What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Justice for Jocelyn Act This bill limits Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) Alternatives to Detention program, which supervises non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) subject to removal who are released from the custody of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Specifically, releases under this program are prohibited unless all detention beds are filled and DHS found no alternatives after exercising and exhausting all reasonable options. The bill requires all individuals on ICE’s nondetained docket to be enrolled in the program and be subject to continuous GPS monitoring and curfew. Further, the bill requires a non-U.S. national who was arrested and released to be removed in absentia if an immigration officer submits an affidavit to an immigration judge stating that the individual failed to comply with a condition of release.
Action Timeline
2025-01-13
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
2025-01-13
Introduced in House
2025-01-13
Introduced in House
Frequently Asked Questions
Did HR.355 pass?
HR.355 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: 34%.
What does HR.355 do?
Justice for Jocelyn Act This bill limits Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) Alternatives to Detention program, which supervises non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) subject to removal who are released from the custody of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Specifically, releases under this program are prohibited unless all detention beds are filled and DHS found no alternatives after exercising and exhausting all reasonable options. The bill requires all individuals on ICE’s nondetained docket to be enrolled in the program and be subject to continuous GPS monitoring…
Who sponsored HR.355?
HR.355 was sponsored by Troy E. Nehls (R-Texas).
Full Bill Text
119 HR 355 IH: Justice for Jocelyn Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-01-13 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 355 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 13, 2025 Mr. Nehls (for himself, Mr. Hunt , and Mr. Biggs of Arizona ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To remove aliens who fail to comply with a release order, to enroll all aliens on the nondetained docket of an immigration court in the Alternatives to Detention program with continuous GPS monitoring, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Justice for Jocelyn Act . 2. Limitation on participation in alternatives to detention No alien may be released as part of any program under the Alternatives to Detention program unless— (1) all detention beds available to the Secretary have been filled; (2) there exists no available option to hold aliens in detention; and (3) the Secretary exercised and exhausted all reasonable efforts to hold aliens in detention. 3. Gps tracking and curfew requirements for certain aliens Each alien on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s nondetained docket shall be enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program and— (1) shall be continuously subject to GPS monitoring— (A) for the duration of all applicable immigration proceedings, including any appeal; and (B) in the case of an alien who is ordered removed from the United States, until removal; and (2) shall be required to stay in their Alternatives to Detention-compliant home address between the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. 4. Removal of aliens who fail to comply with release order Section 240(b)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1229a(b)(5) ) is amended by adding at the end the following: (F) Failure to comply with release order In the case that an immigration officer submits an affidavit to an immigration judge stating that an alien failed to comply with a condition of release under section 236(a), such alien shall be ordered removed in absentia. . 5. Severability If any provision of this Act or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance is held by a Federal court to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act and the application of such provisions to any other person or circumstance shall not be affected.
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