Sponsors (19)
The bill substantially expands and funds access to immigration legal representation—improving fairness and keeping families together—but requires meaningful new federal spending, adds compliance burdens for providers, and raises trade-offs around eligibility, program targeting, and implementation capacity.
Immigrants in removal proceedings would gain much greater access to legal counsel, increasing chances of bond or relief and reducing risk of deportation for many individuals.
Nonprofits, localities, and courts would see expanded legal-services capacity and a larger trained defense workforce through funded recruitment, training, and long‑term capacity building.
Families and communities (particularly low-income households) would face fewer disruptive deportations and related social/economic harms because legal representation helps keep families together.
Taxpayers would bear increased federal spending (roughly $200 million over FY2026–FY2027 and expanded program costs) to fund universal representation and related grants/infrastructure.
Scaling and implementing federally funded universal representation could strain existing legal service providers, require time to build capacity, and create service gaps during transition.
Grant rules, reporting, audits, and compliance requirements would add administrative overhead for nonprofits and may divert funds from direct client services.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Creates DOJ grants to expand workforce and infrastructure for legal representation in immigration removal proceedings and authorizes $100M per year for FY2026–2027.
Official title: To authorize the Attorney General to provide grants to States, units of local government, and organizations to support the recruitment, training, and development of staff and infrastructure needed to support the due process rights of individuals facing deportation.
Introduced April 30, 2025 by Robert Garcia · Last progress April 30, 2025
Creates a competitive Department of Justice grant program to grow the workforce and legal-services capacity that represents people in immigration removal (deportation) proceedings. Grants may be awarded to states, local governments, nonprofits, community groups, and educational institutions for recruitment, training, retention, infrastructure, language services, and coordination to expand high‑quality, independent legal representation for people facing deportation. Authorizes $100 million per year for fiscal years 2026 and 2027, requires annual grantee reporting and OIG audits, limits certain conference spending, and directs the DOJ Office of Access to Justice to set priorities and rules for targeting grants toward underserved areas and training for deportation defense. Federal funds must supplement, not supplant, other funding sources.