Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025
Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025 - Summary **What It Would Do:** This bill would allow crime victims (or their relatives) to sue state and local governments if those governments have "sanctuary" policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Specifically, victims could sue if they were harmed by someone who is an undocumented immigrant and the local jurisdiction failed to comply with federal requests to arrest, detain, or notify authorities about that person. Currently, state and local governments are generally not required to help federal immigration enforcement. **Who It Affects:** The bill primarily affects crime victims and their families, sanctuary jurisdictions (cities and states with policies limiting immigration enforcement cooperation), and undocumented immigrants.
It would remove legal protections (called "immunity") that currently shield state and local governments from these lawsuits if they accept certain federal funding. **Current Status:** The bill was introduced by Republican Representative Chuck Edwards of North Carolina in the 119th Congress and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House of Representatives. This is an early stage in the legislative process.
CRS Official Summary
Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025This bill provides a private right of action against state and local jurisdictions with certain policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, and contains additional provisions related to such jurisdictions. Currently, such cooperation is generally not required.An individual (or certain relatives of such an individual) who is the victim of any felony for which an alien has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced to a prison term of at least one year may sue a state or local jurisdiction if the jurisdiction failed to comply with (1) certain Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requests related to arresting and detaining aliens, and (2) a DHS request to detain the alien in question or provide a notification about the release of the alien. A jurisdiction that accepts certain federal grants may not assert immunity in such a civil action.A jurisdiction (or employee of a jurisdiction) that complies with certain DHS detainer requests shall be deemed to be acting as an agent of DHS. A complying jurisdiction or employee of the jurisdiction shall not be liable in any lawsuit relating to compliance with such requests. In a lawsuit against an employee of the jurisdiction, the United States shall be substituted in as the defendant, and remedies shall be limited to provisions for bringing tort claims against the federal government.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.