Sponsors
Introduced March 4, 2026 by Ben Ray Luján · Last progress March 4, 2026
The bill increases transparency, legal protections for migrants, training, and port improvements to reduce harms at the border, but does so at significant fiscal and administrative cost while raising privacy, operational, and litigation risks that could complicate enforcement and implementation.
Border communities, state and local governments, and the public gain significantly expanded transparency and independent oversight of DHS, CBP, ICE, and USCIS operations through annual assessments, public reports, GAO audits, inspections, and complaint reporting.
Immigrants, families, and detainees gain stronger legal protections and remedies—including a standardized complaint process, a public detainee-locator system, protections from retaliation, preserved ability to bring existing claims, and new causes of action for unlawful child removals—making it easier to challenge mistreatment and seek relief.
Children, trafficking victims, and other vulnerable migrants will receive better, faster care and oversight—through required independent child-welfare reviews within 48 hours, expanded training on identifying/caring for vulnerable people, improved port access standards, and life‑saving measures like water sites and rescue beacons.
Federal taxpayers and DHS will face substantial new costs—from creating and operating independent oversight bodies and an Ombudsman, expanded training, port technology/staffing upgrades, frequent reporting, and potential litigation or civil fines—raising budgetary pressure on the federal government.
Law enforcement agencies and frontline personnel will incur significant administrative burdens and short‑term operational slowdowns due to lengthy training requirements, mandatory independent reviews, formal complaint-response timelines, expanded data collection, and new conduct/port standards.
Immigrants, travelers, and racial-ethnic minorities face heightened privacy and data‑misuse risks because of expanded complaint publication, broader stop/encounter data collection, greater surveillance/technology at ports, and public release of BWC policies or complaint records.
Based on analysis of 18 sections of legislative text.
Creates independent border oversight and an ombudsman, mandates expanded training, standardizes stop/checkpoint data reporting, requires port-of-entry and migrant-death reporting, and limits child removals.
Creates new, independent oversight and accountability structures for DHS border operations, including a 30-member Border Oversight Commission and an Office of the Ombudsman for Border and Immigration-Related Concerns. Requires stronger training standards for CBP/ICE personnel, standardized public data collection on stops and checkpoints, annual reporting on ports of entry and migrant deaths, and limits on removing children from parents for immigration enforcement purposes, while preserving existing legal remedies.