LOCATE Act

Key Points

• This bill requires immigration agencies to update their online tracking system much faster when someone is arrested, moved to a new jail, or released. This helps families and lawyers find people who have been taken into custody.
• Customs and Border Protection would have to update the system within 6 hours of a change, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement would have 12 hours. Currently, it can take much longer, leaving families in the dark about where their loved ones are.
• The online tracker would be required to show the person's name, their birthday, and the exact address and phone number of the building where they are being held so they can be contacted.
• When someone is moved or released, the government must make a real effort to tell their family or lawyer within 12 hours. This is meant to prevent people from being lost in the system during transfers between different facilities.
• To ensure the agencies are actually following these rules, a government watchdog will perform yearly audits. They will check if the updates are happening on time and report those results to Congress.

Impact Analysis

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