New Bill Will Allow Victims To Sue Sanctuary Jurisdictions
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has introduced legislation that would allow Americans who were victimized by illegal aliens to sue the sanctuary jurisdictions that allowed the crime to take place.
The “Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act of 2025,” or S185, was introduced by Tillis and 10 other Senate Republicans in response to the widespread crimes being committed by illegal aliens across the country, especially those that have been repeatedly released by sanctuary cities and states that refuse to comply with deportation orders for criminals, allowing them to re-offend and further harm Americans.
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Tillis issued a statement about the measure on January 23, where he slammed sanctuary cities for continually releasing dangerous criminals onto the streets of American communities.
“For far too long, we have watched local jurisdictions in North Carolina and across the country ignore the lawful notification and detainer requests made by ICE agents and instead release dangerous criminals back into their communities, putting innocent lives at risk,” the statement read.
He went on to vow to work alongside President Donald Trump “to end illegal immigration and fight sanctuary cities that prioritize reckless, lawless policies over public safety.”
Tillis also highlighted the fact that “liberal politicians want to put political ideology ahead of the safety of their constituents” — pointing out that it is “time for Congress to step in and hold sanctuary cities accountable.”
The legislation states that any victim or family member of a victim who was raped, murdered, or been the victim of any felony “for which an alien has been arrested, convicted, or sentenced to a term of imprisonment of at least 1 year” will be able to bring a lawsuit “for compensatory damages” against any sanctuary state or city in which a jurisdiction failed to “comply with a detainer for such alien” or notify the Department of Homeland Security about the release of the illegal alien. The lawsuits can be brought in federal court or state court, according to the bill.
Tillis’ legislation also provides a 10-year statute of limitation from either the time that the crime occurred or the time that the victim died as a result of the crime.
However, the legislation also goes beyond just allowing individual victims to sue sanctuary jurisdictions — as it would also withhold federal funds from any sanctuary jurisdiction if they “continue to refuse to enforce federal immigration law and put American lives at risk,” according to a press release from Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), who also introduced a version of this bill in the House.
“Sanctuary cities have shielded many of the nearly 650,000 criminal illegal immigrants in the United States from facing the consequences for their violent crimes against innocent Americans for too many years. Sanctuary cities cannot continue to jeopardize Americans’ safety without being held accountable for their role in the illegal immigrant crime crisis we are facing today. The Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act that I’m re-introducing will finally hold these communities responsible when their harmful, illegal policies result in a crime against an American citizen, and will allow the victim to take legal action against counties, cities, or towns for the dangerous policies that directly led to their harm,” Edwards explained in the statement.
This news comes as President Donald Trump and his border czar Tom Homan continue to fight for border security and against sanctuary cities and states:
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