Governors’ Right to Inspect Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill would give state governors and their designated health officials the legal right to enter any immigration detention facility in their state to inspect health and safety conditions, without needing to give advance notice.
• The bill was introduced after New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill was blocked from entering a privately run detention center in Newark where roughly 300 detainees had gone on a hunger and labor strike over poor conditions including spoiled food, overcrowding, and lack of medical access.
• Inspectors could access all areas of a facility, interview willing detainees in private, review medical and food preparation records, and document conditions through notes and photography. Governors could then report their findings directly to Congress.
• The law explicitly prevents governors from interfering with immigration enforcement, releasing detainees, or directing federal employees. Its scope is limited entirely to civilian health and safety oversight.
• DHS would be required to respond to governor inspection reports within 60 days, including a plan for corrective action, and both the reports and responses would be published online for the public to see.