1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to publicly renounce Immigration and Customs Enforcement's unconstitutional practices and support legislation to abolish the agency. The recent fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both 37-year-old American citizens, in Minneapolis this month demonstrate how ICE's occupation-style policing threatens the civil liberties and safety of all residents in our communities. A memo signed by acting ICE Director Todd Lyons authorizes agency personnel to enter homes and arrest individuals without a judicial warrant if they possess only a signed administrative warrant and a final order of removal. This practice directly violates the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires authorities to obtain warrants with probable cause. As Steven Nekhaila, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, correctly stated, this represents "an assertion by fiat, not a principle recognized by the Constitution, statute, or the courts." The Fourth Amendment does not bend to agency memos. ICE was created in 2003 by the Homeland Security Act in a national security context that blended immigration enforcement with counterterrorism culture, equipment, and mindset. This fusion has produced an agency that operates with military-style tactics in civilian neighborhoods, treating American communities as occupied territory. Every justification for state violence becomes depersonalized, amplified, and systematized until it becomes a permanent feature of governance. We cannot allow this trajectory to continue. The deaths of two American citizens during ICE operations should alarm every member of Congress regardless of party affiliation. When federal agents can enter homes without judicial warrants and use lethal force against citizens, we have abandoned constitutional principles that protect us all. I ask you to take a clear stand by calling for ICE's abolition and supporting comprehensive immigration reform that respects both civil liberties and the rule of law. Our communities deserve better than occupation-style policing by federal agents operating outside constitutional constraints.