WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act to ensure that state and local law enforcement officials have the tools necessary to help the federal government deport criminal illegal immigrants from the United States.

This legislation comes amid an uptick in violent crimes committed by illegal aliens with prior criminal history, including the murder of Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus.

“The recent murders of Laken Riley in Georgia and a two-year old in Maryland by illegal immigrants with previous criminal arrests were tragically avoidable, as was the abuse of young boys in Tennessee by an illegal immigrant with a prior record,” said Senator Blackburn. “No community is safe under President Biden, whose open border policies and refusal to enforce rules on the books have permitted lawlessness across the country. My legislation equips state and local law enforcement to help protect their communities and encourages the deportation of criminal illegal aliens by maintaining a comprehensive database of identifying information and opening up more detention space for interim holding.”

Senator Blackburn first introduced the CLEAR Act in 2007.

• Specifically, the CLEAR Act reaffirms the authority of state and local governments to enforce federal immigration laws by apprehending, detaining, or transferring illegal immigrants to federal custody.

• Any state or locality that prohibits state law enforcement from working with federal immigration law enforcement cannot receive certain federal funds.

• Under the bill, DHS must also provide the National Crime Information Center at DOJ with information about any illegal alien who (1) has a final order of removal issued against them; (2) has signed a voluntary departure agreement; (3) has overstayed their period of stay; or (4) has a revoked visa. 

• States and localities must provide DHS (who in turn must submit a report to Congress) with certain information about every alien apprehended in their state, including: (1) the alien’s name; (2) the alien’s address; (3) a physical description of the alien; (4) the date, time, and location of the encounter with the alien and reason for stopping, detaining, or arresting the alien.

• If available, the state must also provide the alien’s driver’s license number, license plate number, a photo of the alien, or the alien’s fingerprints.

• DHS must also: (1) provide grants to states and localities to assist them in enforcing immigration laws; (2) construct or acquire increased space for detention facilities; (3) take illegal aliens into custody within 48 hours after receiving a request from a state or locality; (4) establish a training manual for state and local law enforcement on the enforcement of immigration laws; and (5) continue and expand the Institutional Removal Program for identifying removable criminal aliens in federal and state correctional facilities.

Click here for bill text.