# 119-hr-5941: Restoring Access for Detainees Act

119-hr-5941, Restoring Access for Detainees Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR); status introduced (as of 2026-06-06).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5941
- As of: 2026-06-06
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5941
- Congress: 119
- Title: Restoring Access for Detainees Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-11-07
- Sponsor: Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR)
- Cosponsors: 49
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-06-06

## Summary

**Restores free, government-funded communication for people in DHS custody.** This bill would create a paid phone and electronic access program so detained immigrants can notify family and reach legal help quickly. - Families: Detainees must get at least one 10-minute call during the first 5 hours of custody and at least 200 free minutes each month to contact immediate family. - People seeking counsel and courts: Detainees would have private access to legal counsel, potential counsel, immigration courts, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and other courts with unlimited free minutes for those contacts. - Oversight and consular access: Detainees can privately contact consular officials and offices that investigate detention conditions without monitoring, except under a court-issued warrant. - Detention operations: Facilities can set consistent time and place rules but may not limit minutes with legal representatives, impose automatic cut-offs, or count incoming calls against the free minutes. The Department must adopt protocols so detainees are not deterred from using the service and staff must keep trying to reach family during initial custody periods. *No specific fiscal estimate is provided in the sources.*

## Cosponsors (49)

- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2] (D-WA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1] (D-OR), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10] (D-NY), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Min, Dave [D-CA-47] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pou, Nellie [D-NJ-9] (D-NJ), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large] (D-VT), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Scanlon, Mary Gay [D-PA-5] (D-PA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wilson, Frederica S. [D-FL-24] (D-FL), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32] (D-TX), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2] (D-IL), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kamlager-Dove, Sydney [D-CA-37] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Subramanyam, Suhas [D-VA-10] (D-VA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4] (D-OR), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Salinas, Andrea [D-OR-6] (D-OR), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30] (D-TX), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fletcher, Lizzie [D-TX-7] (D-TX), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Morrison, Kelly [D-MN-3] (D-MN), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25] (D-FL), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] (D-TX), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tran, Derek [D-CA-45] (D-CA), 2025-11-07T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Susie [D-NV-3] (D-NV), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cisneros, Gilbert Ray [D-CA-31] (D-CA), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-IL), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Plaskett, Stacey E. [D-VI-At Large] (D-VI), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17] (D-PA), 2025-11-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA), 2025-11-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] (D-IL), 2025-11-19T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Rivas, Luz M. [D-CA-29] (D-CA), 2025-12-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Horsford, Steven [D-NV-4] (D-NV), 2026-02-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Latimer, George [D-NY-16] (D-NY), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Free phone and privacy for detainees: benefit, low. If enacted, detainees in DHS custody would get government-paid communications and privacy protections. You would get at least one 10-minute call to an immediate family member during the first 5 hours of custody and again within 5 hours after arrival at a new location. You would receive at least 200…
- Preserve existing settlement agreements: benefit, low. If enacted, nothing in this bill would change any settlement agreement that is already in effect on the date of enactment. Existing rights and obligations in those agreements would be preserved.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2763: American Family Act
- 119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-5941 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5941)

## Related
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-2763: American Family Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2763)
- [119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-17)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5941 (as of 2026-06-06).