The BLOC Act would penalize state and local governments that do not notify federal immigration authorities before releasing immigrants determined to be in the country unlawfully. Specifically, the bill amends federal transportation law to make any state or local jurisdiction ineligible for federal infrastructure funding—including highway construction money—unless it establishes a process to notify the Department of Homeland Security at least 48 hours before releasing such individuals from custody. The notification requirement applies only when DHS has already informed local authorities of the person's immigration status and the individual has been held for at least 48 hours. States and localities would have one year from the bill's enactment to establish this notification process or risk losing federal transportation funding. The legislation primarily affects sanctuary jurisdictions that currently have policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and it ties access to critical federal infrastructure dollars to compliance with these immigration notification requirements.
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