This bill would require new reporting, oversight, and access rules for places that hold noncitizens under U.S. immigration law. It calls these places "facilities where noncitizens are detained by the Secretary of Homeland Security pursuant to the immigration laws." The bill requires each facility operator to set up an internet-accessible, near-real-time reporting system for detainee health conditions (medical, dental, and mental health). The system must record each report of disease or injury, each diagnosis, each prescribed treatment, and each treatment outcome. The Secretary must complete mandatory training for staff who use the system, and no facility may be exempted.
The bill also requires the Secretary to set up an anonymous, multilingual way for detainees to report health concerns within 6 months. That system must be available through secure digital kiosks inside facilities or through toll-free hotlines. If a reporter is retaliated against, the Inspector General (IG) or the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman must investigate within 14 days and provide the complainant a detailed report in a language they understand; the findings may be published if retaliation is found.
If an IG or Ombudsman investigation verifies a health concern and it is the third such complaint at a facility, the Secretary must decide whether there is cause to terminate the contract or agreement with the facility operator and publish that decision if termination is chosen. The IG must also conduct an annual audit of health conditions at each facility and report to Congress. Annual audits must specifically review gender-related health protections, including menstrual care, pregnancy outcomes, and trauma-informed care.
Each facility must have a full-time health services liaison with no other duties to coordinate health and wellness, compile information, and be the IG's point of contact. Starting three months after the one-year mark following enactment, the Secretary must publish quarterly reports on detainee health conditions and complaints for each facility on the Department of Homeland Security website and submit them to the House and Senate homeland security committees.
The bill also protects congressional oversight access. Members of Congress may enter facilities for oversight without prior notice. Congressional staff designated by a Member may be required to give 24 hours' notice. The Secretary may not limit entry for oversight or make temporary changes to a facility that would change what an oversight visitor would see.
Definitions used in the bill follow section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The bill sets deadlines for some steps (for example, 1 year to establish the reporting system and 6 months for the anonymous reporting system). The bill does not include cost estimates or detailed implementation funding in the text provided.
No publicly available information on estimated costs. The bill requires systems and activities that could involve expenses, such as creating and maintaining an internet reporting system, secure kiosks or a toll-free hotline, staff training, a full-time health services liaison at each facility, IG audits, and regular public and congressional reporting, but it does not include budget figures or funding sources in the text provided.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.