Dem-backed ‘dignity’ bill could strip ICE of detention powers, erase immigration enforcement, critics warn
The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act would create presumption of release and mandate voluntary congressional inspections
By Charles Creitz Fox News
Published December 5, 2025 5:27pm EST
After more than 120 House Democrats signed onto a bill from a top progressive lawmaker to seek what they define as "dignity" for federal immigration detainees, critics sounded the alarm that the legislation could forever transform how illegal immigrants are treated in the U.S.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is spearheading the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, along with fellow Evergreen State lawmaker Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. They say it would curb the "shocking surge" of allegedly wrongful detentions and inappropriate conditions, particularly at jails run by private companies under government contract.
Critics vociferously objected to that suggestion in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital Friday.
"This legislation isn’t aimed at improving conditions for migrants navigating the U.S. immigration system. It would instead end the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration law entirely," members of the Day 1 Alliance, the main trade association representing longtime federal and state contractors in the criminal justice and immigration spaces, warned.
Day 1 Alliance members said that, for more than three decades, both Republican and Democratic congresses and administrations have respected the "limited yet valued" role their members play in working toward a better immigration enforcement system.
The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act would lead to the repeal of mandatory detention for those captured by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a summary posted by Jayapal, and create a presumption of release, imposing a higher burden of proof to detain primary caregivers and "vulnerable populations."
It also would phase out the use of private detention centers, like those Day 1 Alliance members may work in or with, by about 2029.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-backed-dignity-bill-could-strip-ice-detention-powers-erase-immigration-enforcement-critics-warn
