HR 2708119th CongressIn Committee

Safeguarding American Property Act of 2025

Introduced: Apr 8, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Safeguarding American Property Act of 2025 would amend section 236(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand the set of offenses that trigger mandatory detention for certain criminal aliens during removal proceedings. Specifically, the bill adds several property crimes—trespassing, vandalism, and arson—into the list of offenses that can require detention, in addition to burglary. It also reworks the referencing language to explicitly include these property crimes alongside the existing serious bodily injury criteria. In short, if enacted, more noncitizens who commit property crimes could be detained by immigration authorities while their removal cases are decided.

Key Points

1Short title: The bill is titled the Safeguarding American Property Act of 2025.
2Expanded detention triggers: The bill adds trespassing, vandalism, and arson to the property-crime category that can lead to mandatory detention under INA 236(c), alongside burglary and any related serious bodily injury considerations.
3Rewording of detention criteria: The amendment explicitly inserts trespassing, vandalism, and arson into the list of offenses related to the detention criteria (in the portion of the statute that references serious bodily injury and related crimes).
4Scope of change: The bill modifies the legal triggers for detaining certain criminal aliens in removal proceedings, broadening the set of crimes that can lead to mandatory detention.
5Legislative status: Introduced in the House on April 8, 2025; referred to the Judiciary Committee. Sponsor list includes several named representatives.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected: Noncitizens in the United States who have committed the newly added property crimes (trespassing, vandalism, arson, and burglary) and who are subject to removal proceedings; they would be subject to mandatory detention under INA 236(c) if the bill becomes law.Secondary group/area affected: Immigration enforcement agencies (e.g., ICE) and detention facilities, which would see a broader set of individuals detained pending removal proceedings; potential cost and capacity implications.Additional impacts: Potential effects on asylum or other defense claims if more individuals are detained longer or more routinely; possible constitutional or due process considerations regarding detention for property crimes; broader policy debate about balancing property crime deterrence with civil detention standards.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025