House Republicans advance bill allowing victims to sue sanctuary cities

House Republicans advanced the Shut Down Sanctuary Policies Act of 2026 on Oct. 13, 2026, aiming to let victims of certain aggravated felonies sue state and local governments that refuse to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The bill creates a private right of action for compensatory damages and covers attorney fees for successful plaintiffs, giving families a legal avenue to seek redress when a suspect is released because a jurisdiction declined to honor an ICE detainer. Victims would have ten years to file a suit.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R‑Ohio, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, described the provision as a way for harmed individuals to “take that city, take that state to court.”

"It allows people who've been harmed, where local political leaders tell the local law enforcement they can't work with federal law enforcement, detainers aren't honored … to go take that city, take that state to court," Jordan said.

Jordan added that the committee’s work on the measure will not stall, emphasizing the need to pass it during the upcoming lame‑duck session after the midterm elections.

"So we got a good deal that we worked long and hard on. We just got to try to get it passed in the lame duck [period]," he explained.

The legislation also includes a safeguard for local jurisdictions that deny detainers when state law requires them to do so; in those cases, plaintiffs could instead sue the state and its officials for the sanctuary policy that allowed the release.

Virginia is highlighted as a potential target. Newly elected Gov. Abigail Spanberger terminated Virginia’s cooperation agreement with ICE, and Fairfax County and its Commonwealth’s Attorney, Steve Descano, have become focal points in the debate over sanctuary‑style policies and illegal‑immigrant crime.

Supporters argue that the bill would increase accountability for jurisdictions that they say jeopardize public safety by releasing violent offenders. Critics, however, have framed the effort as politically charged, with some Democratic leaders likening ICE to authoritarian agencies.

The measure cleared the Judiciary Committee earlier in the year and now heads to the full House, where a vote is expected during the lame‑duck session. If passed, it would mark a significant shift in the legal landscape governing federal‑local immigration cooperation.