Who it affects
- Children without U.S. nationality
- Parents entering unlawfully with their children
- Department of Homeland Security
- States licensing immigration detention facilities
In committeeImmigrationFamilies
Ensuring United Families at the Border Act
H.R. 61 · House bill · Introduced Jan. 3, 2025
The Ensuring United Families at the Border Act would change immigration detention rules for children and require some parents and children to be detained together.
What stands out
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At a glance
Where it stands
In committee
How South Carolina voted
No recorded votes yet.
See each vote ↓Lobbying and money
No lobbying reported yet
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
What it would do
- The bill removes the assumption that children without U.S. nationality should not be detained for immigration reasons.
- Children arriving without an adult are excluded from this change.
- Specified immigration law sections would govern these children’s detention, rather than other laws, court rulings, or settlement agreements.
- It requires detention together when a parent enters the country unlawfully with their child.
- This applies if the parent’s only criminal charge is unlawful entry classified as a minor crime.
- States could not impose licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities holding children or families with children.
Written with AI from the official summary by Congress's research office.
How South Carolina voted
No recorded roll-call vote on this bill yet.
Groups that lobbied on it and gave to SC's members
PAC, lobbyist campaign and qualifying employee money this election, shown separately and never added together. Lobbying reports name the bills a group worked on, not which side it took.
No lobbying reported yet. Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published.
Official record
Official title, sponsor and status
- Official title
- To amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to clarify the standards for family detention, and for other purposes.
- Sponsor
- Rep. Biggs, Andy (R-AZ)
- Introduced
- Jan. 3, 2025
- Cosponsors
- 3
- Committees
- House Judiciary Committee
- Latest action
- Jan. 3, 2025 · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Official summary from the Congressional Research Service
Ensuring United Families at the Border Act This bill addresses the treatment of children who are non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law), including by statutorily establishing that there is no presumption that such a child (other than an unaccompanied child) should not be detained for immigration purposes. Specifically, the bill states that the detention of such minors shall be governed by specified sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act and not any other provision of law, judicial ruling, or settlement agreement. (A 1997 settlement agreement, commonly known as the Flores agreement, imposes requirements relating to the treatment of detained alien minors, including requiring such minors to be released or placed in a nonsecure facility after a certain amount of time in detention.) If an adult enters the United States unlawfully with their child, the Department of Homeland Security must detain the adult and child together if the only criminal charge against the adult is a misdemeanor for unlawful entry. This bill also prohibits states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors or families with minors.
Summary on Congress.gov ↗Everyone who lobbied on this bill (0 groups)
No lobbying report we have loaded names this bill. That doesn't mean no lobbying took place.
Lobbyists report every three months, about 20 days after each quarter ends. We have January 2025 through September 2026 reports. Newer reports will be added once filed and published. Reports for October through December 2026 are due January 20, 2027.