HR 8557 — Short-Term Holding Facility Standards Restoration Act.

Summary

Limits detention in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facilities to 12 hours absent exceptional circumstances such as medical emergencies, natural disasters, or transportation delays.
Requires ICE holding facilities to be safe, clean, equipped with restrooms and drinking water, and free of weapons.
Requires detainees to be provided a meal every 6 hours, with minors, pregnant women, and breastfeeding women receiving immediate access to meals and beverages.
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to document any detentions exceeding 12 hours and maintain records for 5 years for oversight and audit purposes.
Requires an annual report to Congress on detentions exceeding 12 hours and their justifications, and mandates periodic audits by the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General to ensure compliance.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Rep. Stanton, Greg (D-AZ) [#4]

3 cosponsors

Money behind the sponsor

Top reported contributors to Greg Stanton’s campaign committee (2024 cycle) — who funds the bill’s sponsor, not a claim about this bill. Data from FEC.

Employer not reported $35,651
EB-5 NEW YORK STATE LLC $13,200
SNELL & WILMER $8,700
CRESCENT CROWN DISTRIBUTING $8,100
ASU $7,845

Organizations whose employees gave the most — itemized individual contributions grouped by the donor’s reported employer (FEC Schedule A). Full finance for Greg Stanton → · Outside spending →

Actions (2)

Apr 28, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. · house
Apr 28, 2026 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Text versions (1)

Introduced in House · Apr 28, 2026

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 28, 2026

Mr. Stanton (for himself, Ms. Ansari, and Mrs. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

A BILL

To prohibit long-term custody in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facilities, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Short-Term Holding Facility Standards Restoration Act.”

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facilities are designed for short-term custody and processing.

(2) Prior U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy defined “short-term” as not exceeding 12 hours, absent exceptional circumstances.

(3) Prolonged detention in holding facilities undermines detainee welfare, facility design limits, and operational intent.

(4) Restoring the 12-hour standard ensures consistency with prior agency guidance.

SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON DURATION OF DETENTION.

(a) In General.—The Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that, absent exceptional circumstances described in subsection (b), a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility may only be used for short-term custody of a detainee.

(b) Exceptional Circumstances.—Exceptional circumstances are temporary and unforeseen circumstances requiring immediate action, including—

(1) medical emergencies;

(2) natural disasters or facility disruptions;

(3) transportation or transfer delays beyond the control of the Department of Homeland Security; or

(4) other exigent operational conditions as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

SEC. 4. HUMANE CONDITIONS.

The Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that—

(1) each U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility is safe, clean, equipped with restroom facilities, and clear of any object that could be used as a weapon; and

(2) each detainee in such facility—

(A) is provided a meal not less than every 6 hours;

(B) in the case of a minor, pregnant woman, or breastfeeding woman, is provided immediate access to meals, snacks, milk, and juice, without regard to the amount of time in custody; and

(C) is provided with access to drinking water in each room in which a detainee is held at all times.

SEC. 5. DOCUMENTATION AND COMPLIANCE.

(a) Documentation.—The Secretary of Homeland Security shall require contemporaneous documentation of any instance in which a detainee is held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility for custody other than short-term custody.

(b) Retention.—Records under this section shall be maintained for oversight, audit, and reporting purposes for a period of 5 years.

SEC. 6. OVERSIGHT AND REPORTING.

(a) Annual Report.—The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to Congress an annual report detailing—

(1) the number of detainees held in custody other than short-term custody in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility;

(2) the duration of such custody;

(3) the justification for each instance in which a detainee is held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facility for custody other than short-term custody; and

(4) corrective actions taken to ensure compliance.

(b) Inspector General Review.—The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security shall perform periodic audits of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding facilities and Department of Homeland Security records to ensure compliance with this Act.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

For the purposes of this Act—

(1) the term “holding facility” means any facility or holding room for temporary custody, processing, or transfer, and not designed for long-term detention; and

(2) the term “short-term custody” means detention in a holding facility for a period not to exceed 12 hours, absent exceptional circumstances. <all>

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