Keep Families Together Act
Latest action · Jun 7, 2018 Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 7, 2018
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Keep Families Together Act
This bill prohibits an agent or contractor of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or the Department of Health and Human Services from removing a child who is under the age of 18 and has no permanent immigration status from his or her parent or legal guardian at or near the port of entry or within 100 miles of the U.S. border unless:
- an authorized state court determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed;
- a state or county child welfare official with expertise in child trauma and development determines that it is in the child's best interests to be removed because of abuse or neglect; or
- the Chief Patrol Agent or the Area Port Director authorizes separation based on a documented finding that the child is a trafficking victim or is at significant risk of becoming a victim, a strong likelihood exists that the adult is not the parent or legal guardian, or the child is in danger of abuse or neglect.
An agency may not remove a child from a parent or legal guardian solely for the policy goals of deterring migration to the United States or of promoting immigration law compliance.
The bill sets forth presumptions: (1) in favor of family and sibling unity and parental rights, and (2) that detention is not in the best interests of families and children.
The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of the prosecution of asylum seekers.
Cosponsors 48
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 7, 2018 to Jun 18, 2018; 31 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-FL | Bill Nelson | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NY | Charles E. Schumer | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-CT | Christopher Murphy | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-RI | Jack Reed | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-CA | Kamala D. Harris | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-VA | Mark R. Warner | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NM | Martin Heinrich | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-VT | Patrick J. Leahy | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-DE | Thomas R. Carper | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-NM | Tom Udall | Original | Jun 7, 2018 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Jun 11, 2018 | |
| D-WA | Maria Cantwell | Jun 11, 2018 | |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Jun 11, 2018 | |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | Jun 13, 2018 | |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Jun 13, 2018 | |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | Jun 13, 2018 | |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Jun 14, 2018 | |
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Jun 14, 2018 | |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-MO | Claire McCaskill | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-AL | Doug Jones | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-ND | Heidi Heitkamp | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-IN | Joe Donnelly | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-WV | Joe Manchin III | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-MT | Jon Tester | Jun 18, 2018 | |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Jun 18, 2018 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred Jun 7, 2018 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 7, 2018Introduced in Senate
- Jun 7, 2018Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In the Congressional Record 7
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4464 | John Cornyn R-TX | Jun 27, 2018 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4356 | John Cornyn R-TX | Jun 25, 2018 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4320 | John Cornyn R-TX | Jun 21, 2018 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4267, S4269, S4294 | Amy Klobuchar D-MN, John Cornyn R-TX, Richard Blumenthal D-CT | Jun 20, 2018 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4026, S4028 | Benjamin L. Cardin D-MD, Cory A. Booker D-NJ | Jun 19, 2018 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSB10180 | Family Separation at the Border and the Ms. L. Litigation Archived | Insight | Jul 31, 2018 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 292 | Keep Families Together Act | Reintroduced Bill | Jan 31, 2019 |
| S 3263 | Humane Treatment of Migrant Children Act | Related bill | Jul 25, 2018 |
| HR 6135 | Keep Families Together Act | Related bill | Jul 30, 2018 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to limit the separation of families at or near ports of entry.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Keep Families Together Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Child care and development
- Child health
- Child safety and welfare
- Congressional oversight
- Crime victims
- Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
- Criminal justice information and records
- Department of Homeland Security
- Detention of persons
- Domestic violence and child abuse
- Family relationships
- Foreign language and bilingual programs
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Human trafficking
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Law enforcement officers
- Public contracts and procurement
- Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
- Separation, divorce, custody, support
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 7, 2018Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
