Protecting American Lives Act

Bill: 114-hr-3437
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-32]
Introduced: 2015-07-31
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration

Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation

Criminal justice information and records

Criminal procedure and sentencing

Detention of persons

Government liability

Immigration status and procedures

Intergovernmental relations

Law enforcement administration and funding

Law enforcement officers

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2015-09-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-07-31
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Protecting American Lives Act</strong></p> <p>This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to declare that a person or agency shall not prohibit or restrict a federal, state, or local government entity from undertaking any of the following law enforcement activities (current law refers to information activities) regarding an individual's immigration status: </p> <ul> <li>notifying the federal government regarding the presence of inadmissible and deportable aliens who are encountered by law enforcement personnel of a state or political subdivision of a state (political subdivision), or </li> <li>complying with federal law enforcement information requests. </li> </ul> <p>A federal, state, or local government entity or official shall not issue ordinances, administrative actions, general or special orders, or departmental policies that violate federal law or restrict a state or political subdivision from complying with federal law or coordinating with federal law enforcement. </p> <p>A state or political subdivision that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits state or local law enforcement officers from assisting or cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement in the course of carrying out the officers' routine law enforcement duties shall not be eligible to receive: (1) funds for the incarceration of undocumented criminal aliens or for the Cops on the Beat program, or (2) any other law enforcement or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant. </p> <p>States or political subdivisions not in compliance shall: (1) be ineligible to receive such assistance for at least one year, and (2) become eligible for such assistance only after DHS certifies that the jurisdiction is in compliance. Withheld funds shall be reallocated to complying states or political subdivisions. </p> <p>States and political subdivisions shall provide DHS with identifying information regarding each incarcerated alien who is believed to be inadmissible or deportable. </p> <p>Nothing in this Act shall require state or local law enforcement officials to: (1) provide DHS with information related to a victim of a crime or witness to a criminal offense, or (2) otherwise report or arrest such a victim or witness. </p> <p>A state or a political subdivision acting in compliance with a DHS detainer that temporarily holds aliens in its custody so that they may be taken into federal custody, or transports the aliens for transfer to federal custody, shall be considered to be acting under color of federal authority for purposes of determining its liability, and immunity from suit in civil actions brought by the aliens under federal or state law. </p> <p>It is the sense of Congress that DHS has probable cause to believe that an alien is inadmissible or deportable when it issues a detainer regarding the alien under the standards in place on the date of introduction of this Act. </p> <p>The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to increase mandatory minimum sentences for the illegal re-entry of an alien who: (1) was previously denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed; or (2) was removed for certain criminal convictions or excluded for security-related grounds.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3437 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 31, 2015 Mr. Sessions introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To ensure State and local compliance with all Federal immigration detainers on aliens in custody and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protecting American Lives Act . 2. Definitions and severability (a) Definitions In this Act: (1) Department The term Department means the Department of Homeland Security. (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security. (3) State The term State has the meaning given to such term in section 101(a)(36) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(36) ). (b) Severability If any provision of this Act, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this Act, and the application of such provision to other persons not similarly situated or to other circumstances, shall not be affected by such invalidation. 3. Information sharing regarding criminal aliens Section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 ( 8 U.S.C. 1373 ) is amended— (1) by striking Immigration and Naturalization Service each place it appears and inserting Department of Homeland Security ; (2) in subsection (a), by striking may and inserting shall ; (3) in subsection (b)— (A) by striking no person or agency may and inserting a person or agency shall not ; and (B) by striking doing any of the following with respect to information and inserting undertaking any of the following law enforcement activities ; (4) by striking paragraphs (1) through (3) and inserting the following: (1) Notifying the Federal Government regarding the presence of inadmissible and deportable aliens who are encountered by law enforcement personnel of a State or political subdivision of a State. (2) Complying with requests for information from Federal law enforcement. ; and (5) by adding at the end the following: (d) Sanctuary polices Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal, State, or