U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan unveiled a new bill Tuesday that would increase congressional oversight of the Departments of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. The proposal follows Trahan's visit to Customs and Border Protection facilities on the southern border last week.

The bill, called the Accountability for Migrant Deaths Act of 2019, would require the Secretaries of HHS and Homeland Security to tell Congress about the death of any foreign national in their custody within 24 hours. The bill, which Trahan said she plans to file on Wednesday, also states that the secretaries would need to describe the circumstances of the deaths, and the notification would trigger congressional hearings within a week.

Since October, at least nine migrants have died while in Border Patrol's custody.

Trahan said the motivation for the bill is to make the departments more accountable to Congress.

"If, on your watch, the conditions are so bad that you’re at risk of a fatality, you need to account for that," she said. "I think it will help change behavior. We need a lot of operational changes, but in the meantime, we need some culture changes as well."

The bill would prohibit the departments from using executive privilege to refuse to testify before Congress. Trahan called the use of executive privilege by Trump administration officials to avoid congressional testimony “rampant.”

“It’s a rejection of Congress’ role as a separate and equal branch of government, and that can’t happen in our democracy,” she said.

Trahan said she did not consult Customs and Border Protection during the drafting of the bill, and has not heard feedback from Republicans. The congresswoman said she plans to try to work with other representatives across the aisle.

“Our hope is that we can get Republicans on board with a simple accountability measure,” she said.

Drawing from her visit to CBP facilities, Trahan said the detention facilities are unprepared to handle the migrants they oversee.

“These are enforcement officers, and now they’re feeding sick children, changing diapers, taking care of kids, and it’s an unfair position to put them in,” she said. She added, “First and foremost, what we have to do is get back to a place where we’re treating people humanely.”

Chaiel Schaffel is an intern with WGBH News.