Espaillat, Watson Coleman, Booker Introduce the Governor’s Right to Inspect Act of 2026

WASHINGTON, DC - Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), and U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) have introduced the Governor's Right to Inspect Act during the 119th Congress. The bicameral bill aims to provide governors the right to conduct oversight visits to immigration detention centers to oversee health and safety conditions and ensure basic human rights.

The legislation comes at a moment of escalating alarm about conditions inside immigration detention facilities and the steady dismantling of federal oversight mechanisms meant to safeguard detainees' health, safety, and civil rights. For years, investigations have uncovered patterns of substandard-and at times outright inhumane-treatment, including medical neglect, preventable deaths, and chronically unsafe living conditions. Several governors, including New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, have attempted to conduct inspections to protect the people held within their states, only to be blocked by federal authorities, leaving them unable to verify whether state laws are being upheld.

"Nearly 50 individuals have died while in ICE custody since the start of 2025, the highest death toll over the last 20 years, raising urgent concerns about the conditions of medical care and failures at these facilities," said Rep. Espaillat. "I am introducing the Governor's Right to Inspect Act of 2026 to protect the constitutional and civic interest of governors in upholding the welfare of individuals residing at facilities within their states. Given the excruciating circumstances we have witnessed nationwide, and the deteriorating conditions reported at the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey, we must do all we can to guarantee basic humanity, health, and safety oversight."

"Delaney Hall first made national news last year when the Mayor of Newark, Ray Baraka, was arrested for insisting that health inspectors be granted access to do their jobs. Nearly a year later, Governor Sherrill was first prevented from entering Delaney Hall to conduct a similar inspection and then "allowed" to enter on limited terms, without full access. These federal facilities have been credibly accused of serious violations of the basic standards of health and safety. Federal law gives Members of Congress the right to access these facilities and extending that right to governors will ensure greater accountability for despicable outcomes," said Rep. Watson Coleman.

"No detention facility in New Jersey or anywhere in this nation should be allowed to operate without robust oversight. I have seen firsthand the inhumane conditions at Delaney Hall and detention centers around this country that should alarm every American. Governors and state officials have a duty to protect the health and safety of people within their borders, and taxpayers deserve to know what is happening inside these facilities," said Senator Booker. "As this Administration continues to detain more people who pose no threat to public safety, transparency and accountability are not optional - they are essential. This legislation ensures that state officials can finally hold the operators of these facilities to account."

The Governor's Right to Inspect Act would ensure that governors are not denied entry into immigration detention facilities, authorizing on-the-ground health and safety inspections. This bill is a critical step to supplementing existing federal inspection programs and ensuring that governors have oversight within their states.

Read the full legislation here.