Sponsors (16)
The bill trades clearer federal–state rules and stronger coordination on immigration-related information and ID standards for substantial pressure on states—via loss of JAG funds and new data-sharing rules—that can reduce state discretion, create administrative burdens, risk immigrants' privacy and access to licenses, and shrink funding for local public-safety and social-service programs.
State and local governments and law enforcement agencies get clearer rules about which Byrne JAG grants/recipients and what counts as 'immigration enforcement information,' reducing uncertainty for grant administration and compliance.
Local and state law enforcement agencies can more clearly share immigration enforcement information with DHS, improving federal–state coordination on immigration-related investigations.
States that stop issuing driver licenses without proof of lawful presence are offered federal incentives tied to Byrne JAG funding, encouraging alignment with federal immigration verification and potentially standardizing ID issuance across states.
States that continue to issue driver licenses to undocumented residents risk losing unobligated Byrne JAG funds and future grant eligibility, which could substantially reduce federal criminal-justice funding for many local programs.
Immigrants in states affected by these conditions may lose access to driver licenses they currently receive, increasing transportation barriers to work, school, healthcare, and daily life.
Conditioning federal criminal-justice grants on state immigration and licensing policies shifts federal influence into state ID and public-safety policy, reducing state and local discretion over local public-safety and identification decisions.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Conditions Edward Byrne JAG grant eligibility on states prohibiting driver licenses for people without proof of citizenship/lawful presence and permitting sharing of immigration enforcement information with DHS.
Introduced September 3, 2025 by Jodey Cook Arrington · Last progress September 3, 2025
Conditions a state's eligibility for Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funding on two requirements: (1) the state must not issue driver licenses to people who cannot prove U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, and (2) the state must allow local and state entities to collect, send, and receive immigration enforcement information with DHS. States that fail either requirement must return unobligated JAG funds within specified 30-day windows and are barred from receiving future JAG funds until they comply. The bill also defines key terms used for enforcement (JAG funds, immigration enforcement information, and State). No new spending is authorized; the mechanism is conditional withholding and repayment of existing unobligated grant funds to enforce compliance.