local law, a Federal, State, or local government entity or official shall not issue in the form of resolutions, ordinances, administrative actions, general or special orders, or departmental policies that violate Federal law or restrict a State or political subdivision of a State from complying with Federal law or coordinating with Federal law enforcement. (e) Compliance (1) In general A State, or a political subdivision of a State, that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits law enforcement officers of the State, or of a political subdivision of the State, from assisting or cooperating with Federal immigration law enforcement in the course of carrying out the officers’ routine law enforcement duties shall not be eligible to receive— (A) any of the funds that would otherwise be allocated to the State or political subdivision under section 241(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1231(i) ) or the Cops on the Beat program under part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 3796dd et seq. ); or (B) any other law enforcement or Department of Homeland Security grant. (2) Annual determination (A) Requirement Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall determine which States or political subdivisions of a State are not in compliance with this section and report such determination to Congress. (B) Ineligibility for financial assistance Any jurisdiction that the Secretary determines is not in compliance under subparagraph (A)— (i) shall be ineligible to receive Federal financial assistance as provided in paragraph (1) for a minimum period of 1 year; and (ii) shall only become eligible for such assistance after the Secretary certifies that the jurisdiction is in compliance. (3) Reallocation Any funds that are not allocated to a State or to a political subdivision of a State, due to the failure of the State, or of the political subdivision of the State, to comply with this section shall be reallocated to States, or to political subdivisions of States, that comply with such subsection. (f) State and local law enforcement provision of information about apprehended aliens (1) Provision of information In compliance with this section and section 434 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 ( 8 U.S.C. 1644 ), each State, and each political subdivision of a State, shall provide the Secretary of Homeland Security in a timely manner with identifying information with respect to each alien in the custody of the State, or a political subdivision of the State, who is believed to be inadmissible or deportable. (2) Annual report on compliance Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary shall determine which States, or the political subdivisions of States, are not in compliance with this section and submit such determination to Congress. (g) Reimbursement The Secretary of Homeland Security shall reimburse States, and political subdivisions of a State, for all reasonable costs, as determined by the Secretary, incurred by the State, or the political subdivision of a State, as a result of providing information under subsection (f)(1). (h) Construction Nothing in this section shall require law enforcement officials of a State, or from political subdivisions of a State— (1) to provide the Secretary of Homeland Security with information related to a victim of a crime or witness to a criminal offense; or (2) to otherwise report or arrest such a victim or witness. . 4. Clarifying the authority of ICE detainers (a) In general Except as otherwise provided by Federal law or rule of procedure, the Secretary shall execute all lawful writs, process, and orders issued under the authority of the United States, and shall command all necessary assistance to execute the Secretary’s duties. (b) State and local cooperation with DHS detainers A State, or a political subdivision of a State, that has in effect a statute or policy or practice providing that it not comply with any Department detainer ordering that it temporarily hold an alien in their custody so that the alien may be taken into Federal custody, or transport the alien for transfer to Federal custody, shall not be eligible to receive— (1) any of the funds that would otherwise be allocated to the State or political subdivision under section 241(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1231(i) ) or the Cops on the Beat program under part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 3796dd et seq. ); or (2) any other law enforcement or Department grant. (c) Immunity A State or a political subdivision of a State acting in compliance with a Department detainer who temporarily holds aliens in its custody so that they may be taken into Federal custody, or transports the aliens for transfer to Federal custody, shall be considered to be acting under color of Federal authority for purposes of determining its liability, and immunity from suit, in civil actions brought by the aliens under Federal or State law. (d) Probable cause It is the sense of Congress that the Department has probable cause to believe that an alien is inadmissible or deportable when it issues a detainer regarding such alien under the standards in place on the date of introduction of this Act. 5. Illegal reentry Section 276 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1326 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a), in the undesignated matter following paragraph (2), by striking not more than 2 years, and inserting not less than 5 years, ; and (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting not less than 5 years and after imprisoned ; (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting not less than 5 years and after imprisoned ; (C) in paragraph (3), by striking sentence. and inserting sentence; ; and (D) in paragraph (4), by inserting not less than 5 years and after imprisoned for .