Access to Counsel Act

944

119th Congress

In Committee

Summary

Access to Counsel Act This bill provides various protections for covered individuals subject to secondary or deferred inspections when seeking admission into the United States. Covered individuals include U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) in possession of a visa, returning asylees, and refugees. The Department of Homeland Security must ensure that a covered individual subject to secondary or deferred inspection has a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and certain related parties, such as a relative, within an hour of the start of the secondary inspection and as necessary during the inspection process. The counsel and related party must be allowed to advocate on behalf of the covered individual, including by providing evidence and information to the examining immigration officer. A lawful permanent resident subject to secondary or deferred inspection may not abandon lawful permanent resident status until the individual has had a meaningful opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless the individual voluntarily and knowingly waives in writing this opportunity to seek counsel's advice.

Lobbying filings that explicitly cite this bill (1)

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Filing registrants (1)

KIDS IN NEED OF DEFENSE (1)

KIDS IN NEED OF DEFENSEclient→KIDS IN NEED OF DEFENSE

2025 · first_quarter · Immigration

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Cited source text, amounts, lobbyists, and targets

H.R.1144, Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R.2851, To extend immigration benefits to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other gender-based violence, and for other purposes H.R.1589, American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 H.R.32, No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act S.5/H.R.29, Laken Riley Act S.391/H.R. 944, Access to Counsel Act of 2025 S.1297, A bill to provide counsel for unaccompanied children, and for other purposes Issues related to Keeping Families Together Act Issues related to Fair Day in Court for Kids Act Issues related to Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (provisions related to legal services) Issues related to legal services for unaccompanied children Issues related to legal services funding Issues related to ICE enforcement and the use of military bases to house children Issues related to the Flores settlement agreement Issues related to kids in CBP custody and family detention Issues related to ORR Policy Guide section 2.2.4 on sponsor documentation for release Issues related to DHS-HHS information sharing Issues related to legal support to children and families in Mexico Issues related to missing unaccompanied children Issues related to ICE targeting sponsors for enforcement Issues related to hiring and deployment of child welfare professionals at U.S. southern border Issues related to Luttrell-Suozzi bipartisan immigration framework Issues related to fingerprinting/ICE check-ins Issues related to NTA filings/rocket dockets Issues related to unaccompanied childrens return and reintegration Issues related to protection of unaccompanied children in transit and in Mexico Issues related to DOJ legal orientation programs Issues related to Unaccompanied Alien Child Bureau Issues related to family separation Issues related to border processing Issues related to sponsor placements/vetting Issues related to SIJS Issues related to the reintroduction of the Protect Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Act Issues related to the Immigration Court Efficiency and Childrens Court Act Issues related to threats to immigrants Issues related to stop work order for UCP contract Issues related to Central American Minors (CAM) program Issues related to juvenile docket observations and findings Issues related to Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 HHS/ORR, Interim Final Rule with Comment Period (IFR), Investigations of Child Abuse and Neglect Rule (89 Fed. Reg. 93498, Nov. 27, 2024), RIN 0970-AD10 Issues related to Executive Orders impacting immigration and unaccompanied children Issues related to ORR policy changes Issues related to privacy for immigrants Issues related to refugee processing Issues related to Department of Justice legal orientation programs Issues related to recission of Memorandum on Childrens Cases in Immigration Court