State and local police who honor ICE detention requests would be treated as federal agents — giving them full DHS authority and shielding their governments from lawsuits; the federal government would step in as the defendant instead. Cities, counties, and states that have policies limiting cooperation with ICE on immigration detainers would be classified as 'sanctuary jurisdictions' and cut off from Economic Development Administration grants and Community Development Block Grants starting October 1, 2025. An exception preserves policies that protect crime victims and witnesses who come forward from being reported to immigration authorities. Funds pulled from sanctuary jurisdictions would be redistributed to non-sanctuary jurisdictions under the same grant formulas.
Civil Liberties
- Legal authority of state/local officers — expanded to full DHS enforcement powers when honoring ICE detainers
- Liability exposure for localities — eliminated for detainer-related seizures or detention of individuals
- Independent judicial remedy — narrowed; federal tort claims act becomes the exclusive plaintiff remedy
Criminal Justice & Due Process
- Detention authority — broadened by allowing state/local officers to hold individuals under ICE detainers with federal agent status
- Accountability pathway for wrongful detention — narrowed by substituting the U.S. as defendant and capping remedies under FTCA
Average Household Impact
- Federal grant funding — reduced for households in sanctuary jurisdictions that lose CDBG and EDA development funds
Congressional Summary
Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities ActThis bill addresses issues related to state and local government cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, including by prohibiting uncooperative jurisdictions from receiving certain grants.Specifically, the bill prohibits a sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving grants under certain Economic Development Assistance Programs and the Community Development Block Grant Program. Under the bill, a sanctuary jurisdiction is a state or local government that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits or restricts (1) information sharing with another government entity about an individual's immigration status, or (2) compliance with a lawfully issued Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainer request or notification of release request.When complying with a DHS-issued detainer, a state or local government shall be deemed to be acting as an agent of DHS with all authority available to DHS officers and employees. The bill also limits the legal liability of a state or local government for complying with a detainer.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-06-10
- Date Added
- 2026-05-30
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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