Protecting Sensitive Locations Act
Sponsored By: Representative Espaillat
Introduced
Summary
Protects sensitive locations from immigration enforcement. This bill would bar immigration officers from conducting actions at, focused on, or within 1,000 feet of places like schools, hospitals, places of worship, polling sites, and disaster-relief centers except in narrow exigent circumstances.
Show full summary
- Families and children: Would limit enforcement near public and private schools, school buses and stops when children are present, child care and children's recreational facilities, reducing immigration actions in places where kids are likely to be.
- Patients, health workers, and disaster survivors: Would keep actions away from hospitals, clinics, vaccination and testing sites, urgent care and community health centers, and disaster response or family reunification sites to protect access to care and relief.
- Immigration agencies and oversight: Would require annual training for specified Department of Homeland Security officials, mandate reports to the DHS Office of Inspector General and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties within 30 days after any sensitive-location action, and bar evidence from actions that violate the rule from removal proceedings.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Limits on enforcement near schools and hospitals
This bill would sharply limit immigration enforcement at or within 1,000 feet of sensitive places. These include schools and bus stops when kids are present, hospitals and clinics, places of worship, shelters and food banks, polling places, libraries, and more. Officers could act there only during a clear emergency, with two narrow exceptions: taking someone found at or near a border to a hospital, and rare preplanned arrests of terrorism or extreme public‑safety threats with written approval. If officers do act, they would have to be discreet, spend as little time as possible, and only target the approved person; if the emergency ends or is unclear, they must stop and check with a supervisor first. DHS would define who counts as a supervisor and authorizing officials within 90 days, and these rules would start 90 days after enactment.
Illegal evidence tossed in deportation cases
If officers violate these sensitive‑location rules, information from that action would not be allowed in the removal (deportation) case. The targeted person could ask to end the removal case right away. These protections would start 90 days after enactment.
More oversight and training for DHS
DHS would have to file a report within 30 days after any enforcement at a sensitive place. The report would list the date, site, officers, why the action happened, who was targeted, arrests made, and whether a supervisor was contacted. ICE and CBP would send yearly summaries to Congress, and the DHS Inspector General would report on complaints; Congress could request copies of the 30‑day reports. DHS leaders would also ensure yearly staff training on these rules and related 1996 protections. The reporting and training would start 90 days after enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Espaillat
NY • D
Cosponsors
McGovern
MA • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Sanchez
CA • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Tonko
NY • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Johnson (GA)
GA • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Tlaib
MI • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Lofgren
CA • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Takano
CA • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
McIver
NJ • D
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Grijalva
AZ • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Velazquez
NY • D
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Pallone
NJ • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Ansari
AZ • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Moore (WI)
WI • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Wasserman Schultz
FL • D
Sponsored 2/6/2025
Green, Al (TX)
TX • D
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Barragan
CA • D
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Goldman (NY)
NY • D
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Pingree
ME • D
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Tokuda
HI • D
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Peters
CA • D
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Hayes
CT • D
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Panetta
CA • D
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Larson (CT)
CT • D
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Clarke (NY)
NY • D
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Crockett
TX • D
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Ramirez
IL • D
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Garcia (TX)
TX • D
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Garcia (IL)
IL • D
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Jayapal
WA • D
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Bonamici
OR • D
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Beyer
VA • D
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Casten
IL • D
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Omar
MN • D
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Jacobs
CA • D
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Turner (TX)
TX • D
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Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
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Garcia (CA)
CA • D
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Mfume
MD • D
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Castro (TX)
TX • D
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Correa
CA • D
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Pettersen
CO • D
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Ross
NC • D
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Crow
CO • D
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Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large]
PR • D
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Trahan
MA • D
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Frost
FL • D
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Meng
NY • D
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Quigley
IL • D
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Casar
TX • D
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Friedman
CA • D
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Rivas
CA • D
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DelBene
WA • D
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Kamlager-Dove
CA • D
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Vargas
CA • D
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Huffman
CA • D
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Smith (WA)
WA • D
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Titus
NV • D
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Gomez
CA • D
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DeGette
CO • D
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Liccardo
CA • D
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Dexter
OR • D
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Lee (PA)
PA • D
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McBride
DE • D
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Krishnamoorthi
IL • D
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Doggett
TX • D
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Dingell
MI • D
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McClain Delaney
MD • D
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Balint
VT • D
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DeSaulnier
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Kelly (IL)
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Salinas
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Chu
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Amo
RI • D
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Carbajal
CA • D
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Cisneros
CA • D
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Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
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Evans (PA)
PA • D
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Thanedar
MI • D
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Adams
NC • D
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Bynum
OR • D
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Lieu
CA • D
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Craig
MN • D
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Simon
CA • D
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Deluzio
PA • D
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Williams (GA)
GA • D
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Brown
OH • D
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Garamendi
CA • D
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Mullin
CA • D
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Davis (IL)
IL • D
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Elfreth
MD • D
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Johnson (TX)
TX • D
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Jackson (IL)
IL • D
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Cleaver
MO • D
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Frankel, Lois
FL • D
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Thompson (CA)
CA • D
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Budzinski
IL • D
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Walkinshaw
VA • D
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Bell
MO • D
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Wilson (FL)
FL • D
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Stansbury
NM • D
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Menendez
NJ • D
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Carson
IN • D
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Scanlon
PA • D
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Clyburn
SC • D
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Horsford
NV • D
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Nadler
NY • D
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Matsui
CA • D
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Grijalva
AZ • D
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Swalwell
CA • D
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Beatty
OH • D
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Latimer
NY • D
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Stanton
AZ • D
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Olszewski
MD • D
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Pocan
WI • D
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Randall
WA • D
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Khanna
CA • D
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Costa
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Gottheimer
NJ • D
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McDonald Rivet
MI • D
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McGarvey
KY • D
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Norcross
NJ • D
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Dean (PA)
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Torres (NY)
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Foushee
NC • D
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Schakowsky
IL • D
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Vasquez
NM • D
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Watson Coleman
NJ • D
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Soto
FL • D
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Houlahan
PA • D
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Morrison
MN • D
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Cherfilus-McCormick
FL • D
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Kennedy (NY)
NY • D
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Strickland
WA • D
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Lynch
MA • D
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Sherman
CA • D
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Neguse
CO • D
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Schneider
IL • D
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Waters
CA • D
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Bera
CA • D
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Bishop
GA • D
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Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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