# 119-hr-4542: No Cages in the Everglades Act

119-hr-4542, No Cages in the Everglades Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25] (D-FL); status in_committee (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4542
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-4542
- Congress: 119
- Title: No Cages in the Everglades Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-07-17
- Sponsor: Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25] (D-FL)
- Cosponsors: 15
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**This bill would ban the operation and funding of any immigration detention facility located in or adjacent to the Everglades ecosystem.** It would also expand congressional inspection rights and require a Department of Homeland Security inspector general report on funding, detention conditions, standards compliance, and ecological and disaster risks. - People detained: The bill would stop DHS from placing people in new facilities inside or next to the Everglades. The inspector general would review complaints, access to counsel, and risks to detainees from flooding or hurricanes. - DHS, ICE, and contractors: It would bar use of DHS funds for planning, construction, leasing, operation, staffing, or maintenance of those facilities and forbid contracting with public entities for those purposes. - Congress and the Everglades: Members of Congress and designated staff would be allowed announced or unannounced inspections of any facility housing DHS detainees. The inspector general would have to report within 90 days of enactment and brief the listed House and Senate committees. The bill defines the Everglades ecosystem to include Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Water Conservation Areas, and adjacent wetlands.

## Cosponsors (15)

- Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10] (D-FL), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14] (D-FL), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] (D-FL), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, Sheila [D-FL-20] (D-FL), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moskowitz, Jared [D-FL-23] (D-FL), 2025-07-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4] (D-GA), 2025-07-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12] (D-PA), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35] (D-TX), 2025-08-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stops immigration detention in Everglades: benefit, low. If enacted, this bill would bar DHS, including ICE, from using any available funds to plan, build, lease, operate, staff, or maintain an immigration detention facility in or next to the Everglades ecosystem. It would also bar DHS from contracting with any public entity for those purposes. If enacte…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
- 119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-4542 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4542)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2086)
- [119-hr-5390: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5390)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4542 (as of 2026-09-21).