Deportation Acceleration Act
New Bill Proposes Faster Deportation for Non-Citizens Convicted of a Felony or Two Misdemeanors
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill, introduced by Senator Cotton, would make it much easier and faster for the government to deport non-citizens who are convicted of crimes. It expands the list of crimes that lead to deportation to include any single felony or any two misdemeanors.
- The policy affects all non-citizens, including legal permanent residents with green cards. Under these rules, the government could skip certain court hearings and use an "expedited" process to remove people from the country more quickly after a conviction.
- State and local courts would be required to report any criminal conviction of a non-citizen to federal immigration authorities within 24 hours. This is designed to help the Department of Homeland Security start the deportation process almost immediately after a person is found guilty.
- Cities or states that refuse to share immigration information or follow federal requests would be labeled "sanctuary jurisdictions." These areas could lose 15% of their federal highway funding as a penalty, while cities that do cooperate could share $150 million in federal grants.
- The bill significantly shortens the time people have to appeal a deportation order. In many cases, the window to ask a court to reconsider a case would drop from 180 days down to just 30 days to speed up the legal process.
- These rules would apply to everyone currently in the country, even if their crimes or convictions happened years before this bill was written or passed into law.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Non-citizens with any criminal record — even relatively minor offenses — face dramatically increased risk of deportation. The bill's threshold of just one felony or two misdemeanors is far lower than current law, which generally requires "aggravated felonies" for expedited removal. Because the bill applies retroactively, non-citizens who completed their sentences years ago and have been living in the community could suddenly find themselves in fast-track deportation proceedings with only 30 days to appeal.
State Impacts
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
4 articles
Exclusive: Sen. Tom Cotton's Bill Would Accelerate Deportations for Criminal Migrants
Senator Tom Cotton introduced the Deportation Acceleration Act, which would make any noncitizen convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors automatically deportable. The bill also shortens the appeal window from 180 days to 30 days to ensure criminals are 'swiftly deported.'
Cotton introduces deportation acceleration act targeting criminal immigrants
The Deportation Acceleration Act would subject any noncitizen convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors to an expedited removal process. It also authorizes $150 million annually for grants to help state and local governments with detention capacity and enforcement equipment.
The Latest: Democrats demand 'dramatic changes' for ICE
As Democrats threaten to block DHS funding, Republicans are pushing for priorities including restrictions on sanctuary cities. The report notes the broader context of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement efforts and the legislative push to limit local non-cooperation.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Deportation Acceleration Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.