To establish the right to counsel, at Government expense for those who cannot afford counsel, for people facing removal.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill guarantees that individuals facing immigration proceedings (removal, deportation, bond hearings, etc.) who cannot afford a lawyer will receive free, government-appointed legal representation. It creates a new private nonprofit organization called the Office of Immigration Representation to manage this system, similar to the public defender system for criminal cases.
Who Benefits and How
Immigrants facing deportation proceedings receive free legal counsel if they cannot afford representation (income at or below 200% poverty line). Immigration attorneys and legal service providers gain significant new employment opportunities through public defender organizations and panel attorney systems. Interpreter and translator services also receive expanded funding for immigration legal services.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Taxpayers fund this new entitlement program through federal appropriations tied to immigration enforcement spending. U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ICE, and USCIS face new procedural requirements including 24-hour counsel appointment deadlines and document disclosure rules. Immigration courts face new restrictions that proceedings cannot commence until counsel is appointed.
Key Provisions
- Guarantees legal representation at government expense for financially unable individuals in immigration proceedings
- Creates Office of Immigration Representation as independent nonprofit with 24-member Board of Directors
- Establishes regional Local Boards, Immigration Public Defender Organizations, and Panel Attorney systems
- Requires parity funding: Office funding tied to combined ICE, CBP, and DOJ immigration prosecution budgets
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Establishes a right to government-appointed legal counsel for individuals in immigration proceedings who cannot afford representation, creating the Office of Immigration Representation to administer this system.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, Legal Services, Government Administration
Primary Purpose
Establishes a right to government-appointed legal counsel for individuals in immigration proceedings who cannot afford representation, creating the Office of Immigration Representation to administer this system.
Policy Domains
Title I - Right to Counsel
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Immigrants in removal/deportation proceedings
- Immigration attorneys and legal service providers
- Interpreter and translation service providers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- DHS/ICE/CBP agencies
- Immigration courts
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title II - Office of Immigration Representation
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Immigration attorneys
- Legal nonprofit organizations
- Community Defender Organizations
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Title III - Funding
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Office of Immigration Representation
- Immigration legal service providers
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal taxpayers
- Federal budget
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMrs. Torres of California (for herself, Ms. Meng, Ms. Jayapal, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Law enforcement, justice-system actors, and affected communities
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security (for DHS proceedings)
- "local_administrator"
- → Local Administrator appointed by Director for each region
- "the_attorney_general"
- → Attorney General (for DOJ proceedings)
- "the_board"
- → Board of Directors of the Office
- "the_office"
- → Office of Immigration Representation
- "local_board"
- → Local immigration representation board for each region
- "the_director"
- → Director of Office of Immigration Representation
- "omb"
- → Office of Management and Budget
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Board of Directors of the Office of Immigration Representation
Director of the Office of Immigration Representation appointed pursuant to section 206(k)(1)
An organization established by a Local Board pursuant to section 207(a)(1)
A local immigration representation board established within a region pursuant to section 206(a)
Office of Immigration Representation established under section 202(a)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology