This bill lets the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the Attorney General, make written agreements with States to allow state officers or employees who are licensed attorneys to perform certain DHS counsel functions in immigration removal proceedings. The state attorney must be found qualified by DHS, follow federal law, get required training, and have no independent prosecutorial or policymaking power. The state attorney would be supervised by DHS, could use federal property if agreed, and the service must not displace federal employees. State-paid attorneys generally would not be federal employees except for certain injury compensation and tort claim rules, and they would be treated as acting under federal authority for purposes of liability and immunity.
The bill also changes the definition of "aggravated felony" to add many more offenses and categories. It expands drug and trafficking-related offenses to include certain state-law offenses, adds specific federal firearms and child-exploitation statutes, broadens the definition of crimes of violence and theft/burglary, and adds war crimes, torture, genocide, and child soldier recruitment. It makes any felony or any offense punishable by more than one year a possible aggravated felony and includes conspiracies, attempts, and aiding or abetting such offenses. The bill adds "an aggravated felony" to a list of crimes that make a person inadmissible.
The bill updates related immigration sections (including rules about particularly serious crimes and which offenses trigger detention or removal processes) and says these changes apply to offenses and removal proceedings before, on, or after enactment. It also includes a severability clause.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.