New DHS Rule Mandates Monthly Public Reporting on 'Special Interest Aliens' and Nationalities

The Special Interest Alien Reporting Act of 2025 is a straight-to-the-point bill that forces the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to start publishing detailed, public reports every single month about specific individuals they encounter. This isn't just a general count; it targets what the bill calls “special interest aliens.”

Starting the first full month after enactment, DHS must post a report by the seventh day of the month detailing all encounters with these individuals from the previous month. The report needs to include the total number, the nationalities or last countries of habitual residence, the geographic region of the encounter, and the specific location (land, air, sea, or within the U.S. interior). If you’re tracking border enforcement or national security data, this bill promises a new, granular level of detail.

The Administrative Heavy Lift

Beyond the monthly reporting, the very first report DHS issues has a massive catch-up assignment: it must retroactively compile and publish all this same detailed information covering the entire period from January 20, 2021, through January 19, 2025. That’s four years of data that DHS must now pull, categorize, and publicly release, creating a significant administrative burden. For the analysts and data teams at DHS, this requirement means a major diversion of resources to sift through historical records.

Who Is a “Special Interest Alien”?

The core of this bill rests on a specific definition: a “special interest alien” is “basically anyone DHS identifies, based on travel patterns, as someone who might pose a national security risk to the U.S. or its interests.” This definition is notably broad and subjective. It relies entirely on DHS’s internal judgment regarding “travel patterns” and what constitutes a potential “national security risk.”

This kind of vague authority—where risk is defined by travel patterns rather than, say, confirmed criminal ties—is where the rubber meets the road for everyday people. If you’re a professional traveling frequently between countries for work, or if you’ve lived in a country deemed a “covered nation” (a term referenced from 10 U.S.C. 4872(f)(2)), you could potentially be flagged. The lack of objective criteria means the designation could be applied arbitrarily, potentially leading to increased scrutiny for individuals based solely on where they travel or where they were born.

Naming Names and Nationalities

One of the most consequential requirements is the mandatory public disclosure of the nationalities and countries of habitual residence of those encountered. While the bill aims for transparency in national security threats, the public listing of nationalities associated with a vague “national security risk” designation carries a high risk of profiling and stigmatization.

Imagine you run a small business that relies on workers or customers from one of the publicly listed countries. The mandatory monthly reports could fuel public bias or suspicion against entire national groups, regardless of the individual’s actual threat level. This public disclosure essentially weaponizes data, moving beyond operational transparency and into territory that could disproportionately affect individuals based on their origin rather than their actions.