SAFE Borders Act (full title: Securing America’s Frontiers and Entries Borders Act of 2025). A proposed United States federal law introduced in February 2025 that would indefinitely suspend refugee resettlement, mandate E-Verify nationwide, expand facial-recognition checkpoints at all international airports, and grant the Department of Homeland Security authority to conduct warrantless biometric collection within 100 miles of any border or coast.
The bill stalled in committee for nine months amid bipartisan opposition over cost and civil-liberties concerns until a mass shooting in Washington, D.C. on November 26, 2025 suddenly revived it.
First drafted in late 2024 by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA), the legislation was initially framed as a response to perceived national-security gaps exposed during the 2021–2024 Afghan resettlement wave. Critics labeled it “xenophobic overreach”; supporters called it “long-overdue common sense.” By mid-2025, the bill appeared dead after moderate Republicans and Democrats united against its biometric provisions.
The turning point came hours after the Capitol Holiday Market shooting on November 26, 2025, when the alleged perpetrator was identified as an Afghan SIV recipient previously flagged in SIGINT intercepts. House leadership scheduled an emergency vote within 72 hours, citing “moral imperative.” Provisions added in the final text included real-time social-media monitoring of all non-citizens and a dramatic increase in ICE detention capacity.
Civil liberties organizations immediately condemned the speed of passage, noting that key forensic evidence from the shooting—including the suspect’s phone and multiple surveillance hard drives—was destroyed or classified within 48 hours. The ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation filed injunctions arguing that the Act effectively creates an internal passport system.
As of November 27, 2025, the bill awaits Senate vote under expedited reconciliation rules. Public approval polls conducted immediately after the attack showed 68 % support—the highest level ever recorded for the legislation.