H.R. 8494

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8494 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8494

To prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from entering into, 
modifying, extending, or renewing, any contract or intergovernmental 
service agreement to establish or operate any new immigration detention 
model, including the use of warehouses, modular facilities, soft-sided 
structures, tent systems, and processing centers.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 23, 2026

Ms. Tlaib (for herself, Mrs. McClain Delaney, Ms. Clarke of New York, 
Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Norton, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. Garcia of 
Illinois, Ms. Morrison, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Davis of 
Illinois, Mr. Green of Texas, Mrs. Grijalva, and Mr. Castro of Texas) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 
the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from entering into, 
modifying, extending, or renewing, any contract or intergovernmental 
service agreement to establish or operate any new immigration detention 
model, including the use of warehouses, modular facilities, soft-sided 
structures, tent systems, and processing centers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. PROHIBITION ON NEW IMMIGRATION MODELS.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Department of Homeland Security, acting through 
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has announced plans 
to spend approximately $38,300,000,000 to acquire and retrofit 
warehouses and industrial facilities into large-scale 
immigration detention centers.
(2) Such planned expansion includes the use of warehouses, 
modular facilities, soft-sided structures, tent systems, 
processing centers, or other alternative detention facility 
models.
(3) The facilities that the Department of Homeland Security 
is attempting to develop are similar to facilities used to 
incarcerate about 120,000 people of Japanese descent, as well 
as many others, in internment camps in the United States from 
1942 through 1946, a grave violation of human rights and a dark 
chapter in our history.
(4) Immigration detention has detrimental and long-lasting 
impacts on individuals detained, their families, and their 
communities.
(5) Decades of documentation have proven that, across the 
immigration detention system, U.S. Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement subjects people to violations of their basic rights 
and unconscionable conditions, including medical neglect, 
overcrowding, cruel and unusual conditions of confinement, and 
rampant transfers that disappear people deeper into the 
detention system, sowing confusion and cutting people off from 
their loved ones and support networks.
(6) Deaths in immigration detention facilities have 
occurred under the supervision of the Department of Homeland 
Security, including 33 reported deaths in 2025 and 13 deaths so 
far in 2026.
(7) The expansion of immigration facilities adversely harms 
surrounding communities through increased surveillance, 
infrastructure strain, environmental impact, and diversion of 
local resources.
(8) The expansion, creation, or repurposing of buildings as 
detention facilities diverts critical resources such as water 
and electricity away from the local communities, could cut off 
local tax revenue, and forecloses other economic opportunities 
for local communities.
(9) Facilities not originally constructed for the purposes 
of detaining or processing individuals drastically lack 
appropriate infrastructure, including sewage, sanitation, and 
water systems necessary to protect public health and would 
further exacerbate the unacceptable conditions named above.
(10) Congress has the authority to condition and prohibit 
the use of Federal funds and facilities.
(b) Prohibition on New Immigration Models.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, a covered agency may not--
(1) establish or implement any new immigration detention 
model; or
(2) establish, operate, expand, convert, or renovate any 
warehouse, industrial facility, tent, soft-sided structure, 
modular unit, or similar building or structure for the purposes 
of housing, processing, or detaining individuals under civil 
immigration authority.
(c) Prohibition on Use of Funds.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, none of the amounts made available before the date of the 
enactment of this Act for any fiscal year or otherwise made 
available to any covered agency may be obligated or expended to 
establish, construct, renovate, expand, or operate any new 
immigration detention model, including any warehouse, 
industrial facility, tent, soft-sided structure, modular unit, 
or similar building or structure, whether directly operated by 
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or by another 
governmental or nongovernmental contractor.
(2) Prohibition on transfer.--None of the amounts made 
available before the date of the enactment of this Act, may be 
reprogrammed or transferred for the purposes of operating or 
constructing immigration detention facilities, processing 
facilities, holding facilities, or non-traditional facilities.
(3) Transfer of funds.--Amounts obligated to operate new 
immigration detention models, including any warehouse, 
industrial facility, tent, soft-sided structure, modular unit, 
or similar building or structure shall be transferred to needed 
services such as affordable health care and housing.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Covered agency.--The term ``covered agency'' means the 
Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement, and any component thereof.
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
Department of Homeland Security.
(3) Detention facility.--The term ``detention facility'' 
means any facility, building, or structure used to hold, 
process, house, or detain individuals pursuant to civil 
immigration authority.
(4) Expand.--The term ``expand'' includes constructing, 
acquiring, leasing, retrofitting, modifying, renovating, or 
increasing the bed capacity of a detention facility.
(5) New immigration model.--The term ``new immigration 
model'' means any newly created, rebranded, temporary, 
emergency, or alternative detention framework that results in 
immigration detention.
(e) Effective Date.--This Act shall take effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
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