1. United States
2. Ky.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any new funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the upcoming Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill. For years, increased funding for immigration enforcement has failed to deliver humane, effective, or fiscally responsible outcomes. Expanded budgets for ICE and CBP have coincided with well-documented harms, including family separation, prolonged detention of asylum seekers, deaths and injuries in custody, and the erosion of due process. Additional funding risks perpetuating these outcomes rather than addressing the underlying challenges in our immigration system. From a fiscal perspective, enforcement-first approaches are costly and inefficient. Detention and militarized border operations consume billions of taxpayer dollars while producing diminishing returns. Evidence consistently shows that community-based case management, legal representation, and timely asylum processing are far more cost-effective and result in high compliance with immigration proceedings—without inflicting unnecessary human suffering. Accountability and oversight remain serious concerns. Reports from inspectors general, journalists, and civil society organizations continue to reveal gaps in transparency, contracting abuses, and inadequate medical care in detention facilities. Until meaningful, enforceable reforms and independent oversight are in place, Congress should not expand funding for agencies with such persistent structural problems. Rather than allocating new resources to ICE or CBP, Congress should prioritize: • Strengthening asylum and refugee processing capacity at ports of entry • Investing in community-based alternatives to detention • Expanding access to legal counsel and case management • Addressing root causes of migration through diplomacy and targeted aid • Ensuring rigorous oversight and accountability for existing DHS programs A just and functional immigration system must be grounded in human rights, due process, and responsible stewardship of public funds. I respectfully ask that you oppose any increase in funding for ICE or Border Patrol in the forthcoming DHS funding bill and work instead toward solutions that are humane, effective, and consistent with our nation’s values.