Protecting American Lives Act

Bill: 116-hr-2988
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5]
Introduced: 2019-05-23
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

Employment discrimination and employee rights

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

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: 2019-06-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-05-23
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Protecting American Lives Act</b></p> <p>This bill imposes requirements related to state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts and increases criminal penalties for certain removed aliens who reenter the United States. </p> <p>A state or local government jurisdiction shall be ineligible for certain federal law enforcement grants if the jurisdiction has a statute, policy, or practice (1) to not comply with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainer requests, or (2) prohibiting the jurisdiction's law enforcement officers from assisting with federal immigration law enforcement. (A detainer is a DHS request that a jurisdiction hold an alien in its custody until that alien can be transferred to federal custody.)</p> <p>Compliance with a detainer request shall be an action under color of federal authority for immunity and liability purposes in a civil action.</p> <p>A state or local jurisdiction shall timely inform DHS about an alien believed to be inadmissible or deportable in the jurisdiction's custody. DHS shall reimburse each jurisdiction for reasonable costs incurred from this requirement.</p> <p>The bill imposes a minimum imprisonment term of five years for certain aliens who without authorization reenter the United States after being removed or denied admission. Such an alien shall be criminally fined, imprisoned, or both.</p> <p>It shall be unlawful for a state or local jurisdiction to discriminate against a law enforcement officer for complying with a detainer request.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2988 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 23, 2019 Mr. Gooden (for himself, Mr. Scalise , Mr. Wright , Mr. Weber of Texas , Mr. Walker , Mr. Gaetz , Mr. Joyce of Pennsylvania , Mr. Babin , Mr. Taylor , and Mr. Johnson of Louisiana ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary , and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 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. 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) ), the Cops on the Beat program under part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 34 U.S.C. 10381 et seq.), or the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.); or (2) any other grant administered by the Department of Justice that is substantially related to law enforcement (including enforcement of the immigration laws), immigration, enforcement of the immigration laws, or naturalization or administered by the Department of Homeland Security that is substantially related to immigration, the enforcement of the immigration laws, or naturalization. (c) Limitation on liability for compliance with detainer A State or unit of local government, and any law enforcement officer of such State or unit of local government, acting in compliance with a detainer issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall be considered to be acting under color of Federal authority for purposes of determining liability, and immunity from suit, in any civil action brought by the alien 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. (e) Definitions In this section: (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) ). 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 policies 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) ), the Cops on the Beat program under part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 34 U.S.C. 10381 et seq.), or the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program under subpart 1 of part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 ( 34 U.S.C. 10151 et seq.); or (B) any other grant administered by the Department of Justice that is substantially related to law enforcement (including enforcement of the immigration laws), immigration, enforcement of the immigration laws, or naturalization or administered by the Department of Homeland Security that is substantially related to immigration, the enforcement of the immigration laws, or naturalization. (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. 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 . 5. Workplace protections for law enforcement Section 15(a) of the Fair Labor Standards Act ( 29 U.S.C. 215(a) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (6) in the case of a State or unit of local government, to discharge or in any other manner discriminate against any law enforcement officer of that State or unit of local government because such law enforcement officer has taken any action to comply with a detainer issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security. . 6. Severability If any provision of this Act, any amendment made by this Act, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of this Act, the amendments made by 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.