Families Deserve to Know Act

Key Points

• ICE would have to ask everyone it takes into custody for emergency contact information, including who should be notified and whether a faith leader or medical proxy should be involved.
• If someone dies in ICE custody, the agency must notify the family within 12 hours. For serious injuries or illnesses like surgery or ICU admission, notification must happen within 12 to 24 hours.
• The rules apply to every detention facility, including private contractors, who face $100,000 per day fines for failing to notify families and can lose their contracts after repeated violations.
• Families can sue the government or contractors for failing to follow the rules, with a guaranteed minimum of $100,000 in damages per violation plus attorney's fees.
• ICE would have to publicly post basic facts about a death within 2 business days and release a full report on the medical care and events leading up to it within 90 days.