May 12 2021

Tillis, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Empower Law Enforcement to Combat Illegal Immigration

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced the Empowering Law Enforcement Act, legislation to combat the Biden Administration’s nullification of U.S. immigration laws. The Empowering Law Enforcement Act will grant state and local law enforcement inherent immigration enforcement authority to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain or transfer a migrant that has entered the U.S. illegally. Additionally, this legislation would provide the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) flexibility on how long a criminal alien may be detained, extending the 180-day period to ensure violent criminals are not released back into communities.
 
“The Biden Administration’s disastrous response to the border crisis has shown we need to provide additional authorities to assist communities across the country,” said Senator Tillis. “This legislation would help our border patrol and ICE agents by giving our local law enforcement immigration enforcement authority to help manage the migrant crisis our country is facing.”
 
Specifically, the legislation would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to: 
  • Delegate immigration enforcement authority to state and local law enforcement entities, including the ability to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, or transfer an alien into Federal custody.
  • Permit the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend the detention of criminal aliens until removal from the U.S.
  • Ensure that illegal migrants are detained in federal custody upon state or local law enforcement request.
  • Reimburse state or local authorities for related incarceration and transportation costs.
  • Promote immigration information sharing between DHS and the FBI for the benefit of state and local law enforcement.
Senator Tillis recently traveled to the border to see firsthand the immigration and humanitarian crisis currently facing our country and meet with local officials and border patrol agents on the ground handling the surge. Senator Tillis has been critical of the Biden Administration’s handling of the border crisis and the actions they have taken to limit ICE’s enforcement of immigration laws, despite a record number of illegal border crossings, and the impact of this executive overreach on law enforcement and the safety and security of our nation. 
 
###
https://www.tillis.senate.gov/2021/5/tillis-colleagues-introduce-legislation-to-empower-law-enforcement-to-combat-illegal-immigration