{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3001", "Congresswoman Escobar, House Democrats Introduce Legislation to End Inhumane Immigration Detention Conditions", "2025-12-09", "2025", "2025-12", "Democrat", "House", "TX", "Veronica Escobar", "E000299", "escobar.house.gov", "escobar", "https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Last week, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) joined 122 of her House Democratic colleagues led by Representative Pramilia Jayapal (WA-7) in introducing the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, legislation to enact guardrails and oversight on immigration detention, and to ensure civil and human rights are protected.\n\n\u201cI have seen firsthand the consequences of incompetence, cruelty and inhumane treatment that flourishes when private prison corporations are allowed to profit off suffering, including at Camp East Montana,\u201d said Congresswoman Escobar. \u201cThe Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act is an urgent and necessary step toward ending such abuse that\u2019s central to the Trump administration. I\u2019m grateful to Representatives Jayapal and Smith for introducing this bill which establishes crucial oversight and basic human-rights protections that this administration has systematically dismantled.\u201d\n\nSince President Trump returned to office, the use of immigration detention has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, with over 66,000 people detained. During that period of time, 23 people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Nearly 73 percent of those detained have no criminal convictions, and many of those with convictions have only minor offenses, including traffic violations.\n\nDetained people in these facilities are being held in inhumane living conditions, with reports of overcrowding forcing 35 men to share one toilet and sleep head to toe on concrete floors, of people being served only a cup of rice a day or rotting food, and of people having their medications withheld or being denied necessary medical care. Further, the Trump Administration has restarted the practice of detaining families and children, which has long been criticized as unsafe and inflicting irreversible harm on children.\n\nThe Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act would:\n\nRepeal mandatory detention;\n\nProhibit the detention of families and children in family detention;\n\nCreate a presumption of release and impose a higher burden of proof to detain primary caregivers and vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, survivors of torture or gender-based violence, people with serious mental or physical illness or disability, LGBTQ individuals, asylum seekers, and people over the age of 60;\n\nPhase out the use of private detention facilities and jails over a three-year period;\n\nRequire DHS to establish civil detention standards that provide, at minimum, the level of protection in the American Bar Association\u2019s Civil Immigration Detention Standards;\n\nMandate the DHS Inspector General to conduct unannounced inspections with meaningful penalties for failure to comply with standards; and\n\nRequire DHS to admit Members of Congress to detention facilities for unannounced inspections.\n\n# # #\n\nRelated News\n\nCongresswoman Escobar Celebrates FY26 Community Projects\n\nMarch 12, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nCongresswoman Escobar Introduces Legislation to Create Transparency for CBP\u2019s Trusted Traveler Program\n\nMarch 6, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nCongresswoman Escobar Statement on Iran War Powers Resolution\n\nMarch 5, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases\n\nCongresswoman Escobar Statement on DHS Funding Bill\n\nMarch 5, 2026 | Posted in Press Releases", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:09:11Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://escobar.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3001"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9036308620125055, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}