Sponsors (5)
The bill strengthens criminal penalties and legal definitions to better protect border infrastructure and law enforcement, but does so at the cost of broader felony exposure, greater incarceration and costs, and potential legal uncertainty for defendants.
Law-enforcement and border personnel are more protected because transmitting locations or operational plans to facilitate immigration- or smuggling-related crimes is made a felony punishable by up to 10 years.
Border communities and federal employees benefit from stronger protection of border infrastructure and ports of entry: destroying or circumventing fences, sensors, or cameras is criminalized with penalties up to 10 years (20 years if a firearm is used).
Federal agencies and prosecutors gain clearer statutory definitions (e.g., 'alien smuggling crime', 'crime of violence', 'brandish'), which can streamline prosecutions and interagency coordination.
Immigrants, border communities, and ordinary people who share location information risk expanded felony exposure if prosecutors claim the sharing was intended to further a covered federal crime, creating a chilling effect on communications.
Restructuring 18 U.S.C. §924(c) and related cross-references could broaden or change mandatory firearm penalties, producing legal uncertainty for many defendants and complicating prosecutions and appeals.
Longer prison terms for offenses involving border infrastructure and firearm use are likely to increase incarceration rates and corrections costs, imposing additional fiscal burdens on taxpayers and the justice system.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates federal felonies for transmitting law-enforcement locations to further certain border crimes and for damaging or defeating border-control infrastructure; amends 18 U.S.C. § 924(c) and adds related definitions.
Official title: To prohibit the intentional hindering of immigration, border, and customs controls, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Juan Ciscomani · Last progress January 9, 2025
Makes new federal felonies focused on conduct that helps or damages U.S. border and law enforcement operations and revises federal firearm-offense statutes. It criminalizes knowingly transmitting locations or movements of law enforcement when done to further certain federal crimes, and criminalizes destroying, disabling, or circumventing border-control fences, sensors, cameras, or other devices (with tougher penalties if a firearm is used). The bill also modifies the text and structure of the federal weapons statute 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), adds related definitions (including for “alien smuggling crime,” “brandish,” and a specific "crime of violence" definition), and makes conspiracy/attempt penalties equal to completed offenses.