H.R. 4638: Federal Working Animal Protection Act

Introduced Jul 23, 202519 cosponsors

Sponsor

Ken Calvert

Republican · CA-41

Harming police animals becomes a deportation trigger

3 min readLast updated August 7, 2026

Why it matters

3 separate triggers can set this in motion: a conviction, admitting the offense, or admitting the essential elements. H.R. 4638 would make harm to law-enforcement animals a standalone reason to be denied entry or removed from the U.S.

H.R. 4638 is a narrow immigration bill with a sharp consequence. It takes an existing federal crime covering harm to animals used in law enforcement and makes it a direct immigration problem for non-citizens.

You would not need a conviction alone to face the bill's consequences — admitting the offense, or admitting the acts that make it up, could also trigger denial of entry or deportation.

That matters because the bill reaches both sides of the immigration system. Someone applying to enter the U.S. could be found inadmissible, and someone already in the country could be found deportable, based on the same underlying conduct.

The bill does not create a new criminal offense or add new funding; it adds a new immigration penalty to an existing federal animal-harm law.

The scope is also specific. This is not a general animal-cruelty bill. It applies only to the federal offense involving animals used in law enforcement, such as police working animals covered by existing federal law.

Bill Progress

IntroducedJul 23

Committee

Pass HouseMar 19

Pass Senate

Signed

Law

Latest Action · Mar 19, 2026

1/2

Passed the House, received in Senate

H.R. 4638 Bill Summary

What H.R. 4638 actually does.

Harm to police working animals blocks entry

H.R. 4638 would make a non-citizen inadmissible if they were convicted of the existing federal offense involving harm to animals used in law enforcement, admitted that offense, or admitted the acts that make it up.

The same conduct can trigger deportation

The bill applies the same rule to people already in the United States. The same three triggers — conviction, admission of the offense, or admission of the essential elements — could make someone deportable.

Admissions matter, not just court judgments

This bill goes beyond criminal convictions. Immigration consequences could also follow from a person's own admission to the offense or to the underlying acts.

No new animal-cruelty crime is created

The bill does not create a new federal offense. It relies on an existing federal law involving harm to law-enforcement animals and attaches immigration consequences to it.

Applies only to a specific federal offense

This is not a broad rewrite of animal-cruelty law. It is limited to the federal crime covering harm to animals used in law enforcement.

No funding or new program in the bill

H.R. 4638 contains no appropriation, grant program, or implementation fund. Its effect is legal status, not spending.

Who benefits from H.R. 4638?

Law-enforcement agencies that use working animals

Police departments and other agencies that rely on working animals would gain an added immigration consequence tied to harm against those animals.

Handlers of police dogs and other service animals

Officers and handlers could see another layer of legal consequences attached to attacks on the animals they work with every day.

Immigration enforcement officials

Immigration authorities would get a new, explicit ground to deny admission or pursue removal in cases involving this federal offense.

Who is affected by H.R. 4638?

Non-citizens charged or convicted under the federal animal-harm law

If you're accused under the existing federal law on harming animals used in law enforcement, the immigration stakes rise immediately because a conviction could block entry or lead to removal.

Non-citizens who make damaging admissions

The bill also reaches people who admit the offense or admit the acts behind it, even if there is no conviction.

People applying for visas or admission

Anyone seeking to enter the U.S. could face screening under this new ground if immigration officers believe the law applies.

People already in removal proceedings

For non-citizens already in the country, this would add another basis the government could use in deportation cases.

Immigration lawyers and adjudicators

Attorneys, officers, and judges would need to evaluate whether a record includes one of the bill's three triggers and whether the underlying conduct matches the federal offense.

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On the Record

What Congress Is Saying

H.R. 4638 has come up 15 times in the Congressional Record so far.

Mr. Speaker, on March 17, 2026, I was necessarily absent and missed the following votes on the House Floor. Had I been present, I would have voted accordingly below: YES on Roll Call No. 88, H.R. 4294, Mitigation Action and Watermen Support Act of 2026; YES on Roll Call No. 89, S. 3971, Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act; NO on Roll Call No. 90, Motion on Ordering the Previous Question; and NO on Roll Call No. 91, H. Res. 1115, Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1958, Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026; H.R. 556, Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act; and H.R.

J. Luis Correa(D–CA)·Mar 18, 2026·Extensions of Remarks

H.R. 4638 also appeared in 1 more House floor reference and 4 routine cosponsor filings.

HR4638 Legislative Journey

7 actions

House: Passed 228-190

Mar 19, 2026

228-190

On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 228 - 190 (Roll no. 96). (text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR H2600)

+7 more actions this day

House: Passed

Mar 17, 2026

Rule H. Res. 1115 passed House.

