I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5941 
To restore limited, free telephone service for detainees to facilitate consulta-
tions with legal counsel and to maintain ties with their families, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 7, 2025 
Ms. DEXTER (for herself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. CHU, Mr. 
CARBAJAL, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Ms. ANSARI, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. LIEU, Mrs. WATSON COLE-
MAN, Mr. MIN, Ms. POU, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. BALINT, Ms. RANDALL, Mr. 
GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. FRIED-
MAN, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. WILLIAMS of 
Georgia, 
Ms. 
KELLY
of 
Illinois, 
Ms. 
KAMLAGER-DOVE, 
Mr. 
SUBRAMANYAM, Ms. HOYLE of Oregon, Ms. SALINAS, Ms. CROCKETT, 
Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. TLAIB, Mrs. FLETCHER, Ms. MORRISON, Ms. 
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Ms. ESCOBAR, and Mr. TRAN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To restore limited, free telephone service for detainees to 
facilitate consultations with legal counsel and to maintain 
ties with their families, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Access for 
Detainees Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) individuals in civil immigration detention re-
quire access to counsel to address their legal needs 
and their ability to maintain ties with family and 
loved ones; 
(2) while existing communication options in de-
tention are helpful, they do not adequately address 
the needs of detainees, including detainees who are 
indigent or seeking legal representation; 
(3) in April 2020, the Trump administration in-
stituted a program in which detained individuals 
were provided up to 520 free minutes of telephone 
service per month to maintain contact with families 
and legal representatives during the COVID–19 pub-
lic health emergency, but that program was halted 
during 2024 due to a lack of funding; and 
(4) since U.S. Immigration and Customs En-
forcement received additional funding under section 
100052 of Public Law 119–21 (commonly referred 
to as the ‘‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’’), a portion 
of such funding should be reserved for restoring the 
free telephone service program for detainees to more 
conveniently maintain contact with families and legal 
representatives. 
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SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COMMUNICATION.—The term ‘‘communica-
tion’’ means the exchange of information through a 
phone call, email, video, or any other form of elec-
tronic communication. 
(2) CUSTODY.—The term ‘‘custody’’ means, 
with respect to an alien, that the alien is not free 
to leave, regardless of whether the detaining agency 
is a Federal, State, or local official or any contrac-
tors or subcontractors of any Federal agency, includ-
ing the United States military, and includes legal or 
physical custody. 
SEC. 4. RESTORATION OF FREE TELEPHONE SERVICE PRO-
GRAM FOR DETAINEES AND OTHER COMMU-
NICATION REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the protocols estab-
lished pursuant to subsection (b) and the restrictions es-
tablished pursuant to subsection (c), any alien who is in 
the custody of the Department of Homeland Security shall 
be provided, at the expense of the Federal Government— 
(1) during the first 5 hours of such custody and 
during the 5-hour period beginning at the time such 
alien arrives at a new location, at least 1 commu-
nication of not less than 10 minutes with an imme-
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diate family member to notify such family member 
where the alien is being detained; 
(2) if the alien is unable to initiate a commu-
nication with any immediate family during any 5- 
hour period referred to in paragraph (1), continued 
attempts to establish communication with such fam-
ily member until the alien is successful; 
(3) at least 200 free minutes each month for 
outgoing communication to any person referred to in 
paragraphs (1) and (2); 
(4) during the first 5 hours of such custody and 
during the 5-hour period beginning at the time such 
alien arrives at a new location, an opportunity to es-
tablish private communication with the alien’s legal 
counsel or potential legal counsel or an official at the 
appropriate consulate; 
(5) an opportunity to establish private commu-
nication with any official investigating detention con-
ditions, including an official from the Office of the 
Immigration Detention Ombudsman, the Office of 
the Inspector General of the Department of Home-
land Security, or the Office for Civil Rights and 
Civil Liberties; and 
(6) unlimited free minutes for communication 
with— 
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(A) any person referred to in paragraphs 
(4) and (5); 
(B) the Executive Office for Immigration 
Review; 
(C) the Board of Immigration Appeals; 
(D) the local immigration court; 
(E) any Federal or State court where the 
detained individual is or may become involved 
in a legal proceeding; 
(F) the United Nations High Commis-
sioner for Refugees; 
(G) any Federal, State or local government 
office for the purpose of obtaining documents 
relevant to the alien’s immigration case; and 
(H) the U.S. Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement Office of Professional Responsi-
bility Joint Intake Center. 
(b) PROTOCOLS.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity shall establish protocols to ensure detained individuals 
are not prevented (either through dissuasion or retalia-
tion) from— 
(1) accessing to the means of communication 
described in subsection (a); or 
(2) making additional calls to other individuals 
at their own expense. 
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(c) TIME, PLACE, AND MANNER RESTRICTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 
and (3), each detention facility is authorized to es-
tablish consistent policies regulating the time, place, 
and manner of outgoing communication authorized 
under subsection (a). 
(2) LIMITATIONS.—Detention facilities may 
not— 
(A) restrict the number of minutes detain-
ees communicate with their legal representa-
tives; 
(B) limit the duration of such communica-
tions by rule or automatic cut-off; or 
(C) include incoming calls towards the 
total free minutes of communication required 
under subsection (a)(3). 
(3) APPLICATION.—The policies established 
pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be— 
(A) consistently applied; 
(B) given to each alien at the time of his 
or her arrival at a detention facility; and 
(C) available at each detention facility for 
examination by the public. 
(d) CONFIDENTIALITY.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
any communication made pursuant to paragraph 
(4), (5), or (6) of subsection (a)— 
(A) may not be monitored or recorded; and 
(B) shall take place in a space with audi-
tory privacy. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—The limitation under para-
graph (1) shall not apply to a circumstance in which 
a government official has a lawful warrant issued by 
a court of competent jurisdiction to authorize the 
monitoring or recording of communication described 
in such paragraph. 
SEC. 5. SAVINGS PROVISION. 
Nothing in this Act may be construed to limit or 
interfere with any settlement agreement in effect on the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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