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Read. Follow. Verify.RECOUP Act of 2026: Federal Reimbursement for Local First Responders
Last action · April 10, 2026: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.Sponsors: Dave Min and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to pay back state and local first responder agencies for costs incurred when they assist federal immigration enforcement operations. It establishes a formal process for agencies to request reimbursement and mandates that federal funds be used to cover these expenses.
This bill would shift the financial burden of local police and emergency support for federal immigration operations from local taxpayers to the federal government, potentially impacting municipal budgets.
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.
State and local first responder agencies
These agencies are eligible to receive federal reimbursement for costs incurred during immigration enforcement assistance.
Department of Homeland Security
The agency is responsible for processing reimbursement requests and managing the associated funds.
Key Facts
- The Secretary of Homeland Security is mandated to reimburse state and local first responder agencies for costs incurred while assisting ICE or CBP with immigration enforcement.
- Reimbursement covers costs for responses to requests made by federal immigration authorities.
- If federal authorities collect responder information at the scene, they must initiate the reimbursement process within 30 days of the response.
- If federal authorities do not collect information, local agencies may submit a reimbursement request including date, location, duration, and pay rates of responders.
Show all 8 facts
- The Secretary must pay valid reimbursement requests within 30 days of receipt.
- Personally identifiable information of first responders collected under this act cannot be released except by court order.
- Funding for these reimbursements will be drawn from unobligated funds appropriated under Public Law 119-21.
- Funds for this program remain available until January 20, 2029.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my local police department get paid if they help federal immigration agents?
How do local agencies get the money?
Is my personal information as a first responder protected?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Texas landowners sue federal government over border wall plans
Six Texas landowners and a nonprofit filed a federal lawsuit on Monday against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to stop border wall construction in the Big Bend region. The lawsuit challenges federal waivers used to bypass environmental and public health laws, and alleges the project violates fifth amendment due process rights. The court has 60 days to respond to the filing.
Homan: "Things weren't perfect" in Minneapolis, but ICE not backing down
Border czar Tom Homan acknowledged operational flaws during the 'Operation Metro Surge' in Minneapolis but confirmed that the administration remains committed to mass deportations. Homan stated that ICE is shifting toward more targeted arrests while maintaining that any individual in the country illegally remains subject to removal.
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
4 actions- Apr 10, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.
- Apr 10, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability.
- Apr 9, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Apr 9, 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.
Federalization of Local Costs
The bill attempts to formalize a reimbursement pipeline for local agencies, potentially incentivizing or standardizing local participation in federal immigration enforcement.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.congress.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment20Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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