What does Preamble of Respect Our Communities Act do?

This bill aims to restrict the Department of Homeland Security's ability to construct, acquire, renovate, or operate new processing sites or detention centers. The bill requires DHS to establish a mechanism for public comments before undertaking such activities. It mandates DHS to enter into written agreements with State and local officials. The bill also requires DHS to provide advance notice to Congress regarding these activities.

What does SHORT TITLE. of Respect Our Communities Act do?

This Act is formally titled the 'Respect Our Communities Act'.

What does DEFINITIONS. of Respect Our Communities Act do?

This section defines terms used within the Act. “Appropriate local government officials” includes the mayor or equivalent elected official and a majority of the relevant legislative authority where a new processing facility or detention center is located. “New processing site or detention center” refers to facilities operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including those under the Detention Reengineering Initiative, used to temporarily hold individuals during immigration removal processes, beginning on or after the Act's enactment date.

What does REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW CBP AND ICE PROCESSING SITES AND DETENTION of Respect Our Communities Act do?

This section establishes requirements for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal agencies before constructing, acquiring, renovating, or operating new processing sites or detention centers for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Before initiating such projects, the relevant agency must issue a public notice in the Federal Register, open for at least 30 days of public comment. The public notice must describe the project's scope, detail the agency's due diligence process regarding immigration detention and environmental regulations, and include an economic impact analysis and engineering review. After the comment period, the agency head must consider and respond to significant comments and enter into a written agreement with local government officials and the state governor. Finally, the agency head must submit a report to several congressional committees, including a copy of the agreement, at least 30 days before the project can proceed.

Back to bills

Respect Our Communities Act

Last updated: 5/22/2026 · Introduced: 5/21/2026

Author: Joseph Morelle (D-NY)

TL;DR (AI)

The bill restricts the Department of Homeland Security's ability to build or operate new immigration processing sites and detention centers.
Before initiating new facilities, DHS must publish a public notice, solicit and respond to public comments, and enter into agreements with state and local officials.
The bill requires DHS to provide advance notice and reports to Congress before proceeding with construction or operation of new processing sites or detention centers.

119th Congressin committeeHR. 7652(In Committee)Official page

Verified Votes

No verified votes yet.

Community Votes

No community votes yet. Be the first!

Voting as guest · Sign in for verified votes

Other Sections

Includes provisions on preamble, short title., and 2 more.

4 sections

Click "Show details" to explore individual sections. Use the community vote above or visit All Sections to vote per section.

Read official text

Want the full experience?

Create a free account to cast verified votes on each section, get a personalized summary, and track your voting history.

Create Free Account