Sponsor
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Representative · D-FL
Representative · D-FL
The bill strengthens protections and judicial remedies against discriminatory immigration enforcement (especially for non‑English speakers and workers at targeted locations) while limiting some investigative practices and adding court burdens that could slow or complicate enforcement.
Immigrants, racial and ethnic minorities, non‑English speakers, and other targeted groups will be protected from being stopped, detained, or investigated solely because of race, national origin, language (including accented English), or appearance, reducing discriminatory stops and wrongful detentions.
Noncitizens in removal proceedings gain a private right to seek district-court review and possible dismissal when DHS violated the anti-discrimination prohibition, providing a judicial remedy for rights violations.
Workers and communities (including at locations like bus stops, car washes, and agricultural sites) are less likely to face location- or occupation-based profiling, protecting low-income and immigrant workers from targeted enforcement and chilling effects on public life.
Federal immigration officers may be constrained from using location or language cues as part of lawful, evidence-based investigations, which could hinder some enforcement operations and complicate certain public-safety or counter‑smuggling efforts.
Granting noncitizens a private right to district-court hearings is likely to increase federal litigation and court workload, creating delays and added administrative burden for immigration and federal courts.
If a significant number of removal proceedings are dismissed under the new standard, it could be perceived as weakening enforcement effectiveness and spark political and fiscal debates over immigration resource allocation.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars DHS from detaining or investigating people based on race, ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, presence at informal work sites, or similar characteristics and creates federal court review for noncitizens in removal cases.
Official title: To prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from using Federal funds to engage in discriminatory profiling, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 30, 2026 by Debbie Wasserman Schultz · Last progress July 30, 2026
Prohibits Department of Homeland Security personnel and agents acting under DHS authority from seizing, detaining, arresting, or conducting routine or spontaneous investigative activities based on actual or perceived protected characteristics or language use. It bars actions motivated by race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, presence at informal work locations, participation in certain activities or jobs, or speaking Spanish or any non‑English language (including accented English). Creates a private right for noncitizens in removal proceedings to seek judicial review in a U.S. district court; if the court finds DHS violated the prohibition, removal proceedings must be dismissed, and if no violation is found the case is remanded to immigration court for further proceedings.