# Plain Language Summary: CLEAR Act of 2025

This bill is designed to make it easier for state and local police to help enforce federal immigration laws and to increase federal resources for handling immigration enforcement. The core idea is that the bill says state and local law enforcement officers already have the legal authority to investigate, arrest, and detain people they believe are in the country illegally, and it encourages them to do so by offering financial incentives and federal support.

The bill creates several new requirements and incentives. States that have "sanctuary" policies—rules that prevent their police from cooperating with immigration enforcement—would lose federal funding that they currently receive for criminal justice purposes. Meanwhile, states that do cooperate get grants to buy equipment and technology for immigration enforcement work, and the federal government will reimburse them for the costs of reporting suspected immigration violators to federal authorities. The bill also requires state and local police to submit detailed information about anyone they apprehend who they believe violated immigration laws, including names, addresses, photos, and fingerprints when available.

To support this expanded enforcement, the bill directs the federal government to build or acquire 20 new detention facilities across the country to hold people awaiting deportation or removal decisions. It also establishes training programs for state and local officers on immigration law enforcement and creates legal protections (immunity) for officers who participate in these activities. The bill includes an important exception: police are not required to report crime victims or witnesses to immigration authorities, even if those people are in the country illegally.

CLEAR Act of 2025

Issa, Darrell

Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal Act of 2025 or the CLEAR Act of 2025This bill establishes requirements and programs related to the detention of individuals unlawfully present in the United States and facing removal, including the role of state and local governments in this process.The bill provides that state and local governments have the authority to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration laws, including by apprehending individuals and transferring them to federal custody. Jurisdictions that prohibit such cooperation are barred from receiving certain federal funding.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must within 48 hours of a request by a state or local authority take custody of an individual unlawfully present in the United States. The bill also establishes requirements for state or local detention and provides for reimbursement for reasonable expenses. The Government Accountability Office must also audit such reimbursements.DHS must also construct 20 additional detention facilities in the United States for individuals facing removal.The bill also (1) extends certain federal immunity from liability to state and local law enforcement officers, (2) provides immunity to state or local law enforcement agencies from certain money damages, and (3) requires states to participate in programs to expedite the removal of individuals subject to removal who are serving criminal sentences.The bill also establishes a grant program, provides for the development of state and local law enforcement training materials, and requires state and local governments to&nbsp;provide information about certain detained individuals.