S. 2594 — IEIS Act

This section defines key terms for purposes of the Act, including (1) "agency" as an executive agency under 5 U.S.C. §105 (i.e., an executive department, a government corporation, or an independent establishment); (2) "covered employee" as a covered immigration officer (as defined in section 236(g)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended by section 2) whose duties increase risk of threats, intimidation, harassment, stalking, or similar actions, as well as such officer's spouse, child, parent, or any other familial relative sharing the officer's permanent residence; and (3) "privacy-enhancing services" as any software, hardware, technical process, technique, or other technological means to mitigate privacy risks from data processing, including by eliminating, reducing, or suppressing personal information such as restricted personal information (as defined in 18 U.S.C. §119(b)(1)).

This section establishes identification requirements for covered immigration officers—defined to include U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, as well as federally authorized or deputized individuals performing immigration functions (e.g., under INA §287(g))—conducting public-facing immigration enforcement activities (i.e., patrols, stops, arrests, searches, status interviews, raids, checkpoints, or serving warrants). Such officers, and any federal or non-federal law enforcement providing direct support, must visibly display their last name and unique individual identifier, employing agency or organization name, and face. The requirement does not apply to undercover operations using assumed identities, planned tactical operations (e.g., high-risk situations, hostage incidents, terrorism response, narcotics raids, hazardous surveillance, sniper incidents, armed suicidal persons, barricaded suspects, high-risk felony warrants, fugitives refusing surrender, or active shooter incidents), or law enforcement functions requiring face coverings under 29 C.F.R. §1960.10(b).

This section authorizes federal agencies to use salaries and expenses appropriations for FY2026 and subsequent fiscal years to reimburse covered employees up to 100% of costs incurred for privacy-enhancing services, notwithstanding other laws. Reimbursements require employee submission of documentation as specified by the agency.

This section provides rules of construction clarifying that nothing in the Act prohibits, restrains, or limits (1) lawful press investigations or reporting of alleged unlawful activity or misconduct by a covered employee; (2) lawful disclosures of information relating to a covered employee or the covered employee's immediate family regarding matters of public concern; or (3) information voluntarily published on the internet by the covered employee or employer after the date of enactment.