I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4838 
To establish criminal liability for mayors of sanctuary cities in cases of 
murder committed by undocumented immigrants within their jurisdiction, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 1, 2025 
Mr. CARTER of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To establish criminal liability for mayors of sanctuary cities 
in cases of murder committed by undocumented immi-
grants within their jurisdiction, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Establishing Responsi-
bility for Illegals’ Crimes and Adding Deterrence and Ac-
countability for Mayors’ Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025’’ 
or the ‘‘ERIC ADAMS Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR MAYORS OF SANCTUARY 
CITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 51 of title 18, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1112 
the following new section: 
SEC. 1112A. CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR MAYORS OF SANC-
TUARY CITIES. 
(1) OFFENSE.—A mayor of a sanctuary city 
shall be guilty of criminal negligence resulting in 
manslaughter if— 
(A) an undocumented immigrant commits 
murder, as defined under applicable State or 
Federal law, within the jurisdiction of the sanc-
tuary city; and 
(B) the mayor knowingly adopted, main-
tained, or failed to repeal a sanctuary policy 
that materially restricted cooperation with Fed-
eral immigration enforcement, and such policy 
directly and foreseeably contributed to the fail-
ure to detain or remove the undocumented im-
migrant prior to the commission of the murder. 
(2) PENALTY.—A mayor convicted under this 
section shall be subject to— 
(A) imprisonment for not more than 7 
years, a fine under title 18, or both; and 
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(B) mandatory removal or disqualification 
from public office upon conviction. 
(3) CAUSATION.—For the purposes of this sec-
tion, a sanctuary policy shall be deemed to have ‘‘di-
rectly and foreseeably contributed’’ if it created a 
substantial risk that an undocumented immigrant 
who committed murder could avoid detention or re-
moval. 
SEC. 3. ENFORCEMENT. 
(a) The Attorney General shall have exclusive author-
ity to investigate and prosecute offenses under this Act. 
(b) The United States District Courts shall have 
original jurisdiction over any criminal proceeding arising 
under this Act. 
(c) Federal courts shall have jurisdiction over cases 
brought under this Act. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act: 
(1) Sanctuary city means any political subdivi-
sion of a State that, by law, ordinance, policy, or 
practice, prohibits or substantially restricts local law 
enforcement or municipal agencies from— 
(A) cooperating with or providing informa-
tion to Federal immigration enforcement au-
thorities; or. 
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(B) complying with lawful detainer re-
quests or administrative warrants issued by 
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 
(2) Undocumented immigrant means any per-
son who is present in the United States without law-
ful immigration status as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 
1101 et seq. 
(3) Mayor means the chief executive officer of 
a municipal government, whether elected or ap-
pointed. 
SEC. 5. SEVERABILITY. 
(a) If any provision of this Act, or the application 
thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the 
remainder of the Act, and the application of such provision 
to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected 
thereby. 
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
(a) This Act shall take effect 90 days after the date 
of its enactment. 
Æ 
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