Orlin’s Law
Sponsored By: Representative Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
Introduced
Summary
Prioritizes family unity and parental rights in immigration detention. This bill would create a set of protections and procedures so dependent children of detained immigrants and their parents are identified quickly, can stay connected, and have clearer paths to reunification and child welfare support.
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- Families and children: Rapid screening to identify covered parents and new reunification remedies. Children gain rights to communication, visitation, travel documents, and support for custody and child welfare decisions.
- Detained parents: A presumption that parental rights remain intact unless terminated or a court finds abandonment, abuse, or neglect. Parents would get access to counsel for immigration matters tied to family integrity and access to records to support custody processes.
- DHS, ICE, and community services: Establishes a National Coordinator, mandatory training, limits on transfers that disrupt children, data collection, and quarterly reports to Congress. Creates a separate community-based case management program outside ICE to reduce reliance on detention and provide services in multiple languages.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Government-funded reunification after removal
If enacted, when a covered parent is removed, and required protections under this Act were not provided and the child remained in the United States, DHS would have to pay to reunify the child with the removed parent in the United States. Reunification would have to happen as quickly as possible but not later than 2 months after removal if the parent wants reunification. The Government would also pay to help the parent arrange for the child to remain in the United States and to participate in family-court or child-welfare proceedings.
Presumed release and local supervision
If enacted, when DHS identifies a detained covered parent, the bill would require release unless an immigration judge finds by clear and convincing evidence that the parent is an unmitigable safety risk. If a judge finds such a risk, the bill would require the least restrictive placement, including community-based supervision. The bill would also create a community case management program outside ICE that offers housing, medical, legal, and case-management services. The bill would generally bar moving a detained covered parent to a different ICE area than where first held or where their child lives, except in rare or legally required cases.
Calls, court access, and counsel
If enacted, covered parents in custody would be allowed free phone calls and daily free video calls with dependent children and free calls to lawyers and agencies. Parents would get time and free notary help to submit passports and travel documents and access DHS-held records needed to arrange care. Immigration judges could appoint and the Government would pay for counsel in family-integrity custody reviews when the judge finds it necessary. The bill would also say detention alone does not automatically count as abandonment and would not treat requests made under duress as valid.
ICE office to help detained parents
If enacted, the bill would create an Office of Detained Parent Coordination at ICE headquarters with a National Coordinator who has at least 10 years of child-welfare or family-court experience. The office would have at least eight full-time staff and act as ICE's expert on child-welfare and guardianship issues. It would help courts and agencies get notice of proceedings, assist with travel documents, and set procedures for child transport and reunification that do not use contractors.
Intake, definitions, training, and transparency
If enacted, DHS would be required to ask and record whether someone is a covered parent within 2 hours of taking them into custody and before any transfer. The bill would define who counts as a covered parent and dependent child, require training for DHS staff on these protections, and add referral-source information to the public detainee locator. The bill would also say it does not reduce existing child-protection duties or Flores settlement obligations.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Correa, J. Luis [D-CA-46]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30]
TX • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3]
OR • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4]
GA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]
WA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20]
NY • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]
NY • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]
FL • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7]
IN • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2]
MA • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11]
NJ • D
Sponsored 7/16/2026
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/20/2026
Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/20/2026
Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8]
MD • D
Sponsored 9/1/2026
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 9/16/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov