Sponsors
The bill improves families' ability to locate and be notified about detained immigrants and strengthens transparency through standardized tracking and audits, but it centralizes sensitive data and imposes fast reporting/audit requirements that raise privacy, security, operational, and cost risks.
Immigrants in DHS custody and their families/legal representatives can locate and be notified about custody events (transfers, releases, removals, deaths, intake) much faster because ODLS entries and formal notifications are required within short timeframes (4–12 hours), improving ability to provide legal help and contact loved ones.
Taxpayers and the public (and indirectly detainees) benefit from clearer, standardized detainee tracking and recurring oversight because the bill standardizes the Online Detainee Locator System, requires specific records (apprehension, transfers, release/removal dates, outcomes), and mandates annual OIG audits and reports that increase transparency and accountability.
Immigrants and state/local authorities experience faster processing due to improved data handoffs (e.g., 4‑hour transfer reporting from CBP to ICE), which can reduce administrative delays and speed case processing.
Immigrants in custody (and potentially their families) face increased privacy and safety risks because the bill broadens the definition and publication of 'custody events' and centralizes more movement and personal data in a named ICE online system, making sensitive information more available and attractive to misuse or breaches.
Local, state, and federal agencies — and ultimately taxpayers — will face increased administrative and IT costs to meet rapid update, data‑sharing, and annual audit requirements (hardware/software upgrades, staffing, or contractor costs).
DHS personnel and detainees may be harmed by operational strain because short deadlines for updates and notifications (4–12 hours) could force rushed processes, cause record errors or incomplete entries, and be difficult to meet in remote or information‑limited situations.
Based on analysis of 10 sections of legislative text.
Requires faster, standardized ODLS updates and data sharing between CBP and ICE, 12-hour family/representative notification after custody events, and annual OIG audits of compliance.
Introduced March 4, 2026 by Ben Ray Luján · Last progress March 4, 2026
Requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to keep the Online Detainee Locator System (ODLS) current and to include specific biographical and custodial data for people in detention, with tight time limits for updates and transfers. It also requires the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General to perform annual audits of the Act’s tracking and notification requirements and requires reasonable efforts to notify known close family members or legal representatives within 12 hours after a custody event. The Act becomes effective 30 days after enactment.