Sarah's Law
Sponsored By: Senator Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced
Summary
Mandatory detention and victim notification for certain non‑U.S. nationals charged with crimes causing death or serious bodily injury. This bill would expand the grounds that require ICE to detain some non‑U.S. nationals and would require the agency to obtain and share information with crime victims and their families.
Show full summary
- Victims and families: Victims, or a relative or guardian of a deceased victim, would receive timely, ongoing information about the detained individual. Information must include the person’s full name and aliases, date of birth, country of nationality, immigration status, criminal history, custody status and changes, and a description of U.S. removal efforts. It also preserves victims' rights under federal law (18 U.S.C. 3771).
- People charged with deadly or injurious crimes: The bill would require detention of aliens unlawfully present who are charged with any crime that resulted in death or serious bodily injury. It also covers aliens who were not inspected and admitted, those whose nonimmigrant visa or admission documentation was revoked under section 221(i), and aliens described in section 237(a)(1)(C)(i).
- ICE duties and legal change: The bill would amend Section 236(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to add the detention ground and direct the Assistant Secretary for ICE to make reasonable efforts to obtain victim information when encountering or learning about such an alien.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
More notice for crime victims
If enacted, ICE would have to try to find victims and get their contact information for certain noncitizen defendants. ICE would have to tell victims or closest relatives the alien's name, aliases, birth date, and nationality. ICE would also provide the alien's immigration status, criminal history, custody status and changes, and any government removal efforts. This duty would start upon enactment.
Victims' rights remain protected
If enacted, the bill would say nothing in it limits crime victims' rights under other laws. That explicitly includes the federal victims' rights law. This confirmation would take effect upon enactment.
Mandatory detention for violent noncitizens
If enacted, the bill would add a rule that some noncitizens charged with crimes causing death or serious injury must be detained. It would apply to people not lawfully admitted, some visa holders whose visas were revoked, and others listed in immigration law. The detention duty would trigger when a U.S. prosecutor charges the person with a crime that resulted in death or serious bodily injury. This change would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
IA • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
IA • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Katie Britt
AL • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
OK • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Cramer, Kevin [R-ND]
ND • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Bill Hagerty
TN • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC]
SC • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC]
NC • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]
ID • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
TX • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
KS • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
LA • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
SC • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
NE • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Marshall, Roger [R-KS]
KS • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Sheehy, Tim [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
ID • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Curtis, John R. [R-UT]
UT • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
FL • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Ricketts, Pete [R-NE]
NE • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Mike Rounds
SD • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Shelley Capito
WV • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
LA • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Markwayne Mullin
OK • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Cindy Hyde-Smith
MS • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO]
MO • R
Sponsored 1/14/2025
Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
TN • R
Sponsored 1/15/2025
Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA]
PA • R
Sponsored 1/15/2025
Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]
PA • D
Sponsored 1/16/2025
John Hoeven
ND • R
Sponsored 1/16/2025
Roger Wicker
MS • R
Sponsored 1/20/2025
Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 1/20/2025
Dan Sullivan
AK • R
Sponsored 1/28/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov