119-s628

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 628 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 628

 To suspend the entry of covered aliens in response to the fentanyl 
 public health crisis.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 19, 2025

 Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Budd, and Mr. 
 Moreno) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To suspend the entry of covered aliens in response to the fentanyl 
 public health crisis.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Alan T. Shao II Fentanyl Public 
Health Emergency and Overdose Prevention Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses 
 during 2023, with the majority of such deaths caused by 
 fentanyl.

    (2) Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid drug that is 50 
 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than 
 morphine.

    (3) Fentanyl is involved in more deaths of Americans 
 younger than 50 years of age than any other cause of death, 
 including heart disease, cancer, homicide, suicide, and other 
 accidents.

    (4) In 2023, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency 
 seized more than 80,000,000 fentanyl-laced pills and 
 approximately 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, which is enough 
 fentanyl to kill every American.

    (5) Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered a lethal 
 dose.

    (6) The smuggling of fentanyl into the United States 
 constitutes a major public health crisis.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Covered alien.--The term ``covered alien'' means any 
 person who--
        (A) is attempting to unlawfully enter the United 
 States from Canada or from Mexico;
        (B) does not possess the required travel documents 
 to be admitted to the United States; and
            (C) is being held at a point of entry or a Border 
 Patrol station to facilitate immigration processing.

    (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Homeland Security.

SEC. 4. SUSPENDING THE INTRODUCTION OF COVERED ALIENS INTO THE UNITED 
 STATES DUE TO THE FENTANYL PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS.

    (a) In General.--Beginning on the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the admittance of covered aliens into the United States is 
suspended to protect the public health.

    (b) Relocation.--Covered aliens who attempt to enter the United 
States, either through a point of entry or between points of entry, 
while the suspension described in subsection

    (a) remains in place shall 
be returned to their country of origin or to the country from which 
they entered the United States as rapidly as possible to lower the risk 
of such aliens introducing, selling, trafficking, or otherwise 
illicitly disseminating or promoting the dissemination of deadly 
fentanyl into the United States.
            (c) Repatriation Flights.--The Secretary is authorized to transport 
covered aliens being relocated pursuant to subsection

    (b) on scheduled 
repatriation flights, on a space available basis.
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