S. 185: Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025
A Senate bill (S.) in the 119th U.S. Congress.
Overview
| Congress | 119th U.S. Congress (2025–2026) |
|---|---|
| Type | Senate bill (S.) |
| Originating chamber | Senate |
| Introduced | 2025-01-22 |
| Sponsor | Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC] |
| Policy area | Immigration |
| Cosponsors | 11 |
| Latest action | 2025-01-22 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. |
| Last updated | 2026-07-25 |
Summary
Official summary (Introduced in Senate, 2025-01-22):
Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025
This bill provides a private right of action against state and local jurisdictions with certain policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts, and contains additional provisions related to such jurisdictions. Currently, such cooperation is generally not required.
An individual (or certain relatives of such an individual) who is the victim of any felony for which an alien has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced to a prison term of at least one year may sue a state or local jurisdiction if the jurisdiction failed to comply with (1) certain Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requests related to arresting and detaining aliens, and (2) a DHS request to detain the alien in question or provide a notification about the release of the alien. A jurisdiction that accepts certain federal grants may not assert immunity in such a civil action.
A jurisdiction (or employee of a jurisdiction) that complies with certain DHS detainer requests shall be deemed to be acting as an agent of DHS. A complying jurisdiction or employee of the jurisdiction shall not be liable in any lawsuit relating to compliance with such requests. In a lawsuit against an employee of the jurisdiction, the United States shall be substituted in as the defendant, and remedies shall be limited to provisions for bringing tort claims against the federal government.
Cosponsors (11)
| Name | Party / state |
|---|---|
| Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] | R SC (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Katie Boyd Britt | R AL (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Ted Cruz | R TX (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| James Lankford | R OK (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Bill Cassidy | R LA (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Kevin Cramer | R ND (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Roger Marshall | R KS (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Tim Sheehy | R MT (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Mike Rounds | R SD (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Ted Budd | R NC (original cosponsor) 2025-01-22 |
| Darline Graham | R SC 2026-07-23 |
Full text & official record
The official bill text, section-by-section summary, amendments, committee reports, and the complete legislative timeline for S. 185 are published by Congress on congress.gov.
Frequently asked questions
What is S. 185?
S. 185 is a Senate bill (S.) introduced in the 119th U.S. Congress, originating in the Senate. Official title: Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025.
Where can I read the full bill text?
The full text, cosponsors, amendments, and legislative status for S. 185 are available on congress.gov.
Bill data: congress.gov API (official congressional records).