1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

Immigrants are part of our families, communities, workplaces, and places of worship. Like generations before them, they came here in search of a better life. But the Trump administration has adopted an unlawful immigration policy that subjects immigrants to a detention system defined by abuse, medical neglect, and a complete disregard for human dignity. As your constituent, I urge you to support and pass the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act. Between 2017 and 2021, 95 percent of deaths in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody were preventable with appropriate medical care. Since January 2025, more than 50 people have died in ICE custody. These were not isolated incidents. They are the predictable result of a punitive system. Yet the administration has already handed ICE billions to expand detention and deportation capacity and is still seeking more taxpayer dollars. The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act offers a different path: it ends the administration's abuse of mandatory detention, ends the detention of children and families, phases out private detention facilities, and requires unannounced inspections and rapid reporting of deaths in custody. The United States has long been a place of refuge. Mass detention is antithetical to our laws, our values, and basic human decency. Use your power to hold ICE accountable and pass the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act to end this cruel and dangerous detention system.