Official Summaries

Preventing Aliens Through Rivers or Land Act or the PATROL Act

This bill prohibits the Department of Justice (DOJ) from bringing certain civil actions against a state for building a physical structure impacting navigable waters along the U.S. border for security purposes. Specifically, the DOJ is prohibited from bringing an action for (1) the construction of a bridge, causeway, dam, dike, or other structure over or in a port, harbor, or other navigable water of the United States without federal approval; or (2) the creation of any obstruction to the navigable capacity of waters of the United States without federal approval.

Current Full Text

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 992 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 992

  To prohibit the Department of Justice from bringing a civil action 
against a State under section 9 or 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899, for 
       certain border security measures, and for other purposes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 5, 2025

Mr. Cloud (for himself, Mr. Babin, Mr. Biggs of Arizona, Mr. Crenshaw, 
Mr. Donalds, Mr. Downing, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Evans of Colorado, Ms. Foxx, 
Mr. Gosar, Ms. Mace, Mr. Nehls, Mr. Rouzer, Ms. Van Duyne, Mr. Schmidt, 
 and Mr. Webster of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 
    addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

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                                 A BILL


 
  To prohibit the Department of Justice from bringing a civil action 
against a State under section 9 or 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899, for 
       certain border security measures, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Preventing Aliens Through Rivers or 
Land Act'' or the ``PATROL Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON CIVIL ACTION FOR CERTAIN BORDER SECURITY 
              MEASURES.

    (a) In General.--The Attorney General may not bring or maintain a 
civil action (including an action that is pending on the date of 
enactment of this Act) under section 9 or 10 of the Act of March 3, 
1899 (33 U.S.C. 401; 403), against a State for any measure undertaken 
by the State to build, construct, erect, or otherwise install a barrier 
along the international border of the State for the purpose of--
            (1) preventing aliens from entering the State in violation 
        of the immigration laws; or
            (2) protecting the territory of the State.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Alien.--The term ``alien'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
        U.S.C. 1101).
            (2) Barrier.--The term ``barrier'' means any physical 
        structure intended to secure the border, including a wall, 
        fence, or floating buoy.
            (3) Immigration laws.--The term ``immigration laws'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Immigration 
        and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
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