PAPERS Act of 2026

This bill would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to return identification documents, such as passports, green cards, work permits, birth certificates, driver's licenses, and Social Security cards, to people when they are released from immigration custody. The Department could keep a document only if it is found to be fraudulent, is contraband or evidence in a pending criminal case, or the person is no longer legally allowed to have it. If a document is kept, the person must receive a written explanation and a certified copy, unless the law prohibits it. Operational convenience or a planned future immigration enforcement action could not be used as a reason to keep a document.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Chellie Pingree Democrat sponsor
• 0 cosponsors