Immigration bill expands remote hearing rights for deportation cases
H.R. 6349 — Migrant Due Process Protection Act · Filed by Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) · 16 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 2, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends immigration law to give detained aliens the right to request that their removal proceedings be conducted by video conference or telephone instead of in person. Immigration judges must grant such requests and ensure the alien is not prejudiced by the remote format. The bill does not apply to aliens in federal custody.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to expand procedural rights in immigration removal hearings by mandating remote-hearing options. It is a straightforward due-process amendment with no hidden riders or narrow beneficiaries.
What the text implies
- Remote proceedings may reduce in-person intimidation or surveillance concerns for vulnerable aliens, though the bill does not explicitly address this.
- The carve-out for aliens 'in custody of the Secretary' may create a two-tier system where detained immigrants have fewer procedural options than those not in federal custody.
- Implementation depends on immigration courts' technical capacity and judges' interpretation of 'no prejudice' — outcomes may vary by jurisdiction.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill expands procedural rights for immigrants in removal proceedings by allowing remote hearings, which can reduce barriers to legal representation, lower costs, and improve access to justice. The mandate that judges ensure no prejudice protects against quality-of-process degradation.
Named in the bill
Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 240(b)(2), Immigration judges, Secretary (Department of Homeland Security), Aliens/immigrants in removal proceedings
Where it stands
16 cosponsors: 16 Democrats.
- Dec 2, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Dec 2, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
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 (597 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 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 2026-10-20.
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