Rep. Torres and Sen. Alsobrooks Introduce Bill to Stop Banks from Becoming Surveillance Tools for ICE

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Senator Angela Alsobrooks (MD) introduced the Financial Access Protection Act, which would prohibit banks from collecting, maintaining, and disclosing information tied to customers’ citizenship and immigration status.

In February, at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing, Senator Alsobrooks asked a group of financial regulators to raise their hands if they believed they were responsible for enforcing immigration laws – no one raised their hand.  

In April, the Trump Administration announced that it expects banks to comply with a mandate to collect citizenship data. 

“Scott Bessent wants your bank account to be a surveillance tool for ICE,” said Rep. Torres. “Financial institutions should be in the business of extending credit, not surveilling customers and enabling Trump’s mass deportation agenda. I’m proud to join Senator Alsobrooks in introducing the Financial Access Protection Act to make clear that banks exist to serve customers, not to serve as an arm of DHS.”

“Our financial regulators and financial institutions should not be tasked with enforcing immigration laws and intruding on customers’ personal privacy. Full stop.” said Sen. Alsobrooks. “Misguided policies like these will sow chaos in our financial system and create new burdens for our local banks and credit unions. I’m proud to join with Congressman Torres on bicameral legislation to prevent this overreach,” said Senator Alsobrooks.

The Financial Access Protection Act would:  

• Prohibit federally regulated banks from collecting, maintaining, or disclosing customers’ citizenship or immigration status as a condition of providing financial services. 
• Prevent federal banking regulators from requiring or pressuring financial institutions to gather such information through rulemaking, guidance, or supervisory action. 

The bill is designed to protect financial privacy, ensure equal access to banking services, and prevent the weaponization of the financial system against immigrant communities. Under current law, banks must comply with anti-money laundering statutes and customer identification requirements, but they are not required to collect or verify citizenship information. Industry leaders have raised concerns that a new mandate would be burdensome, legally questionable, and harmful to financial inclusion. The Financial Access Protection Act would ensure that access to basic financial services does not depend on citizenship status and that banks remain focused on their core mission: serving customers and maintaining financial stability. 

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