Congress expands detention for non-citizens over minor property crimes
H.R. 2708 — Safeguarding American Property Act of 2025 · Filed by Troy Downing (R-MT) · 36 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 8, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill expands the list of crimes that trigger mandatory detention for non-citizens under immigration law. It adds trespassing, vandalism, and arson to the existing crimes (like burglary) that require immigration authorities to hold non-citizens without bail pending removal proceedings. The bill also modifies how 'serious bodily injury' is counted in detention decisions.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to expand the list of property crimes triggering mandatory detention of non-citizens under existing immigration law. It is a straightforward amendment to detention authority, not a broader immigration reform or a hidden rider.
What the text implies
- Trespassing and vandalism are often misdemeanor-level offenses; adding them to mandatory-detention triggers may result in prolonged detention for non-citizens accused of minor property damage, even before conviction or removal hearing.
- The amendment does not specify whether detention applies to attempted or completed offenses, or whether prior convictions are required, creating potential ambiguity in enforcement.
- Mandatory detention without bail may increase costs to ICE and the federal detention system, as more non-citizens will be held pending removal proceedings rather than released on recognizance or bond.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill increases detention authority over non-citizens for property crimes, which may deter certain conduct and protect property owners; however, it also expands mandatory detention without bail for lower-level offenses (trespassing, vandalism), potentially trapping non-citizens in prolonged detention pending removal even for minor property damage, raising due-process and humanitarian concerns.
Who stands to gain
- private detention contractors
- federal detention facilities
Named in the bill
Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 236(c), ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), non-citizens, property crimes
Where it stands
36 cosponsors: 36 Republicans.
- Apr 8, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Apr 8, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (457 characters) on Jun 3, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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