HR 944 · in committee · significant
Access to Counsel Act
- immigration
- civil rights
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
- 01
How might a one-hour legal consultation window affect the duration and efficiency of secondary border inspections currently conducted by DHS?
- 02
What implementation costs would border agencies face, and should Congress allocate specific funding before this requirement takes effect?
- 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

Diana DeGette
D-CO-1 · original

Greg Casar
D-TX-35 · original

Danny K. Davis
D-IL-7 · original

Jasmine Crockett
D-TX-30 · original

Yassamin Ansari
D-AZ-3 · original

Yvette D. Clarke
D-NY-9 · original

Nanette Diaz Barragán
D-CA-44 · original

Judy Chu
D-CA-28 · original

Suzanne Bonamici
D-OR-1 · original

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick
D-FL-20 · original

Sean Casten
D-IL-6 · original

Adriano Espaillat
D-NY-13 · original
+ 60 more
Legislative timeline
2025-02-04 · house · IntroReferral
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
2025-02-04 · IntroReferral
Introduced in House
2025-02-04 · IntroReferral
Introduced in House
Citizen comments
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