Skip to content
Govbase

Policy-Driven News

Govbase
Congress·In Committee

Congress Proposes Ban on Asylum for Anyone Convicted of a Felony or Misdemeanor

No Asylum for Criminals Act of 2025

about 1 year ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
House
Senate
President

Key Points

  • This bill would change the rules for who can ask for asylum in the United States. Currently, only certain serious crimes prevent someone from getting asylum, but this plan would expand that to include almost any criminal conviction.
  • Under the new rules, any person convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor would be automatically disqualified from receiving asylum. This includes crimes handled by federal, state, local, or tribal courts.
  • The bill defines a felony as any crime punishable by more than one year in prison, and a misdemeanor as any crime punishable by one year or less. This means even minor offenses could lead to a person being denied protection.
  • There is one small exception: the Secretary of Homeland Security could decide that certain "political offenses" committed in other countries do not count against a person's asylum application.
  • The goal of the bill is to prevent people with criminal records from staying in the U.S. through the asylum process. If passed, it would likely lead to more people being deported or turned away at the border.
ImmigrationCriminal Justice

Impact Analysis

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 13, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Feb 13, 2025

Introduced in House

Related News

1 article
Carolina Journal·about 1 year ago

Harris Introduces 'No Asylum for Criminals Act'

North Carolina Representative Mark Harris introduced legislation that would disqualify any individual with a criminal conviction—including misdemeanors—from receiving asylum in the U.S., arguing the current system is being abused by 'foreign criminals.'

R+

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

No Asylum for Criminals Act of 2025

Bill NumberHR 1312
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(10)
R: 10

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.