HB 9124, titled the “Know Your Rights Act,” would require the Attorney General to establish and maintain an Office of Legal Access Programs within the Executive Office for Immigration Review. That office would develop and administer legal orientation programs for noncitizens in immigration custody or recently released from custody, with the goal of helping them understand immigration procedures, their legal rights, and available forms of relief. The bill also directs the Attorney General to submit a plan to Congress within 180 days and to deploy legal orientation programs for all detained persons within one year of enactment.
The bill requires these programs and written notices of rights to be available in English and the five most common native languages spoken by detained persons at each facility during the prior fiscal year. It also directs the programs to identify especially vulnerable noncitizens, including unaccompanied children and people with serious mental disabilities, for consideration under existing immigration law. In addition, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, would have to ensure that orientation is provided within five days of custody and includes basic hearing procedures, rights information, and contact information for legal resources. The bill states that it does not create an enforceable right or benefit and authorizes appropriations as necessary to carry out the section.
If enacted, the bill would add a new federal immigration legal-orientation infrastructure and impose new administrative duties on the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. It would affect detained noncitizens, asylum seekers, immigration courts, detention facilities, and legal service providers by requiring multilingual rights information and earlier access to orientation about immigration proceedings. The bill would not itself change substantive immigration eligibility rules, but it would alter detention and removal-processing practices and likely increase federal spending and coordination requirements across agencies.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes, the measure appears to be framed positively as an access-to-justice and efficiency proposal. Its stated purpose is to improve understanding of rights, reduce frivolous claims, and make immigration proceedings more efficient and cost-effective. The available context shows only referral to the House Judiciary Committee, with no recorded vote or transcript indicating formal opposition or support beyond the sponsors’ intent.
The main points of potential contention are likely to be the scope of federal obligations, the cost of implementing multilingual legal orientation programs nationwide, and the policy implications of providing government-funded legal information to detained noncitizens. Supporters would likely emphasize due process, access to counsel, and protections for vulnerable populations such as children and people with serious mental disabilities. Critics may focus on whether the bill could encourage additional claims or expand immigration-related services beyond what is necessary, although the bill expressly says it creates no enforceable right and is intended to improve efficiency.