Sponsors (50)
The bill improves detainees' access to counsel and family contact—strengthening legal rights, wellbeing, and oversight—but does so at meaningful cost and with added administrative, security, and compliance challenges for government and facilities.
Immigrants in civil detention would regain confidential, unlimited access to legal counsel by phone, improving their ability to secure representation, prepare cases, and potentially speed case resolution.
Immigrants and their families would get prompt and affordable contact: at least one 10-minute call within 5 hours of intake plus at least 200 free outgoing minutes per month, lowering communication costs and reducing stress and isolation.
Detainees would gain stronger procedural protections and facility transparency (anti-dissuasion/retaliation rules and clearer public facility policies), reducing arbitrary denials of communication and improving oversight.
Taxpayers and federal budgets would absorb higher costs because DHS/ICE must fund free calls and additional oversight, potentially diverting funds from other priorities.
Federal, local agencies and contractors (including detention facility staff) would face increased administrative, compliance, and litigation exposure due to mandated call policies plus a broader custody and communications definition, raising operational burdens and legal risk.
Unmonitored/confidential calls and strict monitoring limits could create privacy and national-security risks and complicate facility security, requiring new safeguards, staffing, or infrastructure.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Requires DHS to provide detained noncitizens guaranteed free and private communications (initial family call, 200 free monthly minutes to family, confidential counsel access, and unlimited counsel/official calls).
Introduced November 7, 2025 by Maxine Dexter · Last progress November 7, 2025
Requires the Department of Homeland Security to make certain communications free and private for detained noncitizens in DHS custody. It mandates an initial family call within the first five hours of custody or after a transfer, at least 200 free outgoing minutes per month for family/legal contacts, immediate confidential access to counsel and consular officials, unlimited unmonitored calls with counsel and specified officials, protections against retaliation, and facility time/place rules that cannot limit counsel communications. It also preserves any existing settlement agreements that already govern communications.