Ensuring United Families at the Border Act

House Bill

H.R. 61

119th Congress

Ensuring United Families at the Border Act

In Committee

Introduced:Jan 3, 2025

Primary Sponsor

Mark E. Amodei

Representative

Republican

NV-2

Cosponsors

3

Quick Stats

Policy Area

Immigration

Summary

This bill allows immigrant families crossing the border together to remain in detention together rather than being separated. It supersedes the Flores settlement agreement provisions requiring release of children after a set time. Adults with only misdemeanor entry charges must be detained with their children rather than separated.

Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

SponsorMark E. Amodei (R-NV)

Introduced1/3/2025

StatusReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

ChamberHouse

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Vote Prediction

Ensuring United Families at the Border Act

This bill allows immigrant families crossing the border together to remain in detention together rather than being separated. It supersedes the Flores settlement agreement provisions requiring release of children after a set time. Adults with only misdemeanor

Community Breakdown

Pass

0%

Fail

0%

0 predictions

This bill allows immigrant families crossing the border together to remain in detention together rather than being separated. It supersedes the Flores settlement agreement provisions requiring release of children after a set time. Adults with only misdemeanor entry charges must be detained with their children rather than separated.

Bill Number: 61
Sponsor: Mark E. Amodei (R-NV)
Introduced: 1/3/2025
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Policy Area: Immigration

Data from Congress.gov

AI-generated summary

Fact Sheet

Title: Ensuring United Families at the Border Act
Bill Number: 61
Sponsor: Mark E. Amodei (R-NV)
Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced: 1/3/2025
Summary: This bill allows immigrant families crossing the border together to remain in detention together rather than being separated. It supersedes the Flores settlement agreement provisions requiring release of children after a set time. Adults with only misdemeanor entry charges must be detained with thei

Data from Congress.gov

AI Summary

Plain-English explanation of this bill

This bill allows immigrant families crossing the border together to remain in detention together rather than being separated. It supersedes the Flores settlement agreement provisions requiring release of children after a set time. Adults with only misdemeanor entry charges must be detained with their children rather than separated.

Last updated: 1/5/2026

Official Summary

Congressional Research Service summary

Ensuring United Families at the Border ActThis bill addresses the treatment of children who are non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law), including by statutorily establishing that there is no presumption that such a child (other than an unaccompanied child) should not be detained for immigration purposes.Specifically, the bill states that the detention of such minors shall be governed by specified sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act and not any other provision of law, judicial ruling, or settlement agreement.(A 1997 settlement agreement, commonly known as the Flores agreement, imposes requirements relating to the treatment of detained alien minors, including requiring such minors to be released or placed in a nonsecure facility after a certain amount of time in detention.)If an adult enters the United States unlawfully with their child, the Department of Homeland Security must detain the adult and child together if the only criminal charge against the adult is a misdemeanor for unlawful entry.This bill also prohibits states from imposing licensing requirements on immigration detention facilities used to detain minors or families with minors.

Key Points

Main provisions of the bill

Keeps immigrant families together in detention
Supersedes Flores agreement child release requirements
Requires family detention for misdemeanor border crossers
Prohibits state licensing requirements on family detention facilities
Establishes no presumption against detaining children with parents

How This Impacts Americans

Potential effects on citizens and communities

Immigrant families would be detained together rather than separated, but could face longer detention periods. This overrides court settlements that limited child detention time. Critics argue it could lead to indefinite family detention while supporters say it prevents family separation.

Policy Areas

Primary Policy Area

Immigration

Related Subjects

Border security and unlawful immigration

Child safety and welfare

Detention of persons

Family relationships

Immigrant health and welfare

Immigration status and procedures

Licensing and registrations

State and local government operations

Scope & Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction Level

federal

Congressional Session

119th Congress

Citation Reference

61, 119th Congress (2025). "Ensuring United Families at the Border Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-61

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