Disaster survivors can seek aid without fear of deportation
H.R. 10893 — Emergency Assistance Privacy Protection Act of 2026 · Filed by Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Oct 22, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from using personal information that FEMA collects when providing disaster relief—such as names, addresses, Social Security numbers, or medical records—to enforce immigration laws. It protects disaster survivors from having their emergency assistance applications used against them in immigration enforcement actions.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is a firewall: it prevents one federal agency (DHS/ICE) from accessing personal data collected by another (FEMA) for a different purpose (disaster relief). This is a narrow, focused privacy protection with no market or industry carve-out.
What the text implies
- Creates a potential tension between FEMA's disaster-relief mission and DHS enforcement priorities; agencies may need to develop data-handling protocols to ensure compliance.
- May incentivize undocumented immigrants and mixed-status families to seek disaster assistance they previously avoided, increasing FEMA caseload and costs during emergencies.
- Does not prevent state or local law enforcement from accessing FEMA data; the prohibition applies only to federal immigration enforcement by DHS.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Disaster survivors—including undocumented immigrants and mixed-status families—can now seek emergency assistance without fear that their personal information will be used to deport them or their relatives. This removes a chilling effect on aid-seeking during crises and protects vulnerable populations from a conflict of interest between survival and legal status.
Named in the bill
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, Immigration and Nationality Act
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.
- Oct 22, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Oct 22, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,346 characters) on Oct 23, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,417 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-24.
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