US SB4142

Authorizes $100,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2026-2027 for the Attorney General to award competitive grants through the Office for Access to Justice to expand legal representation for individuals facing deportation proceedings

Eligible grant recipients include state and local governments that fund immigration legal services, community-based and nonprofit organizations providing legal services to those facing removal, and educational institutions that train immigration legal professionals

Grant funds may be used for workforce recruitment and training programs, technical assistance and skills training, language training for legal staff, leadership development, staff retention strategies, and building legal services infrastructure in underserved areas

Grants have 4-year terms (renewable) and require annual reporting on services provided, individuals recruited/retained, expenditures, outcomes, and continuing unmet representation needs within 90 days of each fiscal year end

Program must be implemented independently to increase access to representation without regard to federal immigration enforcement priorities, and preserves existing rights for respondents to obtain counsel at no government expense