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

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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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