Sponsors (25)
The bill increases DHS accountability and aims to reduce excessive force through de‑escalation rules, reporting, and reviews, while imposing privacy risks, administrative costs, and potential constraints on certain tactical options for officers.
People who interact with DHS law enforcement (detainees, communities) will face a lower risk of excessive force because officers are required to prefer de‑escalation and use only objectively reasonable force.
Taxpayers, local governments, Congress, and the public will have greater transparency and timelier information because DHS must publish incident‑level use‑of‑force reports every six months and notify Congress/the public promptly after serious incidents, enabling oversight and informed scrutiny.
Law enforcement components and local governments will likely see improved training, policy compliance, and accountability because of required regular component review councils and ongoing inspector general review that capture lessons learned and enforce standards.
Individuals involved in reported incidents (including people with disabilities and racial/ethnic minorities) may face increased privacy risks if incident‑level data inadvertently reveals identifying or sensitive details despite stated protections.
Taxpayers, DHS, and local governments will incur administrative and fiscal costs to implement department‑wide training, review councils, reporting systems, and oversight activities.
Some DHS law enforcement officers may have fewer tactical options in high‑risk situations (e.g., prohibitions on chokeholds), which some argue could reduce response flexibility and effectiveness in certain dangerous encounters.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced January 15, 2026 by Delia Ramirez · Last progress January 15, 2026
Requires the Department of Homeland Security to adopt a department-wide use-of-force policy for DHS law enforcement personnel that emphasizes objectively reasonable force, prioritizes de-escalation, requires identification and verbal warnings when feasible, and bans chokeholds and carotid restraints on non-compliant persons. The department must name subject-matter experts, maintain component review councils to analyze incidents and improve training, and have the DHS Inspector General continuously review compliance. Mandates consistent data collection and public reporting: DHS must publish incident-level use-of-force data every six months (with privacy protections), release component review findings, and provide a public briefing and congressional notifications within 24 hours when a DHS law enforcement use-of-force incident results in hospitalization or death of an officer or any person.