To establish in the Department of Homeland Security a grant program to reimburse States the costs incurred by such States relating to the detention of migrants at detention facilities in such States, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The ALCATRAZ Act creates a new federal grant program within the Department of Homeland Security to reimburse states and local governments for the costs of detaining migrants. It funds this program by transferring all remaining money from FEMA Shelter and Services Program, which had been used to help communities provide shelter and other services to migrants.
Who Benefits and How
- State and local governments that operate or pay for migrant detention facilities can get reimbursed for costs incurred since January 20, 2025
- Private detention facility operators could see increased business as the bill also directs DHS to plan for rapidly constructing new detention facilities
- DHS immigration enforcement gains dedicated funding and a mandate to expand detention infrastructure
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Migrants face expanded detention capacity and a policy framework prioritizing detention over shelter services
- Organizations currently receiving FEMA Shelter and Services funds (such as nonprofits and local agencies providing shelter, food, and services to migrants) lose their funding source entirely
- FEMA loses the unobligated balances of the Shelter and Services Program
Key Provisions
- Establishes the Detention and Logistics Program as a DHS grant program for reimbursing detention costs
- Covers costs incurred by states and local governments on or after January 20, 2025
- Transfers all unobligated Shelter and Services Program balances from FEMA to DHS
- Requires DHS to report within 90 days on plans for rapidly building new detention facilities and identifying federal or state properties for construction
- Directs DHS to identify other wasteful or redundant federal accounts whose funds could be redirected to the program
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
This bill establishes a grant program within the Department of Homeland Security called the Detention and Logistics Program to reimburse states and local governments for the costs of detaining migrants, funded by redirecting unobligated balances from FEMA Shelter and Services Program.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
This bill establishes a grant program within the Department of Homeland Security called the Detention and Logistics Program to reimburse states and local governments for the costs of detaining migrants, funded by redirecting unobligated balances from FEMA Shelter and Services Program.
Policy Domains
ALCATRAZ Act
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- State and local governments bearing detention costs
- Private detention facility operators
- Department of Homeland Security enforcement operations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Migrants in detention
- Organizations currently receiving Shelter and Services Program funds
- FEMA (loses program funding)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. McDowell (for himself, Mr. Moore of Alabama, Ms. Boebert, …
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A DHS grant program to reimburse states and local governments for costs incurred on or after January 20, 2025, relating to the detention of migrants at detention facilities.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology