summary
Introduced
01/10/2020
01/10/2020
In Committee
02/12/2020
02/12/2020
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
12/31/2020
12/31/2020
Introduced Session
116th Congress
Bill Summary
To clarify the rights of all persons who are held or detained at a port of entry or at any detention facility overseen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 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, aliens in possession of a visa, and refugees. The Department of Homeland Security shall 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 shall 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 reasonable opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless the individual voluntarily and knowingly waives in writing this opportunity to seek counsel's advice.
AI Summary
This bill, the Access to Counsel Act of 2020, aims to clarify the rights of individuals held or detained at a port of entry or at any detention facility overseen by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The bill provides various protections for "covered individuals" - U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, visa holders, and refugees - subject to secondary or deferred inspections when seeking admission to the United States. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that covered individuals have a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and certain interested parties, such as relatives, within an hour of the start of the secondary inspection and as necessary throughout the process. The bill also prohibits the government from accepting a lawful permanent resident's abandonment of their status without first providing them a reasonable opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless they voluntarily and knowingly waive that opportunity in writing.
Committee Categories
Justice, Military Affairs and Security
Sponsors (51)
Pramila Jayapal (D)*,
Nanette Barragán (D),
Earl Blumenauer (D),
Suzanne Bonamici (D),
Judy Chu (D),
David Cicilline (D),
Yvette Clarke (D),
Gerry Connolly (D),
Lou Correa (D),
Rosa DeLauro (D),
Theodore Deutch (D),
Eliot Engel (D),
Veronica Escobar (D),
Anna Eshoo (D),
Adriano Espaillat (D),
Ruben Gallego (D),
Sylvia Garcia (D),
Chuy García (D),
Raúl Grijalva (D),
Alcee Hastings (D),
Hank Johnson (D),
Joseph Kennedy (D),
Ro Khanna (D),
Dan Kildee (D),
Derek Kilmer (D),
Rick Larsen (D),
Barbara Lee (D),
Andy Levin (D),
John Lewis (D),
Ted Lieu (D),
Zoe Lofgren (D),
Alan Lowenthal (D),
Jim McGovern (D),
Stephanie Murphy (D),
Jerry Nadler (D),
Grace Napolitano (D),
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D),
Mark Pocan (D),
Ayanna Pressley (D),
Mike Quigley (D),
Jamie Raskin (D),
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D),
Bobby Rush (D),
Mary Gay Scanlon (D),
Jan Schakowsky (D),
Adam Schiff (D),
Brad Schneider (D),
Adam Smith (D),
Eric Swalwell (D),
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D),
Bonnie Watson Coleman (D),
Last Action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 332. (on 03/05/2020)
Official Document
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