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HR 944 · in committee · significant

Access to Counsel Act

What this bill does

  • The bill requires DHS to allow people undergoing secondary inspection at the border to consult with a lawyer within one hour.
  • The law applies to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, visa holders, asylees, and refugees entering the country.
  • It takes effect upon enactment and creates new procedural requirements for immigration inspections with no specified funding mechanism.

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Community Threads

Started by Cosponsor

  1. 01

    How might a one-hour legal consultation window affect the duration and efficiency of secondary border inspections currently conducted by DHS?

  2. 02

    What implementation costs would border agencies face, and should Congress allocate specific funding before this requirement takes effect?

  3. 03

    Which groups entering the country do you think would benefit most from accessing legal counsel during secondary inspection?

Cosponsor writes these to seed civic discussion — they aren't user posts. Sign in to reply.

Sponsor · D-WA-7

Pramila Jayapal

Citizen cosponsors

0

In Congress

72/ 435

House Reps cosponsoring

Introduced 2025-02-04

Joining the bill

+ 60 more

Legislative timeline

  1. 2025-02-04 · house · IntroReferral

    Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

  2. 2025-02-04 · IntroReferral

    Introduced in House

  3. 2025-02-04 · IntroReferral

    Introduced in House

Congress.gov ↗

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