The VERIFY Act of 2026 modernizes the SAVE program, which is used by federal, state, local, and tribal agencies to verify whether individuals are eligible for government benefits based on immigration status. The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to upgrade the system's technology to process queries faster, automatically reconcile data with source systems, and provide alerts when someone's immigration status changes after an initial verification. The legislation mandates that immigration status changes be reflected in SAVE within 24 hours and establishes data-sharing agreements with agencies like the Social Security Administration to improve accuracy. The bill includes safeguards prohibiting use of SAVE for general law enforcement, requiring human review of negative determinations, and establishing annual testing for algorithmic bias. The Secretary of Homeland Security must submit a modernization plan within 180 days, and the Inspector General must conduct annual audits to ensure compliance, with potential funding consequences if material violations occur.
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