Protecting American Railroad Workers’ Jobs Act of 2026

Subchapter II of chapter 201 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

The Secretary of Transportation shall require—

(1) any railroad carrier that is operating a freight train across the southern border into the United States to stop such train at the southern border to conduct a crew interchange and any federally mandated safety testing; and

(2) the railroad carrier to ensure that the only individuals who operate such trains after carrying out the activities described in paragraph (1) are individuals—

(A) who are—

(i) nationals of the United States; or

(ii) aliens residing in the United States and lawfully authorized to engage in employment in the United States; and

(B) whose primary reporting point is in the United States and who perform no duties for a railroad carrier while physically outside of the United States.

In this section:

The terms alien and national of the United States have the meanings given those terms in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).

The term southern border means the international border between the United States and Mexico.

The analysis for subchapter II of chapter 201 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: