1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

​I am writing to you as a constituent residing at 4700 Monument Ave in Richmond. I am contacting your office today to express my profound dissatisfaction with your current approach to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ​While I have followed your recent efforts regarding "oversight," amicus briefs, and procedural audits, these measures are utterly insufficient. As my representative, you must acknowledge that the actions of ICE—funded by my tax dollars—have transcended "policy disagreement" and entered the realm of domestic terrorism against our communities. ​The constant threat of detention, the separation of families, and the lack of basic human rights for those held in these facilities are not issues that can be "audited" away. Your continued support for omnibus spending bills that provide even a single cent to this agency is a betrayal of the civil rights values you claim to uphold. ​I am calling on you to take the following immediate actions: ​Pledge to Vote "No" on any appropriations bill that includes funding for ICE detention and enforcement operations, regardless of other riders. ​Publicly Demand the Immediate Abolition of the current ICE enforcement structure in favor of a strictly humanitarian-based immigration system. ​Co-sponsor and aggressively fast-track legislation that ends qualified immunity for agents and closes all private and public detention centers immediately. ​The time for "transparency" and "incremental reform" has passed. We need representatives who treat state-sponsored violence with the gravity it deserves. I, along with many other constituents in the Fourth District and across Virginia, will be watching your upcoming floor votes on DHS funding very closely. ​Sincerely,