Sponsors (11)
Introduced January 7, 2026 by John Cornyn · Last progress January 7, 2026
The bill strengthens immigration enforcement against DUI/DWI offenders—improving public-safety tools and statutory clarity for agencies—but substantially increases deportation and inadmissibility risks (including for minor or old offenses), raises administrative costs, and creates potential unfairness and family/economic harms for immigrants and their communities.
People harmed by drunk or drug-impaired drivers (victims, families, communities) gain stronger grounds for removal of noncitizen offenders whose DWI/DUI caused death or serious injury, which may reduce future public-safety risks.
Immigration and adjudication agencies (DHS, visa officers, immigration courts) get clearer statutory authority by treating certain DUI/DWI convictions as aggravated felonies and explicitly listing DUI-related aggravated felonies, simplifying admissibility and removal decisions.
U.S. border inspectors and visa officers can bar noncitizens with DUI convictions from entry, potentially preventing some drunk-driving–related public-safety risks from entering the country.
Noncitizen residents, including legal permanent residents and long-term noncitizens, risk deportation and loss of immigration-relief options because DWI/DUI convictions that caused serious injury or death will count as aggravated felonies even when states treat them as misdemeanors.
Noncitizens with past, minor, or old DUI convictions could be permanently barred from admission to the U.S., restricting travel, work, and family reunification and increasing the risk of family separation and reduced labor mobility.
Expanding aggravated-felony and inadmissibility categories will increase administrative, enforcement, and adjudication workloads for DHS, DOJ, and immigration courts and drive higher taxpayer and government legal costs.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Treats certain driving-under-the-influence (DUI/DWI) offenses that caused death or serious bodily injury as aggravated felonies for immigration law and makes noncitizens convicted of, or who admit to, those offenses inadmissible. The changes amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to add DUI/DWI that resulted in death or serious injury to the aggravated-felony definition and to the grounds barring admission, and take effect on the date of enactment with specified timing rules.