Bennet Introduces Legislation Targeting Critical Reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement

May 20, 2026 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C.- Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet today introduced three bills aimed at reforming the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP): the Keeping Immigrants and Destinations Safe (KIDS) Act; the Training, Responsibility, Uniforms, and Standards for Transparency (TRUST) Act; and the Oversight, Protection, and Enforcement Notification (OPEN) Act.

As Senate Republicans force a vote this week on a budget package that would pour billions more into DHS and ICE without meaningful accountability, Bennet is pushing reforms to protect children and families, increase transparency, and restore accountability. The legislation aims to prevent the detention of children and ICE activity in sensitive locations; align standards for federal immigration officers with those expected from local law enforcement; and ensure oversight and civil rights protections at detention centers.

"President Trump has unleashed his federal immigration forces on our communities with no accountability and no regard for the rule of law. This week, Senate Republicans prepare to force a vote to pump billions more into ICE. We must prioritize common sense reforms, setting clear standards and meaningful accountability," said Bennet. "These bills focus on areas where Coloradans saw gaps in oversight and opportunities to build more protections, especially for children and families caught up in enforcement actions. The proposals are an important start grounded in transparency, accountability, and basic law-enforcement standards. Far more change is needed for comprehensive reform. I'll keep fighting alongside Coloradans to make sure families and communities are treated with dignity and protected under the law."

The three bills were developed following a statewide listening tour led by Bennet's office. Eight meetings were held across the state with immigration advocates, service providers, and local leaders to hear how Colorado communities have experienced and responded to the increasingly cruel and punitive immigration policies under the Trump Administration. These conversations helped inform Bennet's legislation and elevate Colorado's priorities.

"Voces Unidas is committed to advancing immigrant rights, and we are proud to work with Senator Bennet in support of legislation that will benefit immigrant families in rural communities of Colorado," said Alex Sánchez, President and CEO of Voces Unidas de las Montañas and Voces Unidas Action Fund. "The Keeping Immigrants and Destinations Safe (KIDS) Act, the Oversight, Protection, and Enforcement Notification (OPEN) Act, and the Training, Responsibility, Uniforms, and Standards for Transparency (TRUST) Act represent a critical effort to protect immigrants in sensitive locations, strengthen oversight of detention facilities, and increase accountability and transparency of ICE agents. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Senator Bennet to see these important legislative initiatives passed."

"At Adelante Community Development, we work every day alongside immigrant entrepreneurs and families who are the backbone of our community. Fear should never be a barrier to education, healthcare, or opportunity. The KIDS Act, OPEN Act, and TRUST Act represent the kind of commonsense protections our community has been asking for - keeping children with their families, bringing accountability to detention, and ensuring enforcement is conducted with transparency and dignity," said María González, Founder & CEO, Adelante Community Development. "We are proud to stand with Senator Bennet in support of this legislation and grateful that the voices of our community were heard in its drafting."

"In rural communities like Southwest Colorado, we know how important it is for families to feel safe accessing schools, hospitals, places of worship, and other essential community spaces without fear," said Enrique Orozco-Perez, Executive Director, Compañeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center. "The KIDS, OPEN, and TRUST Acts reflect values that many of our communities share: transparency, accountability, public safety, and keeping families together. These proposals help create clearer standards and oversight while supporting the dignity and wellbeing of immigrant families who are deeply woven into the social, cultural, and economic fabric of our region. We appreciate the continued efforts to listen to impacted communities across Colorado and elevate policies that strengthen trust and community safety for everyone."

"Sunrise Community Health is grateful to Senator Bennet and his team for engaging with community organizations to better understand the challenges impacting immigrants and their families across the United States. Sunrise's mission is to provide affordable access to quality care for all; our vision is people can access the right care, at the right time, for the right cost," said Mitzi Moran, CEO, Sunrise Community Health Center. "We thank Senator Bennet for the opportunity to be part of ongoing conversations focused on practical, community-centered solutions that strengthen public health and support safe, healthy communities for everyone."

