Cassidy, Inhofe, Colleagues Introduce Keep Our Communities Safe Act

Press Release

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), and colleagues introduced the Keep Our Communities Safe Act, legislation that would close the legal loophole that requires immigration authorities to release back into the United States illegal aliens who have not been accepted for deportation to other countries after being detained for six months -- a practice also referred to as "catch and release."

"Law enforcement and the judicial system are overwhelmed by the crisis at our southern border," said Dr. Cassidy. "The current "catch and release' loophole allows illegal immigrants with criminal records to be released into the U.S. scot-free. Our bill ends this practice, keeps Americans safe, and begins to alleviate the border crisis."

Cassidy and Inhofe were joined by Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Steve Daines (R-MT), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and John Barrasso (R-WY).

The Keep Our Communities Safe Act closes the loophole that prevents DHS from detaining non-removable immigrants beyond the current Supreme Court-mandated six months in these specific situations:

The alien will be removed in the reasonably foreseeable future;
The alien would have been removed but for the alien's refusal to make all reasonable efforts to comply and cooperate with the Secretary's efforts to remove him;
The alien has a highly contagious disease;
Release would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences;
Release would threaten national security; or
Release would threaten the safety of the community and the alien either is an aggravated felon or has committed a crime of violence.

Source