House Democrats unveiled the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act on Wednesday, aiming to curb abuses in U.S. immigration detention and ensure basic civil and human rights protections for those held in custody.
Sponsored by Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Adam Smith (WA-09), the legislation responds to what lawmakers and advocacy groups describe as inhumane conditions in immigration detention facilities, particularly those run by private contractors.
“People are being held in squalor, largely in private, for-profit detention facilities, all to pad the bottom lines of prison corporations,” Jayapal said in a press statement. “We must pass this legislation to protect dignity and civil rights in America.”
Smith added: “No one should be subjected to overcrowded cells, denied medical care, or held in facilities that profit off human suffering. This legislation establishes the oversight and guardrails needed to end these abuses.”
Rising Concerns Over Detention Practices
Since former President Trump’s return to office, immigration detention has surged to record levels, with over 66,000 individuals detained, nearly 73% with no criminal convictions.
Reports detail alarming conditions: overcrowding, withheld medications, substandard food, and the detention of families and children, practices long criticized for harming vulnerable populations.
Deaths in detention have fueled outrage, including cases where official explanations conflicted with family accounts, highlighting the lack of transparency and oversight.
Key Provisions of the Legislation
The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act seeks to:
- End mandatory detention and prohibit the detention of families and children;
- Create a presumption of release for vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, survivors of torture or gender-based violence, people with serious medical conditions, LGBTQ individuals, asylum seekers, and seniors;
- Phase out private detention facilities over three years;
- Implement DHS civil detention standards in line with American Bar Association guidelines;
- Mandate unannounced inspections by the DHS Inspector General, with penalties for noncompliance;
- Allow Congressional access for unscheduled inspections.
Advocacy organizations have strongly backed the bill. Haddy Gassama of the ACLU called it “a critical step toward ending a system that profits off human suffering.” Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock of the National Immigration Law Center said, “Real change will take time, but immigration detention is an urgent threat that demands immediate action.”
Other supporters include the National Immigrant Justice Center, Detention Watch Network, AFL-CIO, Amnesty International USA, UnidosUS, and dozens of human rights and faith-based organizations.
Broad Congressional Support
The bill has garnered sponsorship from a wide coalition of over 150 House Democrats, reflecting bipartisan concern over conditions in detention facilities and the use of private contractors.
Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of the Detention Watch Network, emphasized the bill’s urgency: “While this legislation does not fully end the inhumane and unnecessary system of immigration detention, it takes a bold step forward by ending mandatory detention, ending privatized detention, enacting critical safeguards, and reversing unchecked growth.”
With immigration detention increasingly under scrutiny, the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act represents a significant push by House Democrats to address systemic abuses and restore accountability, transparency, and basic human dignity to the nation’s immigration system.
