United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee 5 R cosponsors

HR 263 — Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination Act

Last action — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 09, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 24% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    1 primary, 4 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (5 R).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination ActThis bill provides for criminal penalties for certain conduct that interferes with U.S. border control measures.Specifically, a person who knowingly transmits the location or activities of law enforcement with the intent to further a crime related to immigration, customs, controlled substances, or other border controls may be imprisoned for a maximum of 10 years. A person who knowingly damages or destroys a device deployed to control the border or a port of entry may be imprisoned for a maximum of 10 years.Additionally, the bill provides for enhanced punishment for carrying or using a firearm in connection with certain criminal immigration violations such as assisting a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) who is inadmissible due to a felony conviction enter the United States.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

4 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

This bill establishes penalties for unlawful actions hindering immigration and border controls and adds new offenses under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1351

    SEC. 295. UNLAWFULLY HINDERING IMMIGRATION, BORDER, AND CUSTOMS CONTROLS. (a) Illicit Spotting.--Any person who knowingly transmits, by any means, to another person the location, movement, or activities of any Federal, State, local, or tribal law enforcement agency with the intent to further a Federal crime relating to United States immigration, customs, controlled substances, agriculture, monetary instruments, or other border controls shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both. (b) Destruction of United States Border Controls.--Any person who knowingly and without lawful authorization destroys, alters, or damages any fence, barrier, sensor, camera, or other physical or electronic device deployed by the Federal Government to control the border or a port of entry or otherwise seeks to construct, excavate, or make any structure intended to defeat, circumvent, or evade any such fence, barrier, sensor camera, or other physical or electronic device deployed by the Federal Government to control the border or a port of entry-- (1) shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both; or (2) if, at the time of the offense, the person uses or carries a firearm or who, in furtherance of any such crime, possesses a firearm, shall be fined under such title 18, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. (c) Conspiracy and Attempt.--Any person who attempts or conspires to violate subsection (a) or (b) shall be punished in the same manner as a person who completes a violation of such subsection.

    This adds new criminal provisions regarding the hindering of immigration and customs enforcement.

  • 8 U.S.C. 1101

    Sec. 295. Unlawfully hindering immigration, border, and customs controls.

    This modification adds a new section to the table of contents for the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding unlawful hindering of immigration and border controls.

  • 18 U.S.C. 924

    the term `crime of violence' means an offense that-- → the term `alien smuggling crime' means any felony punishable under section 274(a), 277, or 278 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324(a), 1327, and 1328);

    This change clarifies the definition of 'alien smuggling crime' in relation to firearm offenses.

  • 18 U.S.C. 924

    paragraphs (2) through (4)

    This removes certain prior penalties under the firearm statute related to violence for clarity and specificity.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 4 co-sponsors · 542 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (4)

Not signed on (542)

542 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 542 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety immigration
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 263 do?
Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination ActThis bill provides for criminal penalties for certain conduct that interferes with U.S. border control measures.Specifically, a person who knowingly transmits the location or activities of law enforcement with the intent to further a crime related to immigration, customs, controlled substances, or other border controls may be imprisoned for a maximum of 10 years. A person who knowingly damages or destroys a device deployed to control the border or a port of entry may be imprisoned for a maximum of 10 years.Additionally, the bill provides for enhanced punishment for carrying or using a firearm in connection with certain criminal immigration violations such as assisting a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) who is inadmissible due to a felony conviction enter the United States.
Who sponsors HR 263?
HR 263 is sponsored by Ciscomani, Juan (Republican), Kiggans, Jennifer A. (Republican), Lawler, Michael (Republican), Miller-Meeks, Mariannette (Republican), and Kennedy, Mike (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 263?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 09, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 263?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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