Senate GOP pushes bill to end release of detained migrants when deportation stalls

Sen. Katie Britt is spearheading a Senate Republican effort to eliminate a decades-old immigration loophole that permits the release of detained illegal immigrants when no country agrees to accept them for removal. The Keeping Our Communities Safe Act would amend two sections of the 1950s-era Immigration and Nationality Act, granting the Department of Homeland Security broader power to hold criminal aliens, restrict bond issuance, and require clear and convincing evidence that a detainee is not a flight or public safety risk.

The bill also allows detention extensions for individuals posing national security threats or convicted of aggravated felonies or violent offenses. First introduced in 2011, the proposal now has 11 Republican co-sponsors, including Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz, and is presented as a corrective measure against alleged exploitation of the loophole during the Biden administration.