Immigration (Driver Licenses & IDs)

The BLOC Act withholds federal highway construction funds from local governments (like cities or counties) that do not require officials to notify Homeland Security within 48 hours before releasing certain undocumented immigrants detained for at least 48 hours. Specifically, it blocks funding for infrastructure projects if a jurisdiction lacks a policy mandating such notifications for aliens determined by DHS to be unlawfully present. This directly affects local governments operating detention facilities and receiving federal transportation funds, requiring them to comply with DHS notification protocols to maintain funding. The bill does not change immigration law but ties federal infrastructure funding to cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

HR 5108 prohibits U.S. states from receiving federal Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds if they issue driver licenses to individuals without proof of U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, or if they restrict government entities from sharing immigration enforcement data with Homeland Security. States violating these rules must return unspent federal grant funds within 30 days and remain ineligible for future grants until they pass laws requiring driver license eligibility proof and permitting immigration data sharing. The bill directly affects states that currently issue licenses to undocumented immigrants or block information sharing with federal immigration authorities. It imposes concrete financial penalties rather than altering driver licensing rules themselves.

HR 218, the State Immigration Enforcement Act, allows states and local governments to create and enforce their own criminal and civil penalties for immigration violations that mirror federal immigration law. It permits states to impose penalties (criminal or civil) for the same conduct prohibited under federal immigration law, but only if those penalties do not exceed the corresponding federal penalties. This bill directly affects states and local law enforcement agencies by giving them authority to enforce immigration-related violations through state-level penalties. The law does not change federal immigration law but establishes a framework for states to implement parallel enforcement mechanisms within defined limits.

The SECURE Benefits Act of 2025 creates a new process for issuing temporary Social Security numbers to noncitizens with valid temporary work permits (e.g., H-2A visa holders). It requires the IRS to verify these individuals' active work authorization status before allowing them to claim tax benefits like the Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Credit, or Savers Credit. The bill adds a $5,000 penalty for claiming these credits based on expired or invalid work authorization, with exceptions for reasonable cause. This directly affects noncitizens seeking tax benefits who hold temporary work permits, ensuring only those with current authorization can access these credits.

This bill enforces a federal law prohibiting states from offering in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants at public colleges. It requires colleges to verify students' immigration status using the DHS SAVE system annually and charge undocumented students the higher out-of-state rate instead. States that continue providing in-state tuition to undocumented students could lose federal education funding. The bill directly affects undocumented immigrant students in public colleges across 22 states and D.C., as well as the states and institutions currently offering these subsidies.

This bill amends U.S. immigration law to classify certain driving under the influence (DUI) offenses as "aggravated felonies." It specifically targets convictions for DUI causing death or serious injury, regardless of whether the local conviction was labeled a misdemeanor or felony. Non-citizens convicted of such offenses - whether in state, federal, tribal, or local courts - would become inadmissible to the United States. The change applies to all relevant convictions, even if they occurred before the bill's enactment. This policy directly affects non-citizens with these specific DUI convictions, making them subject to immigration penalties like deportation or denial of entry.