Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2019

Key: what the circles and colors mean

Each circle is a bill. The ring fills as it moves through Congress:

IntroducedPassed one chamberPassed both chambersBecame law (gold)Resolution agreed to (full, dark)Failed or vetoed (gray)

Under the number: the Yea · Nay count of its final (or latest) recorded vote. On a member's page, the small badge is how that member voted: Y Yea / Aye, N Nay / No, P Present, – Not voting.

Gold and violet are only for Yea and Nay; they never mean a party. A member's party is the letter on their photo.

Never voted on. It didn't reach a floor vote before the 116th Congress ended, so it expired. A bill has to be introduced again to be considered in a new Congress.

D JayapalSponsor

157 cosponsors · 157 D

D Wasserman Schultz JH

1 signed on when it was introduced; the rest joined later. Cosponsors who withdrew aren't shown.

This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish standards for facilities holding aliens in its custody, phases out using non-DHS facilities for such purposes, and contains other related provisions.

What it does: CRS summary · Introduced in House · Apr 30, 2019

Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2019

The standards shall comply with the American Bar Association's Civil Immigration Detention Standards. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) shall conduct periodic unannounced inspections of each facility and shall take various actions against noncompliant facilities, including imposing fines, cancelling contracts, and closing facilities.

DHS shall report to Congress any death of an alien in its custody within 24 hours and conduct an investigation within 30 days that identifies policy changes that could reduce the likelihood of such a death.

DHS is prohibited from entering into contracts for third parties to operate detention facilities and shall terminate existing contracts within three years of the bill's enactment.

The bill establishes that OIG facility inspection reports and contracts for an outside entity to operate a detention facility are records available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act.

DHS shall maintain certain information relating to detained aliens, including the alien's location and whether the alien was separated from family.

The bill provides for various requirements and procedures related to detaining aliens, including (1) prohibiting DHS from detaining children, (2) imposing a presumption that an alien should be released, and (3) establishing that aliens in custody shall be subject to the least restrictive conditions. The bill also abolishes mandatory detention for asylum seekers.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov

About this bill and sources

Official title: Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2019

Latest action (May 20, 2019): Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

Policy area: Immigration · Origin: House · Introduced: Apr 30, 2019

Official page on Congress.gov · Bill text (GovInfo) · Status record (XML)

No recorded floor vote found.