This bill, the Border Safety and Security Act of 2025, gives the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to prohibit the entry of "covered aliens" at international land or maritime borders when the Secretary decides it is necessary to achieve "operational control." The Secretary must also prohibit entry when the Department cannot detain such covered aliens as required by section 235(b)(1)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act or cannot place them in a program consistent with section 235(b)(2)(C). The bill defines a "covered alien" as an alien seeking entry who is inadmissible under section 212(a)(7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The bill allows a State attorney general or other authorized State officer to sue the Secretary in federal court to seek injunctive relief if a required suspension under subsection (b) affects the State or its residents. The term "operational control" is given the meaning in the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
If this law is enacted, the Department of Homeland Security could stop the entry of people who meet the bill's definition of "covered aliens" at U.S. land and maritime borders when the Secretary says it is needed to achieve operational control. The law requires entry to be stopped if DHS cannot detain those people as required or cannot place them in a specific program. State attorneys general could bring federal lawsuits to enforce the required suspension if they say their state or residents are affected. No publicly available information explains how often or for how long suspensions would be used or how they would affect individual travelers.
No publicly available information on the bill's costs or budgetary effects in the text provided. The bill text does not include a Congressional Budget Office estimate or other fiscal analysis. While the bill allows states to sue, there are no cost estimates for potential legal actions or enforcement in the available material.
The bill text and metadata show a group of House sponsors introduced the measure to give the Secretary explicit authority to suspend entry of certain aliens in order to achieve operational control of borders and to require suspension when DHS cannot meet specific detention or program-placement requirements. No additional sponsor statements or supporting materials are included in the provided text.
No publicly available information in the provided bill text or metadata about opposition, official critiques, or counterarguments to this bill.