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CIVIC HERALD
HR 8494 · 119th Congress · HouseIn committee

To prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from entering into, modifying, extending, or renewing, any contract or intergovernmental service agreement to establish or operate any new immigration detention model, including the use of warehouses, modular facilities, soft-sided structures, tent systems, and processing centers.

In plain language: This legislation prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from setting up new types of immigration detention facilities or converting warehouses, industrial buildings, and tents to hold immigrants. It blocks federal funding from being spent or transferred to build, renovate, or operate these alternative detention centers, whether run directly by the government or by private contractors. Additionally, any federal money already dedicated to these new detention projects would be redirected to affordable housing and healthcare programs.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, issue tags, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affectedNot determinable from the text provided; demographic references in the findings describe historical internments and detention mortality statistics rather than the number of individuals affected by the prospective prohibition.
Fiscal magnitudeno CBO estimate published
Reach62provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Enforcement & security+55

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • Affordable health care and housing programsReceive transferred federal funds that were previously obligated for new immigration detention models, warehouses, tents, or modular facilities (Sec. 1(c)(3)).provisional

Who it burdens

  • Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementProhibits the Department of Homeland Security and ICE from establishing new detention models, expanding or renovating warehouses, tents, or modular facilities for civil immigration holding, and reprogramming funds for detention construction or operation (Sec. 1(b), Sec. 1(c)).provisional
  • Government and nongovernmental detention contractorsBarred from receiving or using federal funds to build, renovate, expand, or operate new immigration detention models, warehouses, tents, modular units, or similar facilities (Sec. 1(c)(1)).provisional

Who backs it

  • Previously obligated immigration detention appropriationsFederal funds previously appropriated and obligated for new immigration detention models, warehouses, tents, or modular units are redirected to finance health care and housing services (Sec. 1(c)(3)).provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from creating or putting into effect any new immigration detention framework.

    Sec. 1(b)(1)provisional
  2. Prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from setting up, running, expanding, converting, or renovating warehouses, industrial buildings, tents, modular units, or similar structures to hold, process, or detain people under civil immigration laws.

    Sec. 1(b)(2)provisional
  3. Bans the use of any past or current federal funding by the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, or their contractors to build, renovate, expand, or operate new immigration detention models, warehouses, tents, or modular facilities.

    Sec. 1(c)(1)provisional
  4. Prohibits transferring or reprogramming previously appropriated federal funds to build or operate any immigration detention, processing, holding, or non-traditional facilities.

    Sec. 1(c)(2)provisional
  5. Redirects federal funds previously obligated for new immigration detention models, warehouses, tents, or modular units to support affordable health care and housing services instead.

    Sec. 1(c)(3)provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Apr 24, 2026Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability.
  2. Apr 23, 2026Introduced in House
  3. Apr 23, 2026Introduced in House

The original text

Read it for yourself.

Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 17 days ago

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