# Sarah's Law: What You Need to Know

Sarah's Law requires federal immigration authorities to automatically detain certain non-citizens who have been charged with serious crimes. Specifically, if someone is in the United States without proper legal status or whose visa has been revoked, and they've been charged with a crime that caused someone's death or serious bodily injury, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must take them into custody. This removes the discretion that immigration officials previously had—they no longer get to decide case-by-case whether to detain someone in these situations. The law applies to people who entered the country illegally, overstayed their visas, or had their legal status revoked.

Beyond detention, the law also creates a notification requirement. When ICE encounters someone matching this description, they must make reasonable efforts to find and inform the victims of the crimes (or the victims' families if the victim died). These notifications must include details about the accused person's identity, immigration status, criminal history, where they're being held, and what steps the government is taking to remove them from the country. This gives victims and their families ongoing information about someone accused of harming them.

The practical effect is that immigration detention becomes mandatory rather than discretionary for this specific category of cases. Supporters argue this prevents potentially dangerous individuals from being released back into communities while their criminal cases proceed. Critics raise concerns about whether mandatory detention without case-by-case review might violate due process rights or detain people who are ultimately found not guilty. The law also doesn't change anyone's right to a fair trial or other legal protections—it only affects whether someone is held in custody while awaiting trial or deportation proceedings.

Sarah’s Law

Feenstra, Randy

Sarah's Law This bill requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. ICE must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which the detained individual was charged or convicted. ICE shall provide the victim, or a relative or guardian of a deceased victim, with information about the detained individual, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.