Sponsors (13)
The bill reduces fear of targeted immigration enforcement and strengthens due-process protections around federal elections, but it may temporarily delay removals, add burdens to immigration enforcement operations, and increase liability concerns for officers.
Immigrants are less likely to face enforcement or removal actions in the 4 weeks before a federal election, reducing fear of targeted sweeps and chilling of civic participation.
Immigrants (and the officers who would carry out actions) gain stronger due-process protections because enforcement during the restricted period is limited to cases with particularized criminal probable cause.
Law-enforcement and immigrant communities retain the ability to respond to emergencies because urgent operations to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury are still permitted during the restriction.
Taxpayers and local governments may face increased short-term public-safety risk because the four-week enforcement restriction could allow some removable noncitizens who pose risks to remain temporarily.
Immigration authorities and law-enforcement will incur added compliance and operational burdens since they must document particularized probable cause during the restricted period, which could slow investigations.
Law-enforcement officers could face additional criminal liability or prosecutorial risk if treated as covered actors under 18 U.S.C. §593, potentially harming officer morale and recruitment/retention.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars most immigration enforcement and removal operations during the 4 weeks before a federal election, except for targeted probable-cause arrests or actions to prevent imminent death or serious injury.
Official title: To amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain activities of immigration officers in connection with elections, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 20, 2026 by John B. Larson · Last progress February 20, 2026
Prohibits routine immigration enforcement or removal operations during the four weeks before a federal election, with two narrow exceptions: (1) operations based on particularized criminal probable cause tied to a specific individual, and (2) operations needed to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury. It also amends federal criminal law to explicitly include immigration officers among the covered actors in the cited statute. The change narrows when immigration enforcement actions may occur relative to federal elections, limits broad enforcement sweeps in that period, and adds immigration officers to the list of actors subject to the referenced criminal provision.