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Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025
2/20/2025, 7:19 PM
Summary of Bill S 185
The bill proposes to provide a civil remedy for individuals who have been harmed by sanctuary jurisdiction policies. This means that individuals who have been negatively impacted by these policies, such as victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants who were released due to sanctuary policies, would have the ability to seek compensation through civil court proceedings.
Additionally, the bill seeks to hold sanctuary jurisdictions accountable for their policies by allowing the federal government to withhold certain grants and funding from these jurisdictions if they are found to be in violation of federal immigration laws. This is intended to incentivize sanctuary jurisdictions to comply with federal immigration laws and cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Overall, the goal of Bill 119 s 185 is to provide justice and support for individuals who have been harmed by sanctuary jurisdiction policies, while also encouraging these jurisdictions to prioritize public safety and comply with federal immigration laws.
Congressional Summary of S 185
Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025
This bill provides a private right of action against state and local jurisdictions with certain policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, and contains additional provisions related to such jurisdictions. Currently, such cooperation is generally not required.
An individual (or certain relatives of such an individual) who is the victim of any felony for which an alien has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced to a prison term of at least one year may sue a state or local jurisdiction if the jurisdiction failed to comply with (1) certain Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requests related to arresting and detaining aliens, and (2) a DHS request to detain the alien in question or provide a notification about the release of the alien. A jurisdiction that accepts certain federal grants may not assert immunity in such a civil action.
A jurisdiction (or employee of a jurisdiction) that complies with certain DHS detainer requests shall be deemed to be acting as an agent of DHS. A complying jurisdiction or employee of the jurisdiction shall not be liable in any lawsuit relating to compliance with such requests. In a lawsuit against an employee of the jurisdiction, the United States shall be substituted in as the defendant, and remedies shall be limited to provisions for bringing tort claims against the federal government.
Read the Full Bill
Current Status of Bill S 185
Bipartisan Support of Bill S 185
Total Number of Sponsors
3Democrat Sponsors
0Republican Sponsors
3Unaffiliated Sponsors
0Total Number of Cosponsors
10Democrat Cosponsors
0Republican Cosponsors
10Unaffiliated Cosponsors
0Policy Area and Potential Impact of Bill S 185
Primary Policy Focus
ImmigrationAlternate Title(s) of Bill S 185
Comments
Teagan Carroll
9 months ago
This bill is so dumb! It's gonna hurt us all in the long run. Why can't they see that? It's gonna affect all of us regular folks just trying to live our lives. #ridiculous
