Restoring Community Trust Act of 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Restoring Community Trust Act repeals section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, codified at 8 U.S.C. 1373. The findings frame the repeal as an anti-commandeering and local-control measure, citing Supreme Court federalism cases and arguing that the current statute creates legal uncertainty, grant-program disputes, and administrative costs for State and local governments. The bill states that repeal does not prevent State or local governments from communicating or cooperating with federal immigration authorities when consistent with State or local law, and it does not limit federal immigration enforcement authority.
Who Benefits and How
State governments and local governments benefit because they regain clearer authority to set internal policies for receiving, using, and disclosing information held by their own agencies. Immigrant communities and residents who interact with local police, schools, health, emergency, or social-service agencies benefit if local institutions can adopt trust-building confidentiality policies without the federal 1373 constraint. State public safety agencies benefit from reduced litigation uncertainty over local policies and grant conditions.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal immigration authorities bear a practical burden because they lose a statutory tool that bars State and local restrictions on immigration-status information sharing. State and local officials must still draft policies carefully because the bill preserves voluntary communication and does not block federal enforcement conducted under other legal authorities. Local agencies that choose confidentiality policies must implement, train, and audit those policies under State or local law rather than relying on a federal default rule.
Key Provisions
- Repeals section 642 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996.
- Restores State and local authority over internal policies for receipt, use, and disclosure of immigration-related information.
- Clarifies that repeal does not prohibit voluntary communication or cooperation with federal immigration authorities when State or local law allows it.
- States that federal immigration enforcement authority and other lawful information-gathering tools remain intact.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Repeals 8 U.S.C. 1373, the federal rule that restricts State and local limits on immigration-information sharing, while preserving voluntary cooperation with federal immigration authorities when allowed by State or local law.
Key Policy Areas
Immigration, State & Local Government, Law Enforcement
Primary Purpose
Repeals 8 U.S.C. 1373, the federal rule that restricts State and local limits on immigration-information sharing, while preserving voluntary cooperation with federal immigration authorities when allowed by State or local law.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- State governments
- Local governments
- Immigrant communities
- State public safety agencies
Identified Costs
- Federal immigration authorities
- State governments
- Local governments
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Ms. Garcia of Texas (for herself, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Clarke …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Local governments, State governments, State public safety agencies
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
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