Legislation2 days ago
50
To authorize implementation grants to community-based nonprofits to operate one-stop reentry centers.
HR8548Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA)
introduced
S4142119th Congress
SHIELD Act
Sponsored By: Senator Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would expand access to immigration-related legal representation. It creates a Department of Justice grant program to scale the immigration defense workforce and build local infrastructure for high-quality, linguistically appropriate representation.
Show full summary
- People facing removal would gain more opportunities for independent legal representation in places that lack publicly funded counsel, including services regardless of ability to pay.
- Lawyers, accredited representatives, social workers, and community navigators could receive funds for recruitment, training, retention, and leadership development to grow capacity and improve service quality.
- States, local governments, and qualifying nonprofits could compete for grants to fund staffing, technical assistance, local coordination, and subawards; grantees must file annual reports and face Inspector General audits and nonprofit transparency rules.
*Would authorize $100 million for DOJ in FY2026 and $100 million in FY2027, totaling $200 million in authorized federal funding and increasing federal spending.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
More legal help for immigrants facing deportation
If enacted, the Justice Department would award competitive grants to expand immigration-related legal representation for people in removal proceedings. The Office for Access to Justice would run the program and set rules. The bill would authorize $100 million for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027 to fund grants. Grants would pay for hiring and training lawyers and support staff, language and technical training, leadership development, and offices or technology in high-need areas. It would also define who counts as an "individual facing removal" and would preserve existing routes to appointed counsel where current law allows it.
New oversight rules for grantees
If enacted, the bill would set rules about who can get grants and how grantees must manage funds. Eligible recipients must be States, local governments, or nonprofits that provide or train immigration legal service staff; nonprofits that hold offshore funds to avoid the section 511(a) tax could be barred. Grantees would need to certify proposed uses and send annual reports within 90 days after each fiscal year describing services and spending. The Justice Department Inspector General would audit grantees yearly beginning in the first fiscal year after Dec. 13, 2016. Applicants without unresolved audit findings in the prior three years would get priority, and grantees with unresolved findings could get up to two years of technical help. Federal funds must supplement, not replace, other funds, and conference spending charged to grants would be capped at $100,000 unless the Deputy Attorney General approves in writing. Nonprofit grantees that use certain pay rules would need to disclose how they set officer compensation and make that information available on request.
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Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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