Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act
Congress Proposes Ending Private Immigration Prisons and Increasing Oversight of Detention Centers
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill would require the government to stop using private companies and local jails to hold immigrants. Within three years, all detention centers would have to be owned and run directly by the Department of Homeland Security.
- The policy sets strict safety and care rules for all facilities. If a center fails to meet these standards twice in two years, the government must move the people held there to a safer location and cancel the facility's contract.
- Immigrants would get faster access to the legal system. The bill requires a court hearing within 72 hours of being detained to decide if a person can be released. There would be a general rule that people should be released while waiting for their cases unless they are a danger to others.
- The bill bans the use of solitary confinement and prevents anyone under age 18 from being held in immigration detention centers. It also creates special protections for vulnerable groups, including pregnant people, the elderly, and victims of crimes.
- To increase transparency, the government would have to publish monthly reports on how many people are being held and where. If someone dies in custody, the government must notify Congress within 24 hours and release a full public report on what happened within 60 days.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
Private detention facility operators and their subcontractors — some of which are publicly traded companies but many of which are smaller businesses providing services like food, transportation, and maintenance — would lose their government contracts within three years. The bill explicitly bans new contracts and requires termination of existing ones with for-profit entities running detention facilities or alternatives-to-detention programs.
Disabilities
State Impacts
Milestones
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articlesNJ Democrats in Washington renew push to end private ICE detention
Senator Cory Booker reintroduced the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, which would phase out for-profit detention facilities like Delaney Hall within three years. The legislation also seeks to end mandatory detention and require unannounced DHS inspections to ensure safety standards are met.
Jayapal, Smith introduce bill to reform immigration detention
Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Adam Smith introduced the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act to impose oversight on the surging detention system. The bill requires DHS to phase out private jails within three years and move detainees to safer locations if facilities fail safety standards twice.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(132)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.