1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

The Department of Homeland Security has become a menace to public safety. The current funding structure and loose mandates allow for political appointees to weaponize whole departments against political enemies without fear of consequences. With an incompetent and immoral President at the helm, we are seeing that the current laws are insufficient to prevent abuse of police power by DHS leadership. DHS is putting poorly trained, poorly vetted thugs in military gear and setting them loose on communities with the goal of creating fear and chaos. If Congress passes continued funding for this rogue element of our government it will be endorsing the authoritarian program currently underway. DHS funding should be curtailed. DHS should be broken up to reduce its reach. Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be demilitarized (guns are not needed to serve a civil warrant - ICE agents need a pen a clipboard and training in human interaction). I cannot overstate the importance of this moment. If Congress does not assert its power and oversight authority our nation will be lost. Now is the time to act.