Cotton Introduces Bill to Protect Arkansans from Criminal Migrants

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
January 14, 2026

Cotton Introduces Bill to Protect Arkansans from Criminal Migrants

Washington, DC — Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced legislation to crack down on migrants who are convicted of a crime. The Deportation Acceleration Act would make any noncitizen who is convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors automatically deportable.

“Migrants who threaten the safety of Arkansans by not respecting our laws don’t belong here. My bill will ensure these criminals are swiftly deported,” said Senator Cotton.

Text of the bill can be found here.

The Deportation Acceleration Act would:

• Require state and local law enforcement agencies to report criminal convictions of noncitizens to the Department of Homeland Security.
• Subject any noncitizen who is convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors to an expedited removal process.
• Shorten the appeal window from 180 days to 30 days for removal cases.
• Allow the Secretary of Transportation to withhold certain funds from sanctuary jurisdictions.

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