U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and colleagues introduced legislation aimed at closing what they call a court-created loophole allowing illegal immigrants to be released on bond.
Based on a release from U.S. Sen. Tim Scott.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., introduced the Detention Authority Clarification Act this week, according to the Office of Sen. Scott.
The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that illegal immigrants must be subject to detention without bond while awaiting removal from the United States, according to the office. The legislation responds to split decisions among federal courts over whether section 235 of the INA requires mandatory detention for those who entered the country illegally, the office said.
Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., joined in introducing the bill.
“Illegal immigrants who break our laws must be detained while they await deportation,” Scott said. “The Detention Authority Clarification Act would make sure that no one can enter our country illegally and evade removal.”
Budd said the bill would “eliminate any doubt by reaffirming mandatory detention for those who have violated U.S. law by entering the country illegally.”
Cornyn said the legislation would “stop woke judges from allowing illegal aliens to roam American streets and commit further crimes while they await deportation.”
Blackburn said the bill would ensure such individuals “must be detained without bond until they are promptly deported.”
Graham said the legislation would help “keep Americans safe and end the cycle of catch and release once and for all.”
According to the Office of Sen. Scott, the bill is supported by the Immigration Accountability Project. The office said thousands of detained illegal immigrants have filed lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s interpretation of the INA, and hundreds of federal district judges have granted requests for release, with circuit courts of appeals issuing split and, in one case, deadlocked rulings on the issue.
The bill would clarify section 235 of the INA to state that all who have entered the country illegally are subject to mandatory detention, and would also amend section 236 of the INA to align its language with section 235, according to the office.
Source: U.S. Sen. Tim Scott original release.
