Sen. Padilla Introduces Access to Counsel Act to Guarantee Legal Help at Border Inspections
The Access to Counsel Act of 2025 is currently in the early stages of the legislative process. It has been sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee for review, which is where it will stay until members decide whether to move it forward. There are no upcoming votes scheduled for this bill at this time.
While it has strong support from Democrats, it faces a very difficult path in a divided Congress where border security often takes priority over expanded rights for detainees.
This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
CBP officers conducting secondary inspections would need to follow new procedures, including providing access to counsel within one hour and accommodating in-person attorney visits. This adds process requirements to their workflow and could slow inspections. The changes affect officers at ports of entry specifically, not the broader federal workforce.
“allow counsel and an interested party to advocate on behalf of the covered individual, including by providing to the examining immigration officer information, documentation, and other evidence in support of the covered individual”
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S595-596)
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Access to Counsel Act of 2025
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