Federal Working Animal Protection Act
Click any stage to learn more about the legislative process.
Would make noncitizens who are convicted of, or admit to, harming animals used in law enforcement — such as police dogs or horses — inadmissible to and deportable from the United States.
The change adds a narrow new ground to immigration law alongside existing criminal and moral-turpitude grounds, applying specifically to offenses against working law enforcement animals under federal law.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to add a new ground of inadmissibility and a new ground of deportability for any noncitizen who has been convicted of, or who admits to committing, an offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1368 — the federal law criminalizing harming animals used in law enforcement, such as police dogs or horses. A conviction or an admission of the underlying conduct would be enough to trigger the immigration consequence, without requiring formal conviction in the admission scenario.
The bill is narrow: it does not create a new criminal offense, does not change the underlying federal animal-cruelty statute itself, and does not affect noncitizens whose conduct does not meet the elements of that specific law-enforcement-animal offense. It applies only to the immigration consequences (admission and removal) tied to that existing crime.
Key provisions
- 1Would make a noncitizen inadmissible if convicted of, or admitting to, an offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1368 involving harming animals used in law enforcement
- 2Would make a noncitizen deportable on the same basis — conviction of or admission to harming a law enforcement animal
Who would be affected
Noncitizens seeking admission to the United States or already present who have been convicted of, or admit to, harming a law enforcement animal under 18 U.S.C. § 1368. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, immigration judges, and Customs and Border Protection officers who make admissibility and removal determinations would apply the new ground.
Why it matters
Noncitizens convicted of or admitting to this specific offense would face mandatory immigration consequences — denial of entry or deportation — in addition to any criminal penalty already imposed under federal law, closing what the bill's sponsors view as a gap in immigration grounds tied to crimes against police and service animals.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 212(a)(2) (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2)) (Sec. 2(a))
Adds a new inadmissibility ground for conviction of or admission to harming animals used in law enforcement under 18 U.S.C. § 1368
Amends Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 237(a)(2) (8 U.S.C. § 1227(a)(2)) (Sec. 2(b))
Adds a new deportability ground for conviction of or admission to harming animals used in law enforcement under 18 U.S.C. § 1368
Funding and costs
Congressional Budget Office estimate
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4638 would decrease direct spending and increase revenues by an insignificant amount (less than $500,000 in each category) over the 2026–2035 period.
H.R. 4638 would make non-U.S. nationals inadmissible or deportable if they admit to or are convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement. CBO notes that current law already allows such conduct to be treated as a "crime involving moral turpitude," which carries similar immigration consequences, so only a small number of additional people would be removed from the country solely because of this bill. Because a few of those individuals might otherwise be eligible for federal benefits — including some delivered through income tax credits — CBO estimates the bill would decrease direct spending (mandatory government outlays) and increase revenues by an insignificant amount over the 2026–2035 period; all figures are between –$500,000 and $500,000. The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill establishes that a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) convicted of, or who admits to having committed, an offense related to harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable.
Legislative subjects
Animal protection and human-animal relationships; Border security and unlawful immigration; Crimes against animals and natural resources; Immigration; Immigration status and procedures
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-407