SHIELD Act
Sponsored By: Senator Edward Markey
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.*
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
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.
Free Policy Watch
You just read the policy. Now see what it costs you.
Pick a topic. PRIA runs your household against live legislation and sends you a free personalized readout.
Pick a topic to get started
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Edward Markey
MA • D
Cosponsors
Alex Padilla
CA • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Adam Schiff
CA • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Elizabeth Warren
MA • D
Sponsored 3/19/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govLive Policy Activity
LiveSurfaced from PRIA's policy knowledge graph — ranked by signal strength, connected by evidence.
Deep Dive
· Polipedia policy encyclopediaYouth Conservation Corps & Public Lands Corps
The federal government runs two closely related conservation-workforce pipelines on public lands: the Youth Conservation Corps YCC and the Public Lands Corps PLC. YCC is a summer employment program fo
WTO Membership & Uruguay Round Agreements Act
The Uruguay Round Agreements Act URAA of 1994 19 U.S.C. §§ 3501–3624 implemented U.S. membership in the World Trade Organization WTO and incorporated the Uruguay Round trade agreements — the broadest
World Trade Center Health Program (James Zadroga Act)
The World Trade Center Health Program is a federally funded health benefits program that provides free medical monitoring and treatment to those who were exposed to the toxic dust, debris, and fumes f
Workers' Compensation
Workers' compensation is the United States' primary workplace injury system — a no-fault insurance program where employees who are injured on the job receive medical coverage and partial wage replacem
Take It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Start a Free Government Policy Watch to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in