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United States · Bill · S

S. 1187 (118th)

Fairness to Freedom Act of 2023

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

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

Immigration

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

  1. 18 April 2023

    Introduced

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 18 April 2023

    Introduced

    Introduced in Senate

    Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Documents

3 official files

Introduced in Senate (text)

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  • Introduced in Senate (text)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 18 April 2023

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Introduced in Senate (PDF)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 18 April 2023

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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  • Introduced in Senate

    summary · EN · 18 April 2023

    Open at official source

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Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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