No Private Bounty Hunters for Immigration Enforcement Act
HR 7161, the "No Private Bounty Hunters for Immigration Enforcement Act," prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using private contractors for immigration enforcement tasks like tracking individuals (skip tracing), surveillance, or location verification. It bans DHS from entering new contracts for these purposes after enactment, terminates existing contracts allowing them, and amends others to prohibit them. The bill also blocks federal funds from paying private entities per-person or via bonuses for locating individuals under immigration detainers, except for limited government-supervised data tools. DHS must audit all relevant contracts within 30 days of the bill's enactment to ensure compliance.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Jan 20, 2026
Last action Jan 20, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Jan 20, 2026
Committee
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in House
lower
1 primary · 4 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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