1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to vote against any funding for the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, including the proposed two-week temporary extension that splits DHS funding from the larger spending package. The deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis at the hands of federal agents conducting mass deportation operations demonstrate that ICE operates with impunity and without adequate oversight. Providing even temporary funding signals acceptance of this violent status quo. While some Democrats have called for reforms including ending mask-wearing by federal agents, imposing a code of conduct, and establishing independent investigations of code violations, these measures do not go far enough and should not be traded for continued funding. As a mother, I find it abhorrent that our nation is imprisoning a five year old child named Liam who is now becoming ill in detention. This will be condemned in the history books. I urge you to take immediate action to assist in his medical care and secure his release. A child of this age should never be held in immigration detention under any circumstances, and allowing him to suffer illness while imprisoned is unconscionable. The argument that ICE must continue operating because it enforces laws enacted by Congress, as Tom Homan stated at a press conference in Minneapolis, ignores the fact that Congress has the power to defund enforcement of unjust laws. Even if DHS funding expires over the weekend, ICE has already received tens of billions of dollars under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last year, meaning deportation operations will continue regardless. This makes the two-week extension particularly meaningless as a negotiating tool. The current deal allows 96% of the federal government to be funded through September while giving DHS only a temporary extension. This creates an opportunity to take a firm stand against funding an agency conducting mass deportations that have already resulted in deaths of US citizens and the imprisonment of young children. A short funding lapse will not shut down government services that constituents depend on, but it will send a clear message that ICE's current operations are unacceptable. I urge you to vote no on any DHS funding bill, work to secure Liam's immediate medical care and release, and vote on the right side of history.