The HELD Act is a federal law that uses funding as leverage to enforce immigration enforcement cooperation. Here's what it does: if a state or local government has laws or policies that prevent them from quickly responding to requests from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about immigrants in their custody—like providing information about when someone will be released—that state or locality loses federal funding. The same penalty applies if they refuse to comply with detainer requests, which are formal requests from DHS asking local authorities to hold someone in custody so federal immigration agents can pick them up.

In practical terms, this bill puts pressure on "sanctuary" jurisdictions—cities and states that have chosen not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement—by threatening to cut off their federal money. Local police departments and jails in these areas would face a difficult choice: either start cooperating with DHS requests and sharing information about immigrants in their custody, or risk losing federal funding that supports their operations. The bill essentially makes federal funding conditional on immigration enforcement cooperation, even in places where local leaders believe such cooperation conflicts with their community policing goals or values.

HELD Act

Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-41]

Help Ensure Legal Detainers Act or the HELD Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds by a state or local subdivision that has in effect a law, policy, or procedure that prevents or impedes <ul> <li> a timely response to a request by the Department of Homeland Security for information about an alien in custody, including the alien's estimated release date; or </li> <li> compliance with a detainer request.</li> </ul>