Respect for Local Communities Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7652 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7652 To prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from constructing, acquiring, renovating, or operating any new processing site or detention center without providing a mechanism for public comments regarding such activity, entering into a signed, written agreement with appropriate State and local officials, and providing Congress with advance notice of such activity. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 23, 2026 Mr. Pappas (for himself and Ms. Goodlander) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from constructing, acquiring, renovating, or operating any new processing site or detention center without providing a mechanism for public comments regarding such activity, entering into a signed, written agreement with appropriate State and local officials, and providing Congress with advance notice of such activity. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Respect for Local Communities Act''. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) Appropriate local government officials.--The term ``appropriate local government officials'' means-- (A) the mayor, county executive, or equivalent elected official of the town, city, county or other local jurisdiction in which a new processing facility or detention center will be located; and (B) a majority of the town council, city council, county council, county commission, or equivalent legislative authority in which a new processing facility or detention center will be located. (2) New processing site or detention cent