# 119-hr-355: Justice for Jocelyn Act

119-hr-355, Justice for Jocelyn Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-355
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-355
- Congress: 119
- Title: Justice for Jocelyn Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Nehls, Troy E. [R-TX-22] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 7
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Tight limits on release into Alternatives to Detention and mandatory GPS monitoring for non-detained immigrants.** The Justice for Jocelyn Act would restrict when people can be placed in Alternatives to Detention, require continuous electronic monitoring and a nightly curfew, and allow removal in absentia for failure to follow release rules. - Families and households: People on ICE's nondetained docket would be enrolled in ATD and face continuous GPS monitoring during their immigration cases and until removal. They would also have a nightly curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. - Noncitizens in proceedings: Release into ATD would be barred unless three conditions are met: all detention beds are filled, no detention option is available, and the Secretary has exhausted reasonable efforts to detain. This raises the threshold for being released from detention. - Immigration enforcement and courts: An immigration officer's affidavit that an individual failed to follow release conditions would trigger an in absentia removal order under the amended provision to 8 U.S.C. 1229a(b)(5).

## Cosponsors (7)

- Rep. Hunt, Wesley [R-TX-38] (R-TX), 2025-01-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Biggs, Andy [R-AZ-5] (R-AZ), 2025-01-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gill, Brandon [R-TX-26] (R-TX), 2025-01-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1] (R-SC), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Boebert, Lauren [R-CO-4] (R-CO), 2025-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5] (R-TX), 2025-05-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Steube, W. Gregory [R-FL-17] (R-FL), 2025-09-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- If one part is struck, rest stays: benefit, low. If enacted, a severability clause would keep the rest of the Act in place if a court strikes one part or its application. The clause text also includes the token "<all>".
- Detention first and stricter tracking for noncitizens: cost, medium. If enacted, ICE would only release people into Alternatives to Detention if all beds are full, no other options exist, and the Secretary has tried and exhausted reasonable efforts to detain. Everyone on ICE’s non‑detained docket would have to join ATD with continuous GPS monitoring during all cases…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-925: Dismantle DEI Act of 2025
- 119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act
- 119-hr-2126: FOCA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act
- 119-hr-2395: SHORT Act
- 119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-355 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/355)

## Related
- [119-hr-925: Dismantle DEI Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-925)
- [119-hr-404: Hearing Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-404)
- [119-hr-2126: FOCA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2126)
- [119-hr-425: Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-425)
- [119-hr-2395: SHORT Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2395)
- [119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1181)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-355 (as of 2026-04-21).