What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Sarah's Law This bill requires the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. DHS must obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which the detained individual was charged or convicted. DHS shall provide the victim, or a relative or guardian of a deceased victim, with information about the detained individual, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.
Action Timeline
2025-01-21
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
2025-01-21
Introduced in House
2025-01-21
Introduced in House
Frequently Asked Questions
Did HR.578 pass?
HR.578 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: 29%.
What does HR.578 do?
Sarah's Law This bill requires the Department of Justice or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. DHS must obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which the detained individual was charged or convicted. DHS shall provide the victim, or a relative or …
Who sponsored HR.578?
HR.578 was sponsored by Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa).
Full Bill Text
119 HR 578 IH: Sarah’s Law U.S. House of Representatives 2025-01-21 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. 578 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 21, 2025 Mr. Feenstra (for himself, Ms. Tenney , Mr. Ciscomani , Mr. Estes , Mr. Bost , Mr. Rouzer , Mr. Nehls , Mr. DesJarlais , Mr. Finstad , Mr. Bacon , Ms. Salazar , Mr. Aderholt , Mrs. Miller of Illinois , Mr. Garbarino , Mr. McClintock , Ms. Mace , Mr. Bergman , Mr. Meuser , Mrs. Miller-Meeks , Mr. Balderson , Mr. Higgins of Louisiana , Mrs. Hinson , Mr. Babin , Mr. Edwards , Mr. Schmidt , Mr. Tiffany , Mr. Weber of Texas , Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona , Mr. Evans of Colorado , Mr. Timmons , Mr. Moolenaar , Mr. LaMalfa , Mr. Crenshaw , Mr. Wied , Mr. Ogles , Mr. Brecheen , Mr. Nunn of Iowa , Mr. Ellzey , Mr. Rulli , Mr. Downing , Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania , Mr. Sessions , Mr. McDowell , Mr. Johnson of South Dakota , Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina , and Mr. McCormick ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take into custody certain aliens who have been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as Sarah’s Law . 2. Mandatory detention of certain aliens charged with a crime resulting in death or serious bodily injury Section 236(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1226(c) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)— (A) in subparagraph (C)— (i) by striking sentence and inserting sentenced ; and (ii) by striking or ; (B) in subparagraph (D), by striking the comma at the end and inserting , or ; and (C) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following: (E) (i) (I) is inadmissible under paragraph (6)(A), (6)(C), or (7) of section 212(a), (II) is deportable under section 237(a)(1)(B) as an alien whose nonimmigrant visa (or other documentation authorizing admission into the United States as a nonimmigrant) has been revoked under section 221(i), or (III) is deportable under section 237(a)(1)(C)(i), and (ii) is charged with, is arrested for, is convicted of, admits having committed, or admits committing acts which constitute the essential elements of any offense that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury (as defined in section 1365(h)(3) of title 18, United States Code) of another person, ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (3) Notification requirement Upon encountering or gaining knowledge of an alien described in paragraph (1), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall— (A) obtain information from law enforcement agencies and from other available sources regarding the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged, arrested, or convicted; and (B) provide the victim or, if the victim is deceased, a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative of such victim, with information, on a timely and ongoing basis, including— (i) the alien’s full name, aliases, date of birth, and country of nationality; (ii) the alien’s immigration status and criminal history; (iii) the alien’s custody status and any changes related to the alien’s custody; and (iv) a description of any efforts by the United States Government to remove the alien from the United States. (4) Detainer The Secretary of Homeland Security shall issue a detainer for an alien described in paragraph (1)(E) and, if the alien is not otherwise detained by Federal, State, or local officials, shall effectively and expeditiously take custody of the alien. . 3. Savings provision Nothing in this Act, or the amendments made by this Act, may be construed to limit the rights of crime victims under any other provision of law, including section 3771 of title 18, United States Code.
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