1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

HB7148, the consolidated appropriations act for fiscal year 2026, includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which encompasses Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I urge you to oppose this funding and instead support legislation to abolish ICE entirely. Defunding ICE through annual appropriations has proven ineffective because the agency operates with approximately $75 billion in available funds that function as a slush fund, allowing it to continue operations regardless of congressional appropriations restrictions. This massive reserve of resources means that traditional defunding efforts cannot meaningfully constrain the agency's activities or prevent the harms it inflicts on immigrant communities. ICE has consistently demonstrated that it operates beyond meaningful congressional oversight. The agency's access to this enormous pool of discretionary funding enables it to circumvent appropriations limitations that would constrain other federal agencies. This financial independence undermines democratic accountability and allows ICE to pursue enforcement priorities that harm families and communities without regard to shifting congressional intent or public opinion. The only effective solution is complete abolition of the agency. Immigration enforcement functions could be restructured under different frameworks that prioritize human dignity, due process, and community safety rather than mass detention and family separation. Other federal agencies managed immigration matters before ICE's creation in 2003, and we can develop more humane and effective approaches to immigration policy without this agency. I ask that you vote against HB7148 if it includes Department of Homeland Security appropriations that fund ICE operations, and that you cosponsor and advocate for legislation to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement entirely. Incremental funding restrictions have failed because of ICE's financial reserves. Only abolition addresses the fundamental problem of an agency operating with minimal accountability and causing documented harm to immigrant communities across the country.