H.R. 6582: Flight Risk Reduction Act
Sponsor
Tim Moore
Republican · NC-14
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Dec 10, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
A bill would presume jail for noncitizen defendants
Why it matters
Federal bail law starts from the idea that a judge weighs each defendant's flight risk and danger case by case. H.R. 6582 would flip that for one group: if you're charged with a federal crime and you're not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, the court would start from the presumption that no set of release conditions is safe — and you'd have to clear a high bar to change its mind.
The bill, called the Flight Risk Reduction Act, makes one core change to the federal bail statute. It takes a defendant's immigration status and turns it into a trigger by itself.
First, being neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident would automatically qualify a defendant for a detention hearing — the proceeding where a judge decides whether to hold someone until trial.
Second, at that hearing the court would presume that no combination of release conditions could reasonably guarantee the person shows up and keeps the community safe. The defendant can rebut that presumption, but only by clear and convincing evidence, which is a tougher standard than just making a reasonable case.
The bill also closes off two arguments that defendants commonly use. It says ties to family or employment in the United States cannot be used to overcome the presumption.
The rest of the bill is bookkeeping: it renumbers the existing list of detention-hearing triggers and fixes the internal cross-references so the new category fits the statute cleanly.
H.R. 6582 Bill Summary
What H.R. 6582 actually does.
Immigration status alone triggers a detention hearing
Being neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident would become its own standalone reason for a federal detention hearing, alongside the existing triggers like violent crimes and serious drug offenses.
The presumption flips toward detention
At the hearing, the court would presume that no condition or combination of conditions could reasonably ensure the defendant appears for trial and keeps the community safe. The defendant starts from a presumption of detention rather than a case-by-case weighing.
Rebuttal requires clear and convincing evidence
A covered defendant could overcome the presumption only by clear and convincing evidence — a higher standard than the ordinary back-and-forth of a release hearing.
Family and job ties can't be used to rebut
The bill states that ties to family or employment in the United States cannot be grounds for rebutting the presumption — removing two of the most common arguments defendants raise to win release.
Cross-reference cleanup
The bill renumbers the existing list of detention-hearing triggers from lettered subparagraphs to numbered clauses and updates the internal cross-references so the new immigration-status category fits the statute without conflicts.
Who benefits from H.R. 6582?
Federal prosecutors
They would enter detention hearings for noncitizen defendants from a stronger position, since the law would presume detention instead of requiring them to build that case from scratch each time.
Lawmakers backing stricter pretrial rules
The bill's seven sponsors and supporters who favor tougher release standards for noncitizen defendants would see their priority written directly into the federal bail statute.
Federal judges seeking a uniform rule
Judges would have a single, status-based standard to apply across this category of defendants, which could make detention decisions more consistent from court to court.
Who is affected by H.R. 6582?
Noncitizen federal defendants
Anyone charged with a federal crime who is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident would face an automatic detention hearing and a presumption against release before the court weighs any conditions.
Defendants with deep U.S. roots
Long-term residents who aren't green card holders couldn't point to their U.S. family or job to argue for release, because the bill bars both as rebuttal grounds.
Federal defense attorneys
They would have fewer tools to win pretrial release, facing the clear-and-convincing-evidence bar and losing the two arguments — family and employment ties — they most often rely on.
Federal courts and pretrial services
Courts and pretrial officers would apply the new status-based trigger and presumption, and the renumbered statute, in every affected case.
HR6582 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Dec 10, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
About the Sponsor
Tim Moore
Republican, North Carolina's 14th congressional district · 1 years in Congress
Committees: the Budget, Financial Services
View full profile →
Cosponsors (7)
All 7 cosponsors are Republicans. Cosponsors represent 7 states: Alabama, North Carolina, New York, and 4 more.
Committee Sponsors
Judiciary Committee
3 of 42 committee members cosponsored
21 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 6582 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Judiciary
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Introduced
- Dec 10, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Dec 10, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with status, text, sponsor, and actions for the Flight Risk Reduction Act.
Official U.S. Code page for the federal pretrial release and detention statute that HR6582 would amend.
Official statutory chapter covering release and detention pending judicial proceedings, providing broader context for the bill's changes.
Official judiciary overview of federal pretrial services, relevant because the bill changes how federal pretrial detention decisions would be handled.
Official federal reference on immigration-related federal offenses and terminology that may help explain categories of defendants implicated by the bill.
Official judiciary resource on the federal probation and pretrial services system affected by changes to detention-hearing rules.
H.R. 6582 Common Questions
What does the Flight Risk Reduction Act do?
H.R. 6582 changes the federal bail statute so that a defendant's immigration status alone triggers a detention hearing and a presumption against pretrial release for anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Does H.R. 6582 create a presumption against releasing noncitizens before trial?
Yes. The bill says a court would presume that no release conditions can reasonably ensure a noncitizen defendant appears for trial and keeps the community safe. The defendant starts from a presumption of detention.
What would it take for a noncitizen to overcome the detention presumption?
The bill lets a defendant rebut the presumption only by clear and convincing evidence — a higher bar than the ordinary arguments made in a release hearing.
Can family or a U.S. job help a noncitizen get released under H.R. 6582?
No. The bill specifically bars ties to family or employment in the United States from being used to rebut the presumption against release — removing two of the most common arguments defendants raise.
Does H.R. 6582 apply to green card holders?
No. The new trigger and presumption apply only to defendants who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents, so green card holders are not covered.
Does the Flight Risk Reduction Act affect state courts too?
No. The bill amends 18 U.S.C. 3142, the federal pretrial detention statute, so it applies only in federal criminal cases — not in state court bail decisions.
Has H.R. 6582 become law?
Not yet. Introduced on December 10, 2025 by Rep. Tim Moore with seven Republican cosponsors, the bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and has not advanced further.
Based on H.R. 6582 bill text
H.R. 6582 Bill Text
“To amend title 18, United States Code, to establish a rebuttable presumption that a defendant who is not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident poses a danger to the community and a serious risk of flight, for purposes of determining whether to release or detain the defendant pending trial.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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