1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support legislation that would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and replace it with a humane immigration system that reflects our values as a nation. Since its creation in 2003, ICE has operated with minimal oversight and accountability, resulting in documented human rights abuses. The agency has separated families, detained asylum seekers fleeing violence, and conducted raids that terrorize entire communities. This approach has failed to address the root causes of immigration while causing immeasurable harm to people seeking safety and opportunity. The current system is both morally indefensible and fiscally irresponsible. ICE's budget has ballooned to over $8 billion annually, yet this massive expenditure has not made our communities safer or created a functional immigration process. Instead, it has funded a detention system that holds tens of thousands of people in conditions that violate basic human dignity, including families and children. We need a complete reimagining of how we approach immigration enforcement. This means creating a new agency focused on processing and integration rather than punishment and detention. It means prioritizing actual public safety threats rather than targeting people whose only violation is seeking a better life. It means treating asylum seekers with the dignity required under international law. Abolishing ICE is not about eliminating immigration enforcement entirely. It is about building something better from the ground up, an agency with clear humanitarian guidelines, robust oversight mechanisms, and a mission centered on justice rather than cruelty. Communities across the country, including here in Pennsylvania, have demonstrated that welcoming immigrants strengthens our economy and enriches our culture. I urge you to cosponsor and support legislation to abolish ICE and work toward comprehensive immigration reform that upholds human rights and reflects the best of who we are as Americans.