A Democratic bill with 9 Democratic cosponsors · See all 9 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is called the Know Your Rights Act. It requires the Attorney General to set up an Office of Legal Access Programs within the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The main job of this new office is to create legal orientation programs that educate noncitizens about their legal rights and administrative procedures under U.S. immigration law. The Attorney General must submit a plan to Congress within 180 days and roll out these programs for all detained persons within one year. Additionally, the Secretary of Homeland Security must work with the Attorney General to make sure these programs are available to noncitizens within five days of entering custody.
Yes· 3 of 11
- Scored +6
Would immigrants be better off under this?
The bill directly aids detained noncitizens by offering legal orientation programs, multi-language notices, and early access to rights information.
- Scored +5
Does this make it easier for immigrants already here to become citizens?
By establishing the Office of Legal Access Programs, the bill helps noncitizens better understand their legal rights and eligibility for relief from removal.
- Scored +4
Would children be better off under this?
The bill explicitly mandates the identification of unaccompanied noncitizen children for special consideration and legal support.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2(a): This section creates the Office of Legal Access Programs to help make immigration proceedings more efficient and cost-effective by educating noncitizens on their legal rights and administrative procedures. This is positive because it helps detained individuals better understand the legal system they are facing.
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Section 2(b)(2): This provision requires that programs and written notices of rights are available in English and the five most common native languages spoken by detained persons at each location. This is a helpful step for ensuring people can actually read and understand their rights in their native language.
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Section 2(b)(3): This part directs the programs to identify unaccompanied noncitizen children, noncitizens with serious mental disabilities, and other vulnerable noncitizens for special consideration. This is a positive measure to spot vulnerable individuals in the system.
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Section 2(c): This section ensures that noncitizens in or released from custody have access to legal orientation programs within 5 days of arrival into custody. This is beneficial because it gives detained people timely information regarding hearing procedures, their rights, potential legal resources, and warnings against filing frivolous claims.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2(d): This section explicitly states that nothing in the subsection creates any substantive or procedural right or benefit that is legally enforceable by any party against the United States, its agencies, officers, or any other person. This could be seen as a negative drawback for the people because it means detained individuals cannot take the government to court to enforce these promised legal orientation services if the government fails to provide them.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would immigrants be better off under this? — The bill directly aids detained noncitizens by offering legal orientation programs, multi-language notices, and early access to rights information. Would children be better off under this? — The bill explicitly mandates the identification of unaccompanied noncitizen children for special consideration and legal support. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — Hispanic Americans and other minority communities benefit indirectly from fairer, more organized immigration and detention procedures. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — The legislation ensures that noncitizens with serious mental disabilities are properly identified for special consideration. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The program provides valuable legal information and resources to generally lower-income noncitizen populations facing removal proceedings.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this make it easier for immigrants already here to become citizens? — By establishing the Office of Legal Access Programs, the bill helps noncitizens better understand their legal rights and eligibility for relief from removal. Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities? — The legislation explicitly mandates the identification of vulnerable individuals such as those with serious mental disabilities for special consideration. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill provides legal orientation programs that benefit minority and noncitizen populations navigating the immigration system.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts? — By ensuring detained noncitizens receive timely legal orientation and information regarding their rights within five days, the bill supports due process. Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates clear information sharing and written notices of rights for detained persons in multiple languages, improving administrative transparency. Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill expands federal agency responsibilities by establishing a new Office of Legal Access Programs within the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
- 6/29/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/8/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/3/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 7 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Jesús GarcíaDemocrat · Illinois
Henry JohnsonDemocrat · Georgia
James McGovernDemocrat · Massachusetts
Jerrold NadlerDemocrat · New York
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Ilhan OmarDemocrat · Minnesota
Mike QuigleyDemocrat · Illinois
Delia RamirezDemocrat · Illinois
Bonnie Watson ColemanDemocrat · New Jersey