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United States · Bill · S

S. 342 (118th)

Access to Counsel Act of 2023

referredUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

9 February 2023

Last action

9 February 2023 · Introduced

Status

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S317)

Sponsors

Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA], Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT], Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ], Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD], Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE], Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV], Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL], Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL], Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY], Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO], Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI], Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM], Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA], Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA], Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT], Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD], Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA], Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT], Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA], Sen. Butler, Laphonza R. [D-CA]

Subjects

Asylum, Immigration

Source updated

10 August 2026

Asylum · Immigration

Official sourceDownload fileView documentsShare

Summary

Access to Counsel Act of 2023 This bill provides various protections for covered individuals subject to secondary or deferred inspections when seeking admission into the United States. Covered individuals include U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) in possession of a visa, returning asylees, and refugees. The Department of Homeland Security must ensure that a covered individual subject to secondary or deferred inspection has a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and certain related parties, such as a relative, within an hour of the start of the secondary inspection and as necessary during the inspection process. The counsel and related party must be allowed to advocate on behalf of the covered individual, including by providing evidence and information to the examining immigration officer. A lawful permanent resident subject to secondary or deferred inspection may not abandon lawful permanent resident status until the individual has had a meaningful opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless the individual voluntarily and knowingly waives in writing this opportunity to seek counsel's advice.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 9 February 2023

    Introduced

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S317)

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 9 February 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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Leesvertaling

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  • Introduced in Senate (text)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 9 February 2023

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

  • Introduced in Senate (PDF)

    Introduced in Senate · EN · 9 February 2023

    ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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  • Introduced in Senate

    summary · EN · 9 February 2023

    Open at official source

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Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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