United States · Bill · S
S. 1187 (118th)
Fairness to Freedom Act of 2023
Introduced
18 April 2023
Last action
18 April 2023 · Introduced
Status
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sponsors
Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY], Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA], Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT], Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA], Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR], Sen. Butler, Laphonza R. [D-CA]
Subjects
Immigration
Source updated
10 August 2026
Summary
Fairness to Freedom Act of 2023 This bill establishes a right to legal representation in certain immigration proceedings (e.g., removal and immigration bond hearings) at the government's expense for individuals who cannot afford representation. The bill also establishes various entities to facilitate such legal representation. Currently, individuals in these immigration proceedings may be represented by counsel but not at government expense. The bill addresses various issues related to such legal representation, including (1) the scope of the representation, (2) criteria for determining whether the individual is financially unable to afford representation, and (3) requirements relating to allowing the individual to meet with their lawyer and receiving relevant documents. Immigration proceedings may not commence until counsel has been appointed. The bill also establishes the Office of Immigration Representation to ensure that qualified individuals who cannot afford legal representation receive the representation as required by this bill. The office's duties shall include establishing (1) administrative regions throughout the United States, and (2) a local immigration representation board for each region. The local boards must, subject to the office's approval, develop and implement plans for providing legal representation under this bill. To provide such legal representation, the local boards may (1) establish one or more immigrant public defender organizations, (2) contract with existing community defender organizations, and (3) establish a panel attorney system. The bill establishes minimum funding requirements for the office.
This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.
Timeline
18 April 2023
Introduced
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Source: IntroReferral
18 April 2023
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
Source: IntroReferral
Votes
No vote records are attached yet.
Versions
- Introduced in Senate · 18 April 2023 · Download file
Documents
3 official files
Introduced in Senate (text)
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Introduced in Senate (text)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 18 April 2023
Introduced in Senate (PDF)
Introduced in Senate · EN · 18 April 2023
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Introduced in Senate
summary · EN · 18 April 2023
Leesvertaling
Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.
Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.
Sponsors
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] · D · Sponsor
- Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] · D · Sponsor
- Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] · D · Sponsor
- Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] · D · Sponsor
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] · I · Sponsor
- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] · D · Sponsor
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · D · Sponsor
- Sen. Butler, Laphonza R. [D-CA] · D · Cosponsor
- · ssju00 · Standing
Related records
- related to ← Fairness to Freedom Act of 2023
Sources
PoliticalRepo is an index and interpretation layer, not the authoritative legal source.
- Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/1187
- Open data entity: https://api.congress.gov/v3/bill/118/s/1187
- us · 118-s-1187 · source updated 10 August 2026