Prohibits release of illegal immigrants from correctional facilities.
New Jersey's S 851 requires correctional facilities (prisons, jails, youth detention centers) to verify the citizenship and legal immigration status of every inmate. If an inmate is not a U.S. citizen or cannot be confirmed as lawfully present, the facility must not release them - except to federal immigration officials - and must document this determination. Violations by facility staff could result in civil penalties set by the Corrections Commissioner. The bill directly affects non-citizen inmates and correctional facility operators, aiming to prevent releases into the general population for those unlawfully present in the U.S.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026
Last action Jan 13, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee
upper
1 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Doug Steinhardt
RRepublican
Co
Jim Holzapfel
RRepublican
Co
Parker Space
RRepublican
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about S 851
Scope: NJ
Hi! I can help you understand S 851. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline