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Read. Follow. Verify.Short-Term Holding Facility Standards Restoration Act (H.R. 8557)
Last action · April 28, 2026: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.Sponsors: Greg Stanton and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill mandates that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding facilities limit detainee custody to a maximum of 12 hours, except in specific emergency situations. It also establishes new requirements for facility conditions, meal access, and mandatory reporting to Congress.
The bill would legally restrict the duration of time individuals can be held in temporary ICE facilities to 12 hours and mandate specific standards for food, water, and safety, impacting how the Department of Homeland Security manages detainees.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
ICE detainees
Detainees are subject to new mandatory standards for meal frequency, water access, and maximum detention duration.
Department of Homeland Security
The agency is required to implement new facility standards, maintain documentation for 5 years, and submit annual reports to Congress.
Key Facts
- Establishes a 12-hour maximum limit for custody in ICE holding facilities, barring exceptional circumstances.
- Defines exceptional circumstances as medical emergencies, natural disasters, facility disruptions, or transportation delays.
- Requires detainees to be provided a meal at least every 6 hours.
- Mandates immediate access to meals, snacks, milk, and juice for minors, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women regardless of time in custody.
Show all 10 facts
- Requires constant access to drinking water in every room where a detainee is held.
- Requires facilities to be safe, clean, and free of potential weapons.
- Mandates that the Secretary of Homeland Security document any instance where custody exceeds 12 hours.
- Requires records of extended custody to be retained for 5 years for audit purposes.
- Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit an annual report to Congress on all instances of custody exceeding 12 hours.
- Directs the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General to perform periodic audits of facility compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if there is an emergency that prevents a detainee from being moved within 12 hours?
How will the government ensure these rules are followed?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Mamdani doubles down on abolishing ICE after agitators protest agents getting treatment for illegal immigrant
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reiterated his call to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a chaotic protest outside a Brooklyn hospital. The protest occurred during the arrest of a Nigerian national, Chidozie Wilson Okeke, who was receiving medical treatment after an encounter with federal agents.
Socialist Mayor Mamdani bashes ICE after chaotic protest leads to arrests: ‘Cruel and inhumane’
Following the arrest of an individual by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Brooklyn, several New York City officials publicly criticized the agency's tactics. The incident, which involved a protest and subsequent arrests of demonstrators, has sparked a debate over federal immigration enforcement in local neighborhoods.
Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Apr 28, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Apr 28, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced in House
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Restoration of Prior Policy
The bill explicitly frames its 12-hour limit as a restoration of a previous, unspecified ICE policy.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy60Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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