S. 3744: To amend chapter 93 of title 18, United States Code, to prohibit obstruction of immigration laws by official interference.

This bill aims to amend the United States Code to make it illegal for state and local officials to obstruct federal immigration laws. Here are the key points of the bill:

Definitions

The bill defines specific terms related to immigration laws:

• Alien: Refers to individuals as defined in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
• Conceals, Harbors, Shields: These terms relate to actions taken to prevent the enforcement of immigration laws.
• Immigration laws: The bill refers to laws under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Prohibited Conduct

The bill makes it unlawful for government officials, employees, or contractors to engage in behaviors that would impede or obstruct federal immigration enforcement. Specifically, they cannot:

• Prohibit or restrict federal immigration officers from accessing nonsecure areas of detention facilities to identify or detain aliens.
• Conceal or shield aliens from federal officers, including altering or destroying records related to an individual's immigration status.
• Facilitate the release of an alien subject to removal proceedings without giving federal immigration authorities a 48-hour notice.
• Restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities for removal actions or the sharing of information about an individual’s immigration status.
• Fail to comply with lawful requests made by the Department of Homeland Security concerning detainers or notifications about an alien's release.
• Otherwise impede cooperation with federal immigration enforcement requests.

Penalties

If a state or local government official violates these restrictions, they could face serious penalties, including:

• If the violation leads to the release of an alien who later causes death, they could be fined or imprisoned for years or life.
• If the release leads to serious bodily injury to someone, they could face imprisonment for up to 20 years.
• For other violations, penalties could include fines or imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Technical and Conforming Amendment

The bill also includes a technical amendment to update the table of sections in the U.S. Code to reference the new provision about obstructing immigration laws.

Relevant Companies

• None found