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

I am writing to urge you to oppose any funding for the Department of Homeland Security that does not include meaningful accountability measures for immigration enforcement officers. Congress faces a Friday deadline on this funding, and this moment presents a critical opportunity to demand reforms that protect civil liberties while maintaining security. Recent polling shows that a majority of Americans believe current enforcement tactics have gone too far. This is not a fringe position. It reflects widespread concern about unchecked authority and the absence of basic accountability mechanisms that exist in virtually every other law enforcement context. The requests from Democrats are reasonable and necessary. Requiring officers to display identifying information like their last name and prohibiting face masks during enforcement actions are standard practices in policing. These measures protect both the public and officers themselves by ensuring transparency and preventing abuse. When law enforcement operates without identification, it creates an environment where misconduct can occur without consequence and where innocent people have no recourse. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is preparing a short-term stopgap funding bill, but a temporary measure that sidesteps these accountability questions only delays addressing a fundamental problem. Immigration enforcement officials will testify before a House committee about their practices, yet without structural reforms requiring identification and transparency, these hearings amount to little more than theater. I understand that some view these accountability measures as nonstarters, but that position is untenable. Every other federal law enforcement agency operates with officer identification requirements. Immigration enforcement should not be exempt from standards that apply elsewhere in government. I ask that you refuse to support DHS funding unless it includes requirements for officer identification and prohibitions on face masks during enforcement actions. The American people deserve immigration enforcement that operates within the bounds of transparency and accountability that define legitimate law enforcement in a democratic society.