This bill aims to significantly restrict the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) reliance on private contractors for certain civil immigration enforcement activities. It explicitly prohibits DHS from entering into new contracts for, or continuing existing contracts involving, skip tracing, surveillance, or location verification for civil immigration enforcement purposes. The legislation further stipulates that no federal funds may be used to pay private entities on a per-person or bonus basis for locating individuals subject to civil immigration detainers. An exception is made for publicly available data analytics tools used for administrative data management under direct government supervision, provided they do not involve field surveillance or personal contact. To ensure compliance, the bill mandates that the Inspector General of DHS conduct an audit of all departmental contracts within 30 days of the act's enactment.
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Timeline
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Immigration
No Private Bounty Hunters for Immigration Enforcement Act
USA119th CongressHR-7161| House
| Updated: 1/20/2026
This bill aims to significantly restrict the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) reliance on private contractors for certain civil immigration enforcement activities. It explicitly prohibits DHS from entering into new contracts for, or continuing existing contracts involving, skip tracing, surveillance, or location verification for civil immigration enforcement purposes. The legislation further stipulates that no federal funds may be used to pay private entities on a per-person or bonus basis for locating individuals subject to civil immigration detainers. An exception is made for publicly available data analytics tools used for administrative data management under direct government supervision, provided they do not involve field surveillance or personal contact. To ensure compliance, the bill mandates that the Inspector General of DHS conduct an audit of all departmental contracts within 30 days of the act's enactment.