"Immigrant families in Colorado and across the country deserve to feel safe in their homes, their schools, their churches, and their doctors' offices. Senator Bennet's legislation sets a clear standard: enforcement must be transparent, accountable, and humane," said the members of the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC). "CIRC stands with the communities that shared their stories to make these bills possible, and we urge Congress to pass them without delay."

KIDS Act

The Trump Administration has gone against long-standing precedent to allow ICE Agents in sensitive locations like schools, churches, and hospitals. This Administration has also held children in detention far longer than established protocols. This legislation would prohibit DHS from detaining children and from performing immigration enforcement actions in and around sensitive locations without a court issued criminal warrant.

Specifically, the KIDS Act would:

• Prohibit DHS from detaining children, individuals with cognitive disabilities, or their primary caregivers.
• Ban immigration arrests at schools, hospitals, places of worship, courthouses, and other sensitive locations, unless officers have a court-issued criminal warrant.
• Clarify that these protections also apply when individuals are traveling to, attending, or returning from sensitive locations.

TRUST Act

DHS's immigration enforcement agents must be held to the same standards as local law enforcement. This legislation would reform hiring and screening standards and enforce uniform, identification, and professional conduct standards.

Specifically, the TRUST Act would:

• Require immigration enforcement officers to wear standardized DHS uniforms and clearly display badges and identification during enforcement operations.
• Prohibit officers from wearing masks during immigration enforcement operations.
• Establish stronger hiring standards, including comprehensive background investigations, screening for affiliations with terrorist, violent, or hate-based organizations, and psychological evaluations.
• Require officers to complete specialized training on wrongful detention prevention, de-escalation strategies, language access, medical and disability recognition, and civil rights protections.
• Mandate officers to use body-worn cameras during enforcement actions, establish consequences for failing to activate or tampering with recordings, and require public release of footage following serious incidents, subject to privacy protections.

OPEN Act

With increased unlawful enforcement, Coloradans have expressed concerns about transparency, the protection of civil rights, and accountability within the agency. This piece of legislation would seek to improve oversight of DHS and enforce detention standards.

Specifically, the OPEN Act would:

• Guarantee Members of Congress unrestricted access to all immigration detention facilities without prior approval.
• Ensure detained individuals are able to notify family members following their detention and access legal counsel.
• Require notification to family and legal representatives immediately when individuals are transferred to another detention facility or hospital.
• Require DHS to publicly report allegations and incidents of excessive force, wrongful detention, mistaken arrests, the detention of U.S. citizens, and sexual assault.
• Establish requirements for independent inspections by and transparency to appropriate federal and state officials before converting warehouses, jails, or other facilities into immigration detention centers.
• Require judicial warrants for immigration enforcement.

Bennet has consistently fought the Trump Administration's inhumane immigration policies. Bennet opposed Secretary Noem's nomination and consistently called on her to resign. Bennet issued a statement when Trump fired Secretary Noem, and emphasized that a regime change is only the first step towards DHS reforms.

Earlier this month, Bennet joined his colleagues in introducing the Providing Useful Budgets for Localities to Invest in Cops by Substituting Appropriations from Federal Enforcement To Yield Results (PUBLIC SAFETY) Act, legislation to redirect nearly $75 billion in funding passed in the Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) from ICE and send it instead to local law enforcement programs to help hire and train 200,000 local police officers in communities across the country.

In January 2026, Bennet announced he was working on legislation and his office was performing a statewide listening tour. In November 2025, Bennet joined his colleagues in introducing the bicameral Restoring Access to Detainees Act, legislation to ensure DHS allows noncitizens who have been detained to contact their legal counsel and families. In August 2025, he joined the Immigration Enforcement Identification Safety (IEIS) Act to prohibit immigration enforcement officials from wearing masks and to require them to wear visible identification. In February 2025, Bennet joined his Senate colleagues to introduce the Protecting Sensitive Locations Act, which would reinstate DHS's long-standing policies to prevent ICE from making arrests at sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

The text of the KIDS Act is available HERE. A one-pager can be found HERE.

The text of the TRUST ACT is available HERE. A one-pager can be found HERE.

The text of the OPEN Act is available HERE. A one-pager can be found HERE.

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