewrites and clarifies the covered information and what it means to “materially restrict” sharing such information, and creates notification and short-term custody duties when a jurisdiction releases a person so DHS can assume custody. Authorizes the Attorney General to bring civil suits to enforce the law and to declare jurisdictions found by a court to be knowingly violating the statute ineligible for certain Department of Justice law-enforcement grants; provides immunity for state and local officers carrying out the specified duties; includes a severability rule.
Introduced February 9, 2026 by Buddy Carter · Last progress February 9, 2026