Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act

Key Points

• This bill, introduced by a group of Senators, would create strict new safety and care rules for all immigration detention centers. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to follow professional legal standards for how people are treated while waiting for their immigration cases.
• Within three years, the government would have to stop using private, for-profit companies and local jails to hold immigrants. Instead, the government would have to own and run all detention centers itself to ensure better oversight and accountability.
• The plan bans the government from holding anyone under 18 years old in immigration detention. It also encourages community-based programs that let people live at home with support services while they wait for court, rather than keeping them behind bars.
• People held in these facilities would get a court hearing within 48 to 72 hours to see if they can be released. The bill assumes most people should be released unless the government can prove they are a danger or likely to run away.
• To prevent abuse, the government would conduct unannounced inspections and must publicly report any deaths in custody within 24 hours. If a facility fails to meet safety standards twice in two years, it would be forced to close.