1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing to you not only as my elected representatives, but as the leaders of the Democratic Party in Congress, responsible for holding your conferences together and using that power to stop federal violence carried out in our name. The killings of Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Good by ICE and DHS agents represent a moral, constitutional, and political breaking point. Two people are dead. Federal agencies are obstructing transparency. Protesters and legal observers are being smeared as “domestic terrorists.” And DHS leadership continues to lie to the public while demanding more money, more power, and less accountability. This cannot be met with statements, hearings, or expressions of concern. It requires discipline, leverage, and consequences—now. As Democratic leaders, I demand that you take the following actions and hold your caucuses to them: 1. Defund ICE and Use the Power of the Purse
Refuse to pass any funding bill that includes appropriations for ICE or Border Patrol. If that means a government shutdown, so be it. No more blank checks for agencies that kill civilians and evade accountability. 2. Abolish ICE and Radically Reform DHS
Advance legislation to dismantle ICE as an agency and restructure DHS with strict civilian oversight, transparency requirements, and enforceable limits on the use of force. ICE agents do not belong in our cities or neighborhoods. 3. Halt Detention Facility Construction Immediately
Stop all construction and expansion of immigration detention facilities—modern-day concentration camps that violate basic human rights and due process. 4. Full Accountability for the Killings of Pretti and Good
Demand independent investigations with full state access, preservation of all evidence, and criminal accountability for the agents and supervisors involved. Federal agencies must not be allowed to investigate themselves behind closed doors. 5. End the Criminalization and Slander of Protesters and Observers
Publicly reject and discipline officials who label protesters, medics, journalists, and legal observers as “domestic terrorists.” Require formal retractions of false statements and consequences for those who knowingly spread them. 6. Remove Complicit DHS Leadership
Call for the removal of Kristi Noem, Gregory Bovino, and any senior officials who have defended these killings, obstructed investigations, or misled the public. This is a moment that will define whether Democrats are willing to govern with moral clarity—or whether federal law-enforcement agencies are effectively beyond civilian control. I expect more than rhetoric. I expect a clear explanation of what actions you will take, what leverage you will use, and how quickly. History is watching. So are your constituents.