1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Today, this Republican administration has deployed anonymous, unaccountable, poorly-trained ICE “officers,” answerable only to the administration, to airports across the country to replace TSA agents. This is a dangerous escalation of ICE activity, and should alarm every member of Congress. ICE “officers” are in no way trained to assume the role of screening commercial airline passengers. They are shock troops, trained to escalate, not de-escalate, any scenario they encounter. This administration cannot replace trained aviation security personnel with immigration “officers” and expect success. Given ICE’s recent history, they will be arbitrarily questioning, detaining, and intimidating U.S. citizens, lawful residents, and visitors. That will create a chilling effect on travel, particularly for immigrant communities and communities of color It also sends a message to the world that the United States is becoming a place where travel is accompanied by aggressive enforcement and potential detention. That has real consequences—for tourism, for business, and for the country’s global standing. And what happens when a poorly-trained ICE “officer” shoots a passenger? Congress must act now to stop this before it becomes the new normal. You and other members of Congress have the power to keep ICE “officers” from being deployed in our airports. My wife and I urge you to do everything in your power to stop this dangerous escalation.