Summary
Pauses funding for ICE surveillance and hiring until the agency reports on how it uses and protects personal information in its databases.
What problem does this solve?
Concerns exist that immigration enforcement may be using surveillance systems to collect information on people without clear rules, potentially violating their rights. This bill freezes funding until the agency creates and reports on a policy that protects constitutional rights and adds oversight to its data collection.
Who does this affect?
- Immigrants
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Protestors and Activists
What does this bill do?
Freezes funding for ICE
Stops the Department of Homeland Security from spending money on ICE surveillance systems, related contracts, or hiring new ICE officers.
Requires a report on surveillance policies
Lifts the funding freeze only after ICE submits a report to Congress. The report must detail a new policy for how it uses surveillance systems.
Protects constitutional rights
Requires the new ICE policy to ban the collection of information about people who are exercising their constitutional rights, such as freedom of speech.
Allows people to record ICE operations
Prevents any funds from being used to stop individuals from recording or documenting immigration enforcement, as long as they do not interfere with the operations.
Mandates deletion of recently collected data
Requires ICE to delete all information added to its surveillance systems since January 1, 2026, unless the new required policy is put in place.
Establishes rules for data management
Requires the new policy to include rules for how information is used, who can access it, how it is stored securely, and how long it will be kept.
What is the real world impact?
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Restricts potential government surveillance of citizens
Suggests that ICE may be using its surveillance systems to monitor people exercising their constitutional rights, like protesting. Halts funding to force the agency to create policies that prevent this and protect free speech.
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Increases transparency and accountability for ICE
Forces ICE to be open about how it collects, uses, and protects personal data in its surveillance systems. Requires clear rules for data storage, access, and removal, and gives people a chance to contest information collected about them.
When does this start?
The bill's main actions take effect within 30 days of it becoming law.
Funding freeze
Begins no later than 30 days after the bill becomes law and continues until a required report on surveillance is submitted.
Data deletion
Requires information collected since January 1, 2026, to be deleted within 30 days of the bill becoming law, unless a new policy is created.