1. United States
2. Alaska
3. Letter

congress I am writing as your constituent from Anchorage to urge you to take immediate action to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement practices and ensure humane treatment of all people in our immigration system. Recent reports of ICE operations have deeply concerned me, particularly the conditions in which the detained are kept, citing expired food, insufficient beds, gross mistreatment, as well as the fascistic way citizens and children are swept up in raids that ought to specifically target undocumented criminals. These practices undermine our values and create fear in communities across our nation. I am asking you to support the following concrete reforms: **Appropriations Conditions:** - Prohibit funding for family separation policies and prolonged child detention - Eliminate detention bed quotas that incentivize mass incarceration - Require ICE to cease enforcement operations at sensitive locations including schools, hospitals, and courthouses **Statutory Protections:** - Mandate probable cause warrants for immigration arrests, not just administrative warrants - Establish maximum detention periods (e.g., 90 days) before mandatory bond hearings - Expand access to legal counsel for detained immigrants - Narrow deportation categories to focus on serious criminal offenses rather than civil violations **Oversight and Accountability:** - Require regular public reporting on arrest patterns, detention conditions, and use of force - Expand Inspector General authority to investigate and enforce standards - Establish independent oversight of detention facilities with enforceable care standards These reforms would not eliminate immigration enforcement—they would ensure it operates with basic due process, transparency, and human dignity. I understand immigration is complex, but these specific measures have broad support and would make enforcement more constitutional, humane, and consistent with American values. Other democracies enforce immigration law without resorting to these tactics. I would appreciate hearing your position on these reforms and what specific steps you will take to address ICE's overreach. Our community is watching, and we need leaders willing to act. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.