Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7984

DHS Use of Force Transparency Act of 2026

DHS: Reporting on Use of Force Incidents

26 days ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill was recently introduced in the House and is currently being reviewed by three different committees. It is in the early stages of the legislative process and is not yet scheduled for a vote. There is no companion bill at this time.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

This bill is led by a small group of Democrats and focuses on a specific time period, which often makes it difficult to get the broad support needed to pass.

Key Points

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to give Congress all records related to any shooting or death that happened while someone was in their custody. This applies to all incidents that took place on or after January 20, 2025.
The department would have to hand over body camera footage, internal investigation files, witness statements, and even text messages or emails sent by officers about these events. They must provide these materials within 30 days of the bill becoming law.
The goal is to increase transparency and oversight of how border agents and immigration officers use force. By seeing the original files, Congress can check if officers followed the rules or if there were any cover-ups.
The bill also requires the department to share training records and disciplinary history for the officers involved. This helps lawmakers understand if the officers were properly trained or if they had a history of problems before the incident.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Mar 18, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, 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.

Mar 18, 2026

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.

News

No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

DHS Use of Force Transparency Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 7984

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, 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.