Rep. Torres introduces bill in U.S. House to restrict financial institutions from collecting immigration status data

The new bill authored by U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres in the U.S. House aims to prevent financial institutions from collecting or disclosing consumers’ citizenship or immigration status, according to the U.S. Congress.

H.R.8643 was introduced on April 30, 2026 during the 2026 regular session of the 119th Congress. The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill aims to prohibit covered financial institutions from collecting, maintaining, or disclosing information about the citizenship or immigration status of consumers. Specifically, financial institutions cannot require disclosure of such information as a condition for accounts or services and are barred from requesting or retaining this type of data. Additionally, no federal banking agency may encourage or mandate the collection of citizenship or immigration status as part of regulatory requirements. The bill defines “covered financial institutions” to include various banking and financial entities subject to federal oversight. Enforcement will be managed by appropriate federal banking agencies, and the bill does not affect existing obligations under the Bank Secrecy Act.

The bill was introduced only by Rep. Ritchie Torres (Democrat-NY-15th District).

Since the beginning of the current session, Rep. Torres has introduced another 38 bills.

Congressional bills can originate in either the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate, except for revenue-related measures, which must begin in the House. After introduction, bills are assigned to committees for review, hearings, amendments and debate before they can advance to a vote in each chamber. If both chambers approve identical versions, the legislation is sent to the president, who may sign it into law or veto it. Congress operates in two-year terms, with each term numbered sequentially and divided into two annual sessions. The legislative process and official bill records are maintained by the U.S. Congress and published through Congress.gov.

Ritchie Torres is a Representative from New York, born in Bronx County on March 12, 1988. He served on the New York City Council from 2014 to 2020 and was elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress and the two succeeding Congresses, beginning January 3, 2021. Torres graduated from Herbert H. Lehman High School in 2006 and attended New York University from 2006 to 2007.

Information in this article was obtained from the U.S. Congress. The source data can be found here.