Contact Congress about H.R. 61: Ensuring United Families at the Border Act

Migrant parents and children who cross the border together could be kept together in federal immigration detention. The bill also blocks state and local licensing rules for detention centers that hold children or family groups.

Modern Action explains legislation in plain English, helps you choose whether to support, oppose, or ask for changes, and drafts a message tied to the bill, your stance, and the elected officials who can act on it.

Ensuring United Families at the Border Act is a House bill in committee. The latest recorded action: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Latest action on H.R. 61: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Who this affects: This bill mainly affects migrant parents and children who cross the border together and are placed in immigration proceedings. It also affects the Department of Homeland Security, which would have clearer federal rules for holding some families together. States and local governments would lose power to require licenses for detention centers that hold children or family groups.

Why this matters: This bill matters because it could make it easier for the federal government to hold migrant children and parents together in detention. Today, family detention rules are shaped by federal law, court orders, and state licensing systems. The bill would move more of that system under federal detention rules. Its real effects on facility conditions, family unity, and case timing would depend on how the Department of Homeland Security uses the law.

Key provisions in H.R. 61

• Children who arrive with a parent or legal guardian would be held under existing federal immigration detention laws. This applies when the child is not treated as an "unaccompanied" child, meaning a child who arrived without a parent or legal guardian.
• The bill says there is no legal starting point against detaining children who arrive with a parent or legal guardian.
• The Department of Homeland Security must keep custody of a parent who entered with a child under 18 and is charged only with misdemeanor improper entry. The parent must be detained with the child.
• The bill says these changes are meant to meet the Flores Settlement Agreement. That court agreement sets rules for how migrant children may be held.
• The new detention rules would start the day the bill becomes law. They would also apply to actions that happened before that day, on that day, or after that day.

How Modern Action helps you take action on H.R. 61

You do not have to start with a blank letter. Modern Action turns the bill, your position, and the relevant congressional context into a message you can edit and send. The goal is to make contacting Congress clear, specific, and useful without forcing you to parse bill text or figure out the right office on your own.

Questions people ask about H.R. 61

What is H.R. 61?

Migrant parents and children who cross the border together could be kept together in federal immigration detention. The bill also blocks state and local licensing rules for detention centers that hold children or family groups.

How do I support or oppose H.R. 61?

Choose support, oppose, or ask for changes on Modern Action. The action flow drafts the message for you and keeps the wording tied to this bill.

Who should I contact about H.R. 61?

Modern Action uses your location to route the action to the congressional offices relevant to the bill and your representation.

How does Modern Action help me act on H.R. 61?

Modern Action gives you bill-specific context, lets you choose support, opposition, or changes, and drafts a message from your position and reasons.