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

I urge you to oppose the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026 (HB4213) unless it is amended to include three critical accountability measures: disarming ICE agents during routine immigration enforcement, prohibiting racial profiling based on race, language, or accent, and establishing clear criminal and civil liability for agents who harm civilians. HB4213 appropriates $10,967,045,000 for ICE operations with prioritization for apprehending and removing individuals linked to terrorist organizations or national security threats. However, the bill contains no meaningful protections against discriminatory enforcement practices. The legislation mandates GPS monitoring for all non-detained immigrants through the Alternatives to Detention Program and prohibits transporting undocumented individuals into the U.S. interior except for law enforcement purposes, yet it fails to establish safeguards preventing agents from targeting people based on appearance, language, or ethnicity. The current framework creates an enforcement apparatus with substantial funding and operational authority but inadequate accountability mechanisms. While Section 549 prohibits actions contravening the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments, this provision lacks enforcement teeth and does not create specific remedies for individuals harmed by agent misconduct. Immigration enforcement should not require armed agents for civil administrative proceedings, and the absence of explicit anti-discrimination language invites constitutional violations and community harm. The bill's extensive reporting requirements include monthly budget reports and quarterly acquisition briefings, yet it mandates no reporting on use of force incidents, discriminatory stops, or civilian complaints against agents. This represents a fundamental oversight failure in legislation appropriating nearly $11 billion for immigration enforcement. I ask that you vote against HB4213 unless it is amended to disarm ICE agents during routine enforcement, explicitly prohibit targeting based on race, language, or accent, and establish clear criminal and civil liability for agents who harm civilians. These protections are essential to ensure that homeland security funding does not enable constitutional violations and community harm.