Sponsors (61)
The bill tightens and clarifies grounds for excluding or removing immigrants convicted of or admitting to sex- and serious domestic-violence-related offenses—potentially improving public safety and enforcement consistency—but does so in ways that broaden definitions and allow removals based on admissions or ambiguous conduct, raising substantial due-process, justice, and cost concerns.
Immigrants convicted of or admitting to sex offenses or serious domestic-violence-related crimes will be barred from entry or removed, which may reduce risks to public safety and local communities.
Federal agencies and courts get clearer, standardized definitions for 'sex offense' and tied domestic-violence language, helping DHS, courts, and law enforcement apply the law more consistently.
Immigrants (including applicants and noncitizen residents) could be found inadmissible or removable based on admissions or plea statements, risking deportation without a criminal conviction and raising serious due-process concerns.
Expanded 'sex offense' definitions could sweep in conduct not previously classified as sex offenses, increasing removals and harsh immigration consequences for a broader set of immigrants.
Tying inadmissibility/removal to violations of protection orders for 'credible threats' or 'repeated harassment' could render non‑violent or ambiguous conduct deportable, potentially criminalizing behavior and creating additional due‑process risks.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds new inadmissibility and deportability grounds for convictions, admissions, or conspiracies involving specified sex offenses, domestic violence, stalking, child abuse, and protection-order violations.
Adds new criminal grounds for denying admission and granting deportation of noncitizens tied to sex offenses, domestic violence, stalking, child abuse/neglect/abandonment, and certain violations of protection orders. It imports a broad federal definition of “sex offense” used in child-protection laws and applies convictions, admissions, or conspiracies to those acts as bases for inadmissibility and deportability under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Specifically, the bill amends the INA to (1) add inadmissibility grounds for individuals convicted of or admitting to the essential elements (or conspiracy) of covered sex and violence-related offenses, and (2) add deportability grounds for convictions of covered sex offenses. The changes rely on the expanded definition of “sex offense” in federal child-protection law (34 U.S.C. § 20911(5)).
Official title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses or domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Nancy Mace · Last progress January 17, 2025