Downing Introduces Safeguarding American Property Act

Washington, D.C.–Today, Congressman Troy Downing (MT-02) introduced the Safeguarding American Property Act. This bill expands the Laken Riley Act’s mandatory detentions requirements for illegal aliens to include additional property crimes of: arson, trespassing, and vandalism. The bill has received support from NumbersUSA, the Immigration Accountability Project (IAP), and the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
 

“Property rights are a fundamental American value,” said Congressman Downing. “Those who disregard our laws by committing acts of vandalism or trespassing on private property, especially those who broke our laws crossing our borders, must not be allowed to remain. This bill builds on the good work of the Laken Riley Act and takes another step towards reversing Biden's Border Crisis. I appreciate the support of the bill’s cosponsors, and I look forward to getting this legislation passed into law to keep our communities safe.”

“Rep. Downing is building on the bipartisan compromise of the Laken Riley Act by adding additional crimes that immigrants should be deported for to include serious offenses like arson. Americans are right to expect secure borders and not to tolerate crime from illegal aliens,” said Michael Hough, Director of Government Relations, NumbersUSA.

“Americans have had enough of criminal aliens being caught and released on the streets to offend again. The Safeguarding American Property Act strengthens our commitment to protecting American property by ensuring that illegal aliens who commit crimes like trespassing, vandalism, or arson are detained while they await removal proceedings. We thank Congressman Downing for introducing this bill,” said Grant Newman, Director of Government Relations, Immigration Accountability Project.

“For too long, law-abiding citizens across the country have been forced to deal with illegal aliens trespassing on or even causing damage to their properties. By expanding mandatory detention to include trespassing, arson, and vandalism, the Safeguarding American Property Act will help put a stop to these devastating effects of mass illegal immigration. FAIR applauds Congressman Downing for taking the lead in introducing this critical bill,” said Joe Chatham, Director of Government Relations, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).

Read the full text of the bill here and exclusive reporting from Fox News here.

Original cosponsors of the Safeguarding American Property Act include: Reps. Sherri Biggs (SC-03), Neal Dunn (FL-02), Chuck Edwards (NC-11), Brandon Gill (TX-26), Lance Gooden (TX-05), Wesley Hunt (TX-38), Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), Rich McCormick (GA-07), John McGuire (VA-05), Mark Messmer (IN-08), Dan Meuser (PA-09), Andy Ogles (TN-05), Derek Schmidt (KS-02), Dave Taylor (OH-02), and Randy Webber (TX-14).

Background:

• The Laken Riley Act was signed into law by President Trump earlier this year. The bill requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue detainers and take into custody illegal aliens who have been arrested for committing burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, assault on a law enforcement officer, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person. This current mandatory detention requirement for illegal aliens does not include property crimes like arson, vandalism, and trespassing.

• Mitigating these types of property crimes is a particularly important challenge for rural areas, which often have vast distances between homes and businesses, and in which law enforcement resources are often spread thin, leading to longer response times.

• Property crime amongst illegal aliens is a notable pattern. In January 2025, an illegal alien was arrested in Southern California under suspicion of having incited wildfires. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), over 17,000 illegal aliens federally detained were originally arrested for property damage and arson between 2011 and 2016.

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