What This Bill Does · Plain English
Summary · Congress.gov
Public Safety First Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. Specifically, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.
Action Timeline
2025-01-17
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
2025-01-17
Introduced in Senate
Frequently Asked Questions
Did S.149 pass?
S.149 is still alive. Current stage: COMMITTEE. Pass likelihood: 34%.
What does S.149 do?
Public Safety First Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. Specifically, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.
Who sponsored S.149?
S.149 was sponsored by John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Full Bill Text
119 S149 IS: Public Safety First Act U.S. Senate 2025-01-17 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. II 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 149 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 17, 2025 Mr. Cornyn introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Public Safety First Act . 2. Detention of certain aliens who commit theft 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), 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) is inadmissible under paragraph (6)(A), (6)(C), or (7) of section 212(a); 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 burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, or assault of a law enforcement officer offense, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person, ; (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (4); and (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following: (2) Definition For purposes of paragraph (1)(E), the terms burglary , theft , larceny , shoplifting , assault of a law enforcement officer , and serious bodily injury have the meanings given such terms in the jurisdiction in which the acts occurred. (3) 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. .
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