# 119-s-185: Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025

119-s-185, Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-185
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-185
- Congress: 119
- Title: Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-22
- Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] (R-NC)
- Cosponsors: 11
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-11

## Summary

**Creates a private right of action that lets certain crime victims sue state and local “sanctuary” jurisdictions for failing to honor Department of Homeland Security detainer or release‑notification requests.** It also ties some federal grants to a waiver of immunity and treats local officials who comply with DHS detainers as acting for the federal government. - Families and victims: Victims or their survivors of murder, rape, or any felony for which an alien was arrested, convicted, or sentenced to at least 1 year could sue a sanctuary jurisdiction for failing to comply with a DHS detainer or to notify DHS about an alien’s release. Plaintiffs have a 10‑year statute of limitations and may recover compensatory damages and attorney fees. - State and local governments: States and subdivisions that accept certain Public Works and Economic Development grants and most Community Development Block Grants must waive immunity for these sanctuary‑related civil actions as a condition of receiving the grant. - Local officers and liability: A jurisdiction or employee who complies with a DHS detainer is deemed to be acting as an agent of the Department of Homeland Security and generally is protected from suit. If actions were taken in accordance with the detainer, the United States is substituted as defendant and remedies follow federal tort claim procedures, but there is no immunity for knowing violations of civil or constitutional rights.

## Cosponsors (11)

- Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] (R-SC), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL] (R-AL), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] (R-TX), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK] (R-OK), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA] (R-LA), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND] (R-ND), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS] (R-KS), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD] (R-SD), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-01-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Graham, Darline [R-SC] (R-SC), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Shield for officers who honor detainers: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would treat a State or local government that follows a DHS detainer as acting for DHS. Officers who act in accordance with a detainer would be treated as federal employees and the United States would replace the State as the defendant in lawsuits. The bill requires those jurisd…
- New private lawsuits for victims: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would let a victim — or the victim's spouse, parent, or child if the victim is dead or permanently incapacitated — sue a State or local government for compensatory damages. The crime must be murder, rape, or any felony (as the State defines it) where the alien offender was arre…
- Grant condition: waive state immunity: cost, high. If enacted, the bill would require a State or local government that accepts certain federal grants to agree to waive immunity for sanctuary-related lawsuits. The listed grants include public works and economic development grants, planning and administrative grants, certain supplemental and training…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026
- 119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2025
- 119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-s-9: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025
- 119-s-65: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-s-185 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/185)

## Related
- [119-s-1071: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1071)
- [119-s-186: No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-186)
- [119-s-6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-6)
- [119-s-9: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-9)
- [119-s-65: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-65)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-185 (as of 2026-08-11).