Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Recovering Expended Costs from Operationally Unwarranted Policing Act of 2026” or “RECOUP Act of 2026”.
Recovering Expended Costs from Operationally Unwarranted Policing Act of 2026
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to reimburse each State and local first responder agency for the cost of responding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Reimbursement for first responder response to immigration enforcement activities
In general— The Secretary of Homeland Security shall reimburse each State and local first responder agency that responds to a request for assistance related to enforcing the immigration laws (as such term is defined in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101)) made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the cost of such response.
Process—
Collection of information— To the extent practicable, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the officer of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection who made the request described in subsection (a), shall collect from each State and local first responder that responds, the first responder’s name, badge number, agency name, and agency contact information.
No request from State or local law enforcement required— If the Secretary collects the information described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—
not later than 30 days after a response described in subsection (a), request from the head of the agency that so responded the information described in paragraph (3)(A)(iii); and
not later than 30 days after receiving the information requested under subparagraph (A), reimburse the appropriate agency.
Request from State or local law enforcement required—
In general— If the Secretary does not collect the information described in paragraph (1), the head of the agency that responded to the request described in subsection (a) made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection may submit a request to the Secretary for reimbursement, which request shall include—
the date on which such response was provided;
the location at which such response was provided; and
a detailed estimate of the amount to be reimbursed, including for the first responders who responded, the duration of such response, and their rates of pay.
Payment— Not later than 30 days after receiving a request under subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall reimburse the agency unless the Secretary finds that no response was provided by such agency.
Limitation on release of information— The Secretary of Homeland Security may not release the personally identifiable information of any first responder collected under this section, except in accordance with a court order.
Authorization of appropriations— The Secretary of Homeland Security shall carry out this Act using unobligated amounts appropriated to the Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as applicable, under Public Law 119–21 (commonly referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”) to remain available until January 20, 2029.