Sponsors (2)
The bill expands state participation in federal removal proceedings and broadens criminal and inadmissibility grounds to speed and extend immigration enforcement—potentially improving public safety and legal clarity but substantially increasing removal risk for many noncitizens, shifting costs to States, and straining federal immigration systems and civil-liability rules.
Communities and crime victims: makes it easier to remove noncitizens convicted of serious crimes (e.g., straw purchasing, firearms trafficking, child sexual material offenses, specified violent felonies), potentially reducing recidivism and improving public safety.
Federal immigration adjudicators and courts: clarifies definitions for controlled-substance and aggravated-felony offenses, reducing legal ambiguity and helping more consistent application of deportation laws.
State governments and detained noncitizens: allows States to provide licensed attorneys to represent DHS in removal proceedings (with required training, supervision, written limits on discretion, and limited federal-employee protections), increasing local capacity to process cases and enabling more prompt handling of immigrants in state correctional facilities when States opt in.
Noncitizens (including lawful permanent residents and asylum seekers): expanded aggravated-felony and inadmissibility definitions will broaden who can be removed or denied admission, substantially increasing deportation risk and loss of immigration protections.
Federal agencies, immigration courts, and DHS/DOJ employees: broader criminal grounds and increased enforcement authority will raise removal workloads and could strain immigration courts and federal agencies, creating resource and capacity pressures.
State taxpayers and budgets: requiring States that participate to provide attorneys, training, and related resources shifts costs to state and local governments and may create local budgetary burdens.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Permits DHS to contract with States to let State attorneys perform certain federal immigration-removal attorney functions and expands the aggravated-felony and inadmissibility definitions that trigger deportation.
Official title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for the performance of certain Department of Homeland Security counsel functions by State officers and employees, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 24, 2026 by Derek Schmidt · Last progress February 24, 2026
Authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working with the Attorney General, to enter agreements with States to let qualified State attorneys perform certain DHS immigration-removal attorney functions in specified removal proceedings, under training and supervision and subject to limits and liability rules. Expands the statutory definitions that trigger deportation and inadmissibility by broadening the "aggravated felony" category and updating crime categories tied to immigration consequences; includes a severability clause.