Deportation Acceleration Act

The "Deportation Acceleration Act" seeks to significantly enhance and accelerate the removal process for non-citizens with criminal convictions. A core provision mandates that the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security establish a system for State and local courts and law enforcement agencies to report all non-citizen criminal convictions to the Department of Homeland Security within 24 hours , triggering immediate removal proceedings. The bill dramatically expands the grounds for expedited removal , allowing for the deportation of any non-citizen convicted of any felony or two misdemeanors , a significant broadening from previous "aggravated felony" criteria. This expedited removal process can be initiated even before an individual's release from incarceration, and the expanded criteria apply retroactively to past crimes and convictions. To further streamline the process, the legislation requires the prioritization of criminal removal cases on immigration court dockets and aims to resolve appeals in such cases within 120 days. It also shortens certain appeal windows for motions to reconsider or reopen from 180 or 90 days to just 30 days . Finally, the bill addresses "sanctuary jurisdictions" by defining them as entities that restrict cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. It authorizes $150 million annually in grants as incentives for State and local governments that fully cooperate, while simultaneously imposing a penalty of withholding 15 percent of Highway Trust Fund apportionment from non-compliant sanctuary jurisdictions.