House: Committee Action

Mar 16, 2026

Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1115 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958 and H.R. 4638. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 556, H.R. 1958, and H.R. 4638 under a closed rule. The resolution provides for one hour of general debate and one motion to recommit on each bill.

House: Committee Action

Dec 12, 2025

119-407

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Judiciary. H. Rept. 119-407.

House: Vote: 18-12

Nov 20, 2025

18-12

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 12.

House: Committee Action

Nov 18, 2025

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

House: Committee Action

Jul 23, 2025

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

About the Sponsor

Ken Calvert

Republican, California's 41st congressional district · 33 years in Congress

Committees: Appropriations

View full profile →

Cosponsors (19)

No new cosponsors in 261 days — momentum stalled

All 19 cosponsors are Republicans. Cosponsors represent 14 states: Arizona, California, Florida, and 11 more.

19Republicans·14 states

Claudia Tenney

Republican · NY

Thomas Tiffany

Republican · WI

Daniel Webster

Republican · FL

Tom McClintock

Republican · CA

W. Steube

Republican · FL

Burgess Owens

Republican · UT

Darrell Issa

Republican · CA

Pat Harrigan

Republican · NC

Brian Fitzpatrick

Republican · PA

Vern Buchanan

Republican · FL

Dan Newhouse

Republican · WA

Michael Rulli

Republican · OH

Committee Sponsors

Judiciary Committee

10D11R

|0 signed21 not yet

0 of 21 committee members cosponsored

No committee members have cosponsored this bill

Judiciary Committee

19D24R1I

|4 signed40 not yet

4 of 44 committee members cosponsored

31 Republicans across these committees haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents

H.R. 4638 Quick Facts

Cosponsors

+14 more

Committee: Judiciary
Chamber: House
Policy: Immigration
Introduced: Jul 23, 2025

Passed the House, received in Senate

Mar 19, 2026

Constituent Resources

Find your legislators on H.R. 4638

Get notified when this bill moves

Official Sources

H.R. 4638 on Congress.gov

Official bill page with status, text, actions, and related legislative information for H.R. 4638.

8 U.S.C. 1182 on GovInfo

This is the federal inadmissibility statute that the bill would amend to add harming law-enforcement animals as a new ground.

8 U.S.C. 1227 on GovInfo

This is the federal deportability statute that the bill would amend to make the same conduct a removal ground.

18 U.S.C. 1368 on GovInfo

This is the existing federal criminal law on harming animals used in law enforcement that H.R. 4638 relies on rather than creating a new crime.

Title 18 at the Office of the Law Revision Counsel

Official U.S. Code access point for the criminal code chapter containing section 1368, useful for reading the surrounding statutory context.

Immigration and Nationality Act on USCIS

USCIS provides the Immigration and Nationality Act text and reference material relevant to the inadmissibility and deportability changes in the bill.

U.S. Sentencing Guidelines on GovInfo

GovInfo hosts official codified federal law records that can help confirm the text and history of 18 U.S.C. 1368 referenced by the bill.

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H.R. 4638 Common Questions

What does H.R. 4638 do?

H.R. 4638 would make a non-citizen inadmissible or deportable for the existing federal offense involving harm to animals used in law enforcement. It adds an immigration consequence, not a new crime.

Can harming a police dog lead to deportation under H.R. 4638?

Yes. If the conduct fits the existing federal law on harming animals used in law enforcement, H.R. 4638 would make that a deportation ground for non-citizens.

Would H.R. 4638 also block someone from entering the U.S.?

Yes. The bill covers both sides of immigration law: entry into the U.S. and removal from the U.S. The same conduct could be used to deny admission or support deportation.

Do you need a conviction for H.R. 4638 to apply?

No. The bill lists 3 triggers: a conviction, admitting the offense, or admitting the acts that make up the offense's essential elements.

Does H.R. 4638 create a new federal animal-cruelty crime?

No. It relies on an existing federal offense involving law-enforcement animals and adds immigration penalties to it.

Who would be affected most by H.R. 4638?

Non-citizens applying for entry, visa holders, lawful permanent residents, and others already in the U.S. could all be affected if their case involves the covered federal offense.

Is H.R. 4638 a broad animal-protection bill?

No. It's narrowly focused on animals used in law enforcement. It does not rewrite general animal-cruelty law.

Where is H.R. 4638 now?

According to Congress.gov metadata provided here, H.R. 4638 passed the House and was received in the Senate, then referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 19, 2026.

Based on H.R. 4638 bill text

H.R. 4638 Bill Text

“To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who has been convicted of harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable, and for other purposes.”

Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office