Congress mandates automatic deportation for security visa revocations
S. 486 — Mandatory Removal Proceedings Act · Filed by Mike Lee (R-UT) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 6, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends immigration law to require the Department of Homeland Security to automatically begin removal proceedings whenever a visa is revoked on security grounds or related bases. Currently, DHS has discretion whether to initiate removal; this bill removes that discretion and mandates immediate action.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a procedural mandate: it converts discretionary administrative action (visa revocation review) into a mandatory, immediate removal proceeding. This is enforcement-focused legislation, not a substantive redefinition of removability grounds.
What the text implies
- Eliminates case-by-case administrative discretion that previously allowed DHS to consider individual circumstances, family ties, or humanitarian factors before initiating removal for security-related visa revocations.
- The phrase 'immediately initiate' may create operational pressure on immigration courts and DHS resources, potentially affecting processing timelines for all removal cases.
- Applies to visa revocations under section 237(a)(4) (security-related grounds); the scope depends on how DHS interprets 'security or related grounds' — a term not defined in this bill.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill strengthens enforcement of security-based visa revocations by eliminating administrative delay, which may enhance security screening. However, it eliminates discretionary review that could account for individual circumstances, potentially accelerating removal of individuals (including lawful permanent residents or visa holders with ties to the U.S.) without case-by-case assessment.
Named in the bill
Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of Homeland Security, Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 221(i) INA, Section 237(a)(4) INA, Section 236A INA
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 4 Republicans.
- Feb 6, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Feb 6, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $230,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 68 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Mike Lee, the sponsor, reported $241,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- League of Conservation Voters — $230,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,049 characters) on Aug 17, 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.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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