Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA01) recently introduced the No Sanctuary Cities Act, a bill meant to ensure dangerous criminal illegal immigrants are not safeguarded by “sanctuary” city or state policies.
Rep. Carter commented on sanctuary cities, describing them as "disgusting" and "anti-American." He clarified that the purpose of the bill is to enforce compliance with federal law enforcement and crack down on crime.
“So-called sanctuary cities protect criminal illegal immigrants at the expense of justice and American citizens’ safety,” Carter added. “Far-left officials like Newsom, Walz, and Mamdani shield murderers, rapists, and pedophiles from deportation while actively promoting violence against law enforcement officers.”
The Bill
One of the primary objectives of the bill is to replace Section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. In doing so, the bill requires state and local governments to cooperate with federal immigration authorities by:
- sharing custody and release information for illegal immigrants;
- holding certain detainees for up to 48 hours, when requested;
- protecting officers who comply with federal immigration laws and authorities; and,
- punishing jurisdictions that try to block or limit that cooperation.
A large part of the bill is dedicated to preserving information. For example, government entities will be required to maintain information regarding an individual’s citizenship or immigration status. This must be maintained so that it can be shared with federal law enforcement.
The bill also provides immunity to state and local officers who act within the scope of their authority when they enforce immigration law. This will prevent them from being punished if they comply with the Department of Homeland Security.
For jurisdictions that do not comply with these new requirements, the Attorney General will be authorized to bring civil actions against them in the appropriate district courts.
Any state or political subdivision found by a court to be in ‘knowing violation’ would then be deemed ineligible for law enforcement grants provided by the Department of Justice.
If "sanctuary" cities won't comply with ICE, we're going to make them.
I introduced the No Sanctuary Cities Act, ensuring criminal illegal aliens will no longer be protected by so-called sanctuary city policies. The reckless game of catch and release is over – accountability is…
— Buddy Carter (@RepBuddyCarter) February 9, 